last day in ecuador

My trekking plans fell through so i decided to mountain climb the highest active volcano (or so the ecuadorians claim), Cotopaxi. Actually, it was the only activity that fit within my limited schedule in Quito...and i thought climbing a volcanic glacier seems so much cooler than just hiking up a big hill... Basically, upon reaching 18k feet (we started at 15500ft), the altitude started to kill me. Not to mention the 25mph winds and snow, the fact that i´m climbing this mother fucker at 2AM in the morning and my head lamp is failing didn´t help the situation at all. The altitude didn´t give me a headache, nor did it get me nauseous. However, it DID get my head spinning like when I drink and take at least 2 vicoden simultaneously, and i swear my eyes were starting to cross- I looked the desperate (and very inebriated) fool, literally dragging myself on all fours, when i couldn´t stand up straight. it was that or falling down the mountain, only hoping that if my crampons or ice axe don´t catch in the freaking glacier, then my guide who's got me harnessed will save me. It was a test of my will, and more importantly a great lesson in knowing just how far my body can go. I've always thought that it was mind over matter, but this trip proved me wrong. Or I'm just not as fit as I thought. I have NEVER in my life experienced such physical exhaustion and extreme fatigue as I did on this mountain. It was a humbling moment, and I decided (read my body decided for me) to not go any further and I didn´t reach the 19,000 summit. Next time, I'll just make sure to acclimatize a few more days before attempting such a climb. Taking a day trip to these thermal baths in a nearby town, where I did have to walk up a steep 2 kilometers, during which I ran into a guy with an armful of brooms attempting to sell these on a desolate road (perplexed at who is client base was, amazed that he saw the earning potential for this market activity), is not the best way to acclimatize. I just got back into Quito and will be leaving to come home tomorrow.