Ecuador ...

I rode into Ecuador and through the town of Tulcan heading for my first night stop at Ibarra. I continued to ride through amazing views, up high where it cooled and then down into warm valleys. You could see a marked increase in hostels and hotels in the valleys, clearly this is where the locals go for holidays and warmth. I found a hotel in Ibarra and settled for the night. It may have been the effects of the altitude but I felt tired and considered staying a couple of nights to rest up and acclimatise. I looked at the map and realised I was only a few kilometres from the Equator so set off the next day for a photo opportunity.

 

View over Ibarra from the Hotel

 

I rode into Cayambe and began looking for a 'line' across the earth. A mixture of heavy traffic and roadworks, I was still chasing those trucks, meant I rode straight on by. I later learnt that there is some argument locally about where the equator runs across Ecuador. A tourist opportunity missed I decided to head to the capital Quito and see where I ended up. Amazingly there is a six lane highway which runs straight through the capital, again the views were incredible and my mood changed and I began to enjoy the ride and feel less tired.

 

 

Looking down on Quito from the highway

 

What an amazing place Quito was, the highway went up high and looked down across the valley, I kept stopping to try and take it all in. I continued along the highway and onto a new road which carried me south towards Riobamba, it was actually relaxing to be on a 'straight' road and away from the curves and climbs of the last few days. I began to see snow capped mountains, evidence of the Andes and active volcanoes. Just before Riobamba I found a hostel by the side of the road, overlooking Chimborazo, a snow capped volcano, and decided to stop for a few days.

 

 

The tip of Chimborazo, honest, just above the the trees and the hostel. It was cold.

 

It was a great stop and very restful, the hostel was set in farmland and very quiet, so different from the usual city/town hotels I normally used. Feeling much better I headed on south towards Cuenca and another 'Spanish Colonial' town. I eventually stopped in Azogues, partly because I passed a likely looking hotel but also because a tourist town like Cuenca was not high on my list. There is no doubt that the more touristy centres can be easy to stay in but, like anywhere, they rarely provide a real sense of the country you're in.

 

 

Azoques

 

The hotel was great, I met a woman from the USA who was staying with some Ecuadorian friends, they all worked in Miami and were back visiting family. It was interesting to hear about life on the farms up in the hills and the impact of an influx of North Americans retiring in Cuenca, in particular how this was pricing out the locals. I also took the opportunity to replace my brake pads with my spares and do a oil and filter change. I walked into a busy Moto shop, essentially a yard with a small shop, they said they could do the bike then, we agreed I would bring it in the next day. Got there early and 3 young guys stuck it on it's centre stand and went to work. Besides me there was about 5-6 others in the audience, it was great, who needs health and safety. All done in less than an hour, total cost $30, which included the cost of 3 litres of oil, amazing (USD is all you need in Ecuador). I thanked the team and returned to my hotel, the bike ran great. Next stop Loja and what a ride it was.

 

 

Beautiful Ecuador, it's like this most of the way.

 

 

 

 

The weather changed to rain as I pulled into Loja but not enough to stop me having an interesting walk around the town. Next stop was the border with Peru at Macara, a quiet crossing away from the busy coastal border town of Huaquillas. After a few days I set off to cross into Peru, it was a Sunday. Riding into Catamayo I was stopped by Police who informed me the road ahead was closed due to a religious celebration, I looked at my map and saw another road marked which could get me through. Well, 4 hours later I arrived at the border after riding mostly gravel tracks up over 3000 metres, through small villages and the odd market town. In one I stopped to ask directions from a old guy in a Chelsea shirt, he just stared at me, not surprising perhaps, but where did he get that shirt ? perhaps it didn't sell in Fulham.

 

 

A great country, Ecuador

 

It was a very relaxed crossing, easy to sign out of Ecuador I was the only one there, the migracion man shook my hand and wished me well. At Peru migracion the guy was half asleep, at customs importing the bike I had to wait for the guys to finish their lunch and then we filled in the forms together. I lit a cigarette and looked down the road, it was beige, it was desert, it looked good.