So on Friday I drive – after having a delicious
berakfast again - the 180km to La Hormiga. The road leads me through hilly,
still rampant vegetation to the border; the road most of the time just
great: 1/3 paved, 1/3 rough gravel and 1/3
"I used to be paved"!
The border crossing again on my own but couldn’t
been easier: the officials send me – after I asked him where the aduana and the
immigration is - directly over the bridge to Ecuador: after 3km I found actually
both (immigration, customs) from both countries in the same building! That
makes it really easy. That easy that I even have time to chat with a Colombian couple
for almost an hour.
Since I had started in the morning later than planned, I drive just outside of Lago Agrio to the next small city.Have dinner at a local restaurant and buy as usual on the first day the new chip for my mobile phone.
The next day I start earlier as I will drive about 300km to Puyo through the mountains. A magnificent road, curvy, virtually no traffic - and as usual if there is traffic in front of me….not for a long time ;-)
The landscape is changing not really, "green" is still the predominant color. The most interesting during that day: a dam for hydroelectric plant under construction. And it will not be the only time that Ecuador’s changesto a modern state shows in alternative energy plants.
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| this valley will disapear once the dam is finished |
In PuyoI’m expected by Renato who brings me from the city center
directly to his parents place.3 of his colleagues are also there, everybody is
having a early dinner. I’m again heartly greeted from everybody, introduced to
the family and have to join the meal immediately ;-) Salad (cabbage and
tomatoes), grilled meat and some cereals which I could not define precisely. But
anyway, it tasted good. Right afterwards we all returned to our bikes and did
necessary maintenance. I cleaned the air filter and the other mounted to the
already auxiliary headlamps even more auxiliary lights. It's funny: either they
drive around in the dark without light or then with light with that much light
that it would be enough to illuminate half a football stadium. In the evening a
walk with Renato's parents through the City –answering many questions about
Switzerland.The next morning right after putting the airfilter back we make a
sightseeing tour again – but this time on the bikes. The little daughter drives
with me on the back and enoys obviously that privilege J
After about an hour driving around they lead me to their grandmother who
is preparing lunch for the whole huge family: a typical lunch with fresh coughtfish
from the charcoal grill, but instead a metal grate, a grate consisting of
wooden rods of a certain wood, which gives the fish a special taste. Together
with Yuca (tastes like steamed potatoes) and the obligatory salad. Well, I do
not dare to say no and eat the fish (what I usually not do)... ..and hey, it tastes
really delicious !!
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| fresh from the grill ........yummmy |
As there a storm seems to arrive I leave them
right after lunch and drive the short 60km to Baños. It takes me much longer
than expected because all the Ecuadorians have a long weekend and are on the
road. In Baños then quite a shock for me. I've known that Baños is known and has
a lot to offer for tourists - all imaginable adventure sports like bungee
jumping, canyoning, canoping, river rafting, etc. - but there were not a few
tourists, the whole place was crammed. If I had not had booked in advance 2
nights, I would have driven on straight away. However, I met three other tourists
in the hostel and spontaneously went with them to the spa; along with about 1000
other tourists. I've really never seen that before: the pool with the hot water
was packed with people. What initially seemed a bit strange, was then quite
funny. The Ecuadorians remain mostly only briefly in the water before it’s
getting too hot for them - you could tell that most of them simply are not accustemed
to hot water.
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| famous waterfalls with the hot spring |
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| a swiss bistro - with almost swiss prices |
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| tourism pure.... |
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| a hall of food places.... a plate with local food for 2.50$ |
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| not for fun.....it is used from time to time |
On November 2, I was awakened by incredibly
beautiful, impressive music from the nearby cemetery. I took the chance and
Iwalked to the cemetery. "eldia de losmuertos" is an important day in
Ecuador and the families meet at the tombs and remain there sometimes for hours
- appropriately stocked with food and drinks. It was a totally nice atmosphere
in the cemetery, the touching music and a great view over the valley of Baños.
Otherwise a lazy day - somehow this huge crowd has taken any energy to do some
of the adventures. The tour of the volcano Tungurahua closed anyway as the
volcano is quite active recently and it would accordingly be too dangerous to
get close to it as an outbreak is always possible. So I enjoyed at the hostel a
great massage of back and shoulders - additionally I got a facial mask for free
- although it would have - of
course - NOT been really necessary ;-)
The next day early on the road again; not only because I had planned quite a tour that day but also before all the Ecuadorians would head back home. Happy the two of us (my Suzy Blue and me)drove curve for curve higher up; when we actually cracked the 4000MüM mark, I could not prevent a big grin. Never been that high up with a motorbike. Amazing about this region was that in contrary to Europe there is still quite a prospering vegetation, the locals harvest even maiz, potatoes, onions…..
The short hike was definitely worth the effort –anyway
because I wanted to find out whether I shall book for a trekking up to Machu
Picchu (not the famous Inka-Trail; that one is already sold out for a long
time). Concerning the altitude I think I should not have any problems; but I
didn’t make up my mind yet as the trekking is quite expensive and it is rainy
season now in the area.
In the afternoon I drive as afar as Riobamba –
jus a stopover – and the next day on to Cuenca. I arrive quite in time and as
Pipe (my local host-biker) has to work until five I park my bike and walk
through the nice old town of Cuenca.
While we wait at the a gas station for his
colleague an Ecuadorian biker with a BMW HP1200 sees my bike and starts talking
with us. He is curious about my travel, the bike and then also how it comes
that I can sleep at Pipe’s hostal.So once he finds out how it “works” he
invites us to have dinner and wants to know more about Pipe and his hostal. In
the end he not only invites us for dinner but also I willing to help Pipe with
the renovation of the hostal.The will meet the next day and Gonzalo will pay
the costs for the material Pipe needs. So for once I can sort of give something
back to my host. Again I’mastonished how uncomplicated people deal with each
other. So after the dinner we drive to Pipe’s little hostel, where up to 6
people can sleep…..and as always for free !!In the hostel I meet an Argentinian
motorcycle couple, 2 cyclists (from Brazil and Colombia). A funny mix of people
which all have many anecdotes and pictures of "their" journey to
share.
And so I already come to the end of my Ecuador
visit. I drive the next day to the border village Maricara and stay there
overnight. Again the road from Cuenca to Maricara was just gorgeous and curvy –
meanwhile I hardly dare to write that anylonger ;-)
In Maricara I filled the tank as the fuel is
much more expensive in Peru. Leaving Ecuador was almost as easy as entering it.
I could help the aduana officer in finding Switzerland on the long list of
countries (unfortunately for him written in English and not in Spanish). And
would there not have been a Canadian biker who had lost all his papers and
discussed about his problem with the officer, I guess I would have passed the
border within half an hour. Well, it took 1.5 hours – which is in comparison to
many other countries on my trip – still quite fast.
I know that I missed a lot of beautiful places
in Ecuador. But I’m getting tired of the “green” scenery. Of course the
volcanoes have impressed me very much (even the weather was unfortunately not
good enough to see them in sunshine) but otherwise the scenery has many
similarities with the agricultural hill areas in Switzerland - just that
everything here somewhere between 2000 and 3500MüM and huge!! Of coursethis is
a beautiful landscape but to see such a scenery I wouldn’t need to travel to
the other side of the Globus J - that’s something I can enjoy well enough back home ;-)
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