Posts From Ecuador

We were out of the gas station by 8:00 am looking to get some propane and have the Tiger washed. For some reason at the 4 places we tried all said NO!. We drove a few miles north to a propane plant, they were willing to fill Bernie's portable bottle but initially said they could not fill the tank on the Tiger. However, after a while, and we think a discussion with the plant boss they story changed and I drove the Tiger into the plant. Like in Central America, at first, the plants pump could not force propane into the tank against the pressure of gas in the tank. But eventually they cranked up the pump pressure and we got topped up.

Not much to say about today, we stayed at the campground all day. At first putting Bernie's vehicle back together, the internal engine cowl was not put back completely by the mechanics that fixed the problems. And then cleaning up the inside of the Tiger, at least Nina cleaning up and tidying up the inside.

Another relaxed (read lazy) day. Mid morning we drove down into town and found a laundry that did our washing. While the washing was in progress we visited an internet cafe, bought some groceries and Nina had a wonderful time buying a truck load of souvenirs.

We stayed at Cuicocha until late morning trying to get a good photo of the snow brushed tip of Mount Cotacachi. In the process a snow capped mountain emerged out of the clouds to our East. I guess from the map that it is Mount Cayambe at 5790 m. While at the lake we bumped into an Australian and two Swiss tourists who had come up to take the hiking trail around the lake. They gave glowing reports on their trips to the Galapagos Islands, so that is now back on Nina's agenda.

Not much to report about today. It took some careful driving to descend from our ridge top camping spot and thereafter a slow drive down the cobbled road back into Otavalo and then another trip to the super market and hardware store in Ibarra. On the way out of Ibarra we found a Lavadero to wash away the Mojanda dust and San Agustin mud that was now covering the Tiger. We sat for almost two hours while a team of three worked to get the vehicle back to something like clean condition.

Friday was the start of Festival in Otavalo and the kick off would be a parade through the streets and around the main square commencing at 7:00 pm.

Another lazy, but unfortunately windy and dusty, day in Otavalo. Its amazing how you get comfortable with a place and are content to just hang out.

Another clear but windy morning in Otavalo. The wind is blowing dust everywhere. The last few days have been windy and dusty, so much so that I will be be pleased to get away from Otavalo's dust. Though I will miss the town.

A friend in Washington had given us the phone number of some of their friends, Gene and Helen, in Quito. Thus the first task of the day was to make contact. We arranged to meet Gene at 3:15 pm.

There is not much to say about today. I had hoped to get the vehicle serviced at a local Chevrolet dealer and was optimistic enough to hope that they would be able to supply the engine, transmission and fuel filters. But it was not to be. The Tiger would not fit into their workshop, and they could not provide any of the filters.

This morning we found a newly opened cafe with WiFi, so settled into their comfortable lounge chairs to collect emails and upload some recent contributions to whiteacorn. Unfortunately this took much longer than we had hoped as I found a bug in my whiteacorn code. The map of our camping locations was not handling southern latitude with 0 degrees correctly. I had to go back into programmer mode for a few hours to fix it.

This morning we had to finally face the task of finding our way out of Quito to the south. This was always going to be somewhat of a challenge as the city is hemmed in on the east and west by mountains and hence it stretches south/north a long way. The challenge was increased by the fact that we only had a tourist map of the city and a map of the country. Nothing that showed the outer parts of the city in detail. It was around 8:30 by the time we got underway and over the course of the next hour we tried in turn each of the four main north-south trolley bus routes, starting with the eastern most and working our way to the west. Why did we do that? Not by choice. We either came to a police blockage to south bound traffic - to give north bound vehicles more lanes, or simply took the wrong turn. But in time the western route got us to the southern boundary of the city and back onto the PanAmericana. We must be becoming seasoned travelers as all of this was done without arguments or angst between driver and navigator.

Last night was windy, did I say it was windy last night. Not a constant steady wind but terrific gusts that shook the Tiger. At times I feared that a window might give way or the Thule luggage container on the roof would rip off and get carried away. The wind we felt in Atigun Pass on the way to Deadhorse, AK was stronger but we did not camp with that wind. This morning was cold, for the first time since leaving Canada we turned on the house heater. Outside temp was about 40°F but with the wind - at least 30 mph it felt much colder. Even the locals were rugged up.

It's interesting how the days on the road vary, some are so mundane that there hardly seems to be anything to say, then others like today (and tomorrow - this is the hint that I wrote up two days at the same time) are so packed with sights, experiences and surprises that it seems impossible to capture even the basics.

As I hinted in yesterdays entry, today would prove to be another of those days that leaves one searching for words. Seems appropriate somehow that the start of our second 6 months on the road should be memorable - and it was.

Neither of us slept well last night, and Nina was definitely suffering mild altitude sickness, with head ache and insomnia so we headed for lower altitude and Guaranda. We stopped just east of Guaranda on the road to Riobamba for Nina to sleep for a couple of hours, she was more her normal self after that.

We stayed around Alausi for some time this morning doing some business on the internet. Then in bright sunshine we headed South along the main road to Cuenca. For many miles the road was in great condition with newly laid smooth pavement. And I was thinking how nice it was to be back on a major road rather than some of the rough routes we had followed in recent days.

The plan today was to get setup to use a local-country propane cylinder. This would involve buying a filled propane tank, some hose, and having the carrier on the back of the Tiger modified at a welding shop. I was confident that all but the welding would be straight forward as other travelers had told us about a very good hardware store close to the campground.

Spent the day stocking up on things for the next week on the Orient Road(where we don't expect to find any supermarkets) and interneting in the Mall.

We tried to get an early start this morning, but got delayed by an attempt at a last minute stop at the Mall De Rio - we are still not sure what time it opens, but its after 9:30.

The road between Macas and Puyo was on the whole new, and much better than we had anticipated, except for a small number of sections that still had to be made. Those sections were simply river gravel and rocks laid over what I assume to be the old dirt road. There were only a few sections of the unmade road and probably not more than a few miles in all. One of the more interesting bad parts of the road was the river crossing in the town of Sucua. there used to be a suspension bridge crossing the river, but that obviously collapsed some time ago as the remains are still lying on the ground and in the river. The replacement bridge is only one lane and hence impatient bus and truck drivers simply drive through the river - I presume until it is too deep.

Today we planned a return visit to the resort town of Banos, but this time approaching it along the Pastaza river valley from the East. It made for a leisurely day of driving as the round trip only racked up 75 miles. Starting in humid tropical conditions at 3000 ft in Puyo the road winds its way along the Northern wall of the Pastaza valley above the cliffs of the lower gorge and eventually climbs out of the tropical vegetation as it nears Banos at just under 6000 ft. It is an impressive road, a number of dripping tunnels and lots of tight turns. Also a number of places where it is taking a lot of hard work to keep the road from being swept from the mountain side by slides and rock falls. There are a number of narrow side roads that enable tourists with smaller vehicles than ours to visit local villages, water falls and other attractions. There were quite a few tourists, both young and old, riding bikes along the 12 km section of the road into Banos.

Not long after leaving the Puyo area this morning we got a taste of our first tropical rain storm. The small rivers crossing the road were running full of brown water and puddles were building up in the villages and along the road side. This gave us a little sample of why the road builders are so keen on the road side drains we have seen everywhere.

Today we headed for the thermal pools at Papallacta up in the mountains and on our way back to Quito, but before leaving the area we took a drive into the town of Tena to see another jungle park mentioned in our guide book. Tena is a sizable town that is becoming a significant tourist destination for those seeking a jungle experience or kayakers seeking access to the rivers and rapids of the area. It also looked like the town was trying to rebuild itself to cater to those tourists as roads were being dug up everywhere.

Before leaving Papallacta this morning we treated ourselves to an hour in the baths, hot pools. While still part of the Termes De Papallacta, this was more basic. Just a series of nicely finished hot pools. It was cold (45°F) and drizzling, so one did not spend much time out of the warm water.

Just doing stuff - not interesting stuff - in Quito

Today was another - not much to say day.

We had a bit of a rocky start to the Galapagos trip today. We had no trouble getting out of the parking lot at 5:30, the caretaker Diego, was true to his word and was awake in time to unlock the gate for us. But getting our ride to the airport was a bit more problematic. First we got into the wrong taxi - one just stopped and asked us if we were going to the airport. It took us 100 yards to realize that this was just a random request from an alert cabbie, not our designated ride. So we got out and waited some more. We had a number of further offers but now we knew that the correct answer was no. The appointed time, 5:45am, came and went and still no sign of the correct taxi. So we called the travel agent emergency number. Eventually discovering that the driver was waiting on the corner of Almagro and Pinto not Almagro and Pinta. That seems like a pretty basic mistake, particularly since we had given the street number in Almagro as well as the intersection. But ... we got to the airport, onto the plane and out to the Galapagos Islands.

Today we visited two islands and had a couple of snorkeling sessions. The first location was only two hours sailing from yesterdays location so the boat stayed at anchor until 4:00 am this morning, then sailed to todays location by 6:00 am. The seas over night were mild but we both noticed the rocking motion. I hope we get accustomed to this.

We awoke this morning in Darwin Bay, Genovesa Island. Everyone is showing the effects of last nights navigation - as they call it - which began at midnight and was rough. The morning is a bit misty and there is cloud over the top of the island. We spent the first couple of hours walking around the shores and rocks of Darwin Bay. There are the usual collection of sea lions, a few marine Ignuanas but the special treat of the day are the hundreds, maybe thousands, of nesting birds. Red Footed Boobies (with blue beaks), frigates, and gulls, plus the occasional heron, mockingbird, and even a finch or two. The birds simply don't see us people as a threat. It is common to walk within a few feet of a mother and chick without any concern being shown by the birds. The land is flat, and composed of old volcanic lava flow and supports only the most hardy of plants.

The nights navigation was rough but between the pills and our tiredness we slept the night through without much disturbance.

We arrived in Peuto Ayora late last night after a lengthy navigation. Some of the group were leaving today so they were up and away early for a quick visit to Darwin Station before catching their plane out.

Isla Espanola today, the southern most island in the Galapagos group and the place where we hope to see Albatrosses, and a new variety of marine Iguana.

This morning when we woke the boat was anchored just off Santa Fe Island and the plans for the day were in the same pattern as the previous days. First a walk on the island to look at the local animals and then some snorkeling in the bay. Our walk found the now common colonies of sea lions snoozing on the beach and rocks, an assortment of birds, a new variety of land Iguana, and a number of Galapagos Hawks. Another interesting morning. The Snorkeling was good today, the water a bit warmer than some of the earlier days and a number of sea lions were prepared to keep us company. I also saw a couple of small sharks, not the man eating variety.

We were out in the dingy this morning by 6:00 am to ensure that even the last few hours of our visit got in some animal watching. And we were not disappointed. We cruised around a mangrove cove for an hour and saw a number of sea turtles, some small sharks, an eagle ray, and the most amazing sight of all - a flock of perhaps a thousand Blue Footed Boobies hunting and feeding in a pack. The flock would circle over the cove until a school of fish was spotted and then the entire flock would dive to feed. Just an amazing sight. After hitting the water the flock would surface and take to the air again - on some occasions almost running over us in our small dingy.

I am back from the US with the various parts for the Tiger, oil filters, fuel filters, oil seal, and assorted other things. I was worried about how Ecuadorian Customs would react to a bag full of car parts and after I saw the dire warnings on the declaration form I was even more worried; so I listed the parts on the form as instructed. Need not have bothered; the customs man did not even look at the form. But he did notice the strange shapes on his x-ray machine; not to worry - when I told him I was going to Peru he waved me on.

We hung around the hostel most of the morning before making our way back to the Tiger at the parquedero and getting underway.

Not far north of Lobitos is the township of Cabo Blanco. This town is the southern end of a nice section of coast with clear sunny skies (rather than the normal Peruvian grey), white sand beaches and lots of hotels, restaurants, and surf shops. The Panamericana runs along side this nice stretch of beach until just south of Tumbes, the northern gateway to the Peruvian coast. Thirty km north of Tumbes is the border with Ecuador.

On our map of Ecuador the 150km from Huizho to Ceunca is categorized as highway in poor condition. Mind you on this same map is no category for highway in good or normal condition. But it turned out to be a reasonably good road except for a 20 km diversion section that wound in and out of a valley on steep clay roads. The scenery was mostly tropical with steep green mountains swirling in cloud.

We stayed a few days in Cuenca in order to get some maintenance work done on the vehicle. Cleaning the air filter, oil change and new oil filter, and install the spare front brake pads we have been carrying since Phoenix.

The road North from Cuenca seemed generally to be in better condition than we recalled from last year. There were lengthy section of new concrete that last year were under construction. Just to keep us alert, though, there were still the occasional patches where the concrete was missing and the road surface dropped 6 inches into gravel and rock.

This morning we stopped at the town of Colta for a break. We had been looking for a place to stop for some miles when we came upon a road sign indicating a picnic area ahead. The sign was quite a surprise, signs are not common and official picnic areas even less so. But the place was even more of a surprise. A large very elaborate park with gardens, decorative bridges, children's play equipment and rest rooms was set beside a nice lake. The surprise continued. The place was swarming with people, adults and toddlers in traditional dress and children in school uniforms. After a while it became obvious that some kind of parade was going to take place and we stayed around long enough to see everyone line up and start marching east into the town center that was a little way removed from the highway and park. The banners being carried by the marchers indicated that the 28th anniversary of something was being celebrated.

We left Baños late in the morning heading East. The road traveled along the side of a steep spectacular valley, dropping down into the jungle of Eastern Ecuador. It was raining and misting, but even so the scenery was spectacular.

This morning we traveled a twisting mountain road through cloud forest to the thermal baths in the town of Papallacta. The cloud made visibility poor which when combined with a number of serious rock falls and landslides, caused by recent rains, made for slow but sometimes exciting driving. Of course the locals do not slow down in such conditions.

We were excited this morning to see that the day was going to be clear for our last transit across the Andes down into Quito. Last time we travelled this road it was misty and we saw very little except the tail lights of the vehicles ahead.

We spent the day on chores like washing and walked to and from the vehicle a couple of times. On one visit to the parking lot we got talking to a man named Fernando - he is a Colombian living in Ecuador and has traveled by RV in the US. We spent some time chatting and then he suggested that he and his family could come back to see the Tiger after work.

This morning we caught the Teleferico (cable car) to the top of one of the mountains that overlook Quito. The cable lifts visitors 1000m to a height of 4000m from where there are great views of Quito, and the surrounding mountains.

We hung around the parking lot this morning talking to Ollie and Sabina (the German couple with the American camper who were there when we arrived) about things we had seen and comparing our vehicles.Thus we did not get underway until almost lunch time.

Today was souvenir day. Nina has been telling me for months of the list of items she was going to buy when she got to Otavalo. She had concluded long ago that Otavalo has the best quality and best prices of any place we have seen in South America for llama wool goods.

A little more shopping today. The excuse was that we needed another nylon bag in which to pack all the things bought yesterday; but once in the market area more woven goods soon started piling up. Nina also took the opportunity to take a few more photos of the local women in the traditional dress. It's quite different to Peruvian clothing. Head ware is typically some form of cloth wrapped around the head, the dress is a long narrow skirt. Babies are still carried on the back but here the cloth wrapping them is white not a multi colored stripe.

Tulcan, the Ecuadorian town just south of the Colombian border, was our destination for today. From here we could get an early start on tomorrows border crossing (and search for Colombian vehicle insurance). Also, the guide book told us, the town cemetery was worth a look - and it was right. The cemetery was enormous, covering many acres of ground. The cemetery had normal graves, large and ostentatious mausoleums, and multi-tiered walls with small alcoves in which remains where placed - it was hard to conceive that this small city could need a cemetery this large . However the most amazing feature of the cemetery were the many large (up to 20 feet high) topiary trees carved into animal shapes. There were dozens of them. Maintenance of these trees must have kept a small army of workers busy. Also we happened to be there on a Sunday and the place was teeming with people paying their respects, placing flowers and generally enjoying a day out.