Ok, so like Col's post, this is a little out of date but here it is anyway.
Upon arriving in the border town of Macara we promptly checked in to a nice hotel, I fixed the puncture I'd gotten 200 metres from said hotel and we headed out for dinner. As Col alluded to, we first had to sort out our cash situation, which due to our usual forward planning and research (or rather lack of) meant we had no actual idea what the currency of Ecuador was. No problem we thought, we'll head to the ATM and pick up whatever the local currency happens to be. Dave steps up to the cash point and after some messing about with cards being rejected he gets out 300. The problem was it turned out to be $300 US dollars and this left us a little confused but nonetheless we headed of to a decent restaurant to get fed. After eating our food we asked for the bill and sheepishly handed over some dollars to see if they would be accepted. Waiter brings back dollars and we then realise that Ecuador uses US dollars as it's currency. Having learnt our first thing about Ecuador (lack of a travel guide or a map had ensured this) we head back to the hotel for a bit of kip.
Day 168 - Macara to Catacochha - 94 KM
Very abruptly we realise cycling in Ecuador wasn't going to be the relaxing experience we had been thinking about. A very steep climb out of town in hot, humid conditions ensure our first experiences of Ecuador are pretty brutal. Col and I catch up with Dave as he's taking a breather by the side of the road after having entered a cloud/fog patch. He seems quite content sitting on the little wall by the side of the road, to one of us points out the numerous huge spiders clinging to their webs behind him. Those who know Dave will know that this didn't please him at all, as much like myself he has no love of the arachnid family.
The day continues with more sharp climbs and they're quite possibly some of the steepest climbs we've encountered so far on the entire trip. If I wasn't enjoying the Ecuadorian experience I had to feel sorry for Col as he was having a "mare" as you would say. Numerous weeks of having the shits and his enforced diet of soda crackers meant he was pretty much running on empty. We descend to a bridge where we know we have yet another climb to finish the day. The climb is slow for everyone but especially Col, who looks like the Grim Reaper may be looking to have a word with him in the very near future. We finish in the pitch dark after about two hours of ill advised cycling along the white line as it was the only thing we could see.
NOTE TO OURSELVES: Buy batteries for Dave's bike light.
Day 169 - Catacocha to Loja - 100 KM
Day starts well with a nice spot for breakfast but deteriorates rapidly when the old "biddy" running the joint starts messing up the order. Several corrections later we are fed and set off.
Terrain is similar to yesterday, unfortunately, with very steep climbs up to a ridge where we unfortunately have a 25 KM downhill into Catamayo. I say unfortunately as after a spot of lunch in Catamayo we are off again on another climb - this time 20 KM. After this beast we have a short downhill into Loja where we spend almost an hour searching for somewhere to eat that isn't a fast food joint.
Day 170 - Loja
Alarm goes off at 7 am and after Col emerges from the shower a short debate ends in the decision that today is a rest day.....so back to bed it was.
Day 171 - Loja - Saraguro - 82 KM
Day starts poorly with Midds pannier clip finally breaking (initially damaged when he crashed 8000 KM ago) and us taking a wrong turn which costs us 8 KM. Progress is reasonable despite yet another chain breakage (not my chain for a change) but it then starts to piss down and we realise we don't have enough time to make it to Ona so we pull stumps in Saraguro where we find an excellent hostal with great showers.
Day 172 - Saraguro - La Paz - 75 KM
A brief downhill is quickly followed by about a 30 KM climb to Ona where we have lunch before pushing on. We then meet a very nice Austrian couple cycling towards us and stop for a chat and swap some stories and route info. They reckon we could make it to Cuenca today but that it'll be very difficult. They're right. On the climb before Cuenca we stop at a small village called La Paz where the locals tell us there is nowhere to stay but we're welcome to pitch the tent at the roadside in front of a building that's for sale. Tent goes up with a reasonable audience in attendance and we head to a small restaurant where we again have chicken and rice for dinner and get to watch the first leg of the Copa de Libertadores (South American champions league) which features La Liga from Ecuador against America of Mexico. The restaurant seems to close around half time but thankfully they don't kick us out.
Day 173 - La Paz - Cuenca - 73 KM
An early start and a long downhill into Cuenca sees us arrive there in the afternoon with just enough time to get the bikes washed and also get some much needed laundry done. Unfortunately we don't have any real time to see the city as it seems quite nice but we need to press on.
Day 174 - Cuenca - Canar - 72 KM
An early start is thwarted by our inability to find somewhere open for breakfast and Col finally deciding he needs to see a pharmacist again. This one is also a doctor and doesn't agree with his previous treatment and duly dishes out more drugs. Road out of town is uneventful until Midd very nearly puts himself in the huge, nasty, concrete drainage ditch after watching a large group of road cyclists wave at us - truly a close call. It starts bucketing down on our next climb and when we reach the top we take shelter in a barn full of shit - literally. Another few K's sees us sheltering in a roadside restaurant where the long fingered gloves and waterproofs are put on but after the descent into Canar we've had enough and call time.
Day 175 - Canar - Alausi
Our alarm may have went off at 6 am but trust me the fireworks in the middle of the night and the church bells ringing incessantly at 5 am have me awake already and I'm not overly amused by the whole thing. Breakfast is the various flavours of instant porridge we've been saving for an emergency breakfast and mine is dispatched to the bin pretty sharpish. The first cycling incident of the day sees Midds chain break and Col very helpfully fit the new one. Well you could say helpful but Midd and I were pretty sure the chain should actually go through the derailleur and not around it - nice work Col. After yet another Ecuadorian deluge the day's second incident occurs in the shape of Col's rear tyre exploding on a pretty fast downhill. It was only a matter of time really due to our tyre supplier (Continental) being a very unhelpful bunch and refusing to stand by their products which we have found out are pretty poor. They refused to accept their tyres were of a very poor quality and were only prepared to replace one of the eight that had fallen apart under warranty. If you're looking for a tyre to use cycle touring look no further than Schwalbe about whom we have heard so many good reports from other cyclists - unlike Continental whose tyres have let down other cyclists we have spoken with. The rest of the day is occupied by a ridiculous climb on a mud/gravel/sand surface which eventually gets us into the town of Alausi.
Day 176 - Alausi - Riobamba - 99 KM
First incident is my chain breaking, again, and I'm not finding it amusing anymore. Second is much more amusing when Col pulls the rear wheel out of its dropouts and can't unclip his feet from the pedals in time. He does end up in the ditch still clipped in to his pedals but much to my disgust I miss the sight.
Day 177 - Riobamba - Latacunga - 107 KM
A 6.30 am wake up is ordered to take full advantage of the all you can eat breakfast and we assault the mass of food with some gusto. Eventually get on the bikes at 8 am and hit the road. Some uneventful cycling takes us to Ambato where Col and I combine to lose Midd. Unknown to us he has followed the sign for Quito (why didn't we think of that...) and is off on the new bypass. Col and I wait around for a hour on the outskirts to see if Dave will appear but we give up and make our own way to Latacunga where we arrive to see Dave sitting at a cafe in the square. He's been there 2 hours after cycling really fast to try and catch up with us as the road he chose (that would be the correct one) was pretty steep and he figured we must be ahead of him - we weren't.
Day 178 - Latacunga - Quito - 92 KM
A suprisingly flat day sees Quito arrive quite quickly and we make our usual city entrance - cycle fast, don't stop for anything and give shit to all drivers who cut you up. We rather by chance find our accommodation of Hostal La Posada Colonial quite easily and are greeted by the very friendly owners.
Quito
Two days isn't a lot to take in Quito and our 2 was pretty much spent shopping. No, it wasn't shopping for the pleasure of the shopping experience but for essentials like hammocks, mosquito nets etc for our upcoming river/jungle experience. We did manage to fit in a trip on the cable car to take in the views of Quito and do some other essential admin before our next leg. Bad news we did have is that upon getting bikes back from a service and clean is that all 3 have cracks in the frames (on the chain stays near the dropouts). Not good news at all and we're just hoping they'll hang together for the remainder of the trip.
Day 181 - Quito - Papallacta - 74 KM
Some arguing, and looks of disgust from us, persuades a transit cop to allow us to pass through a tunnel on our exit from Quito. Good job to as the alternative route obviously would have involved a big hill. The descent from Quito is soon followed by the inevitable climb which we know will be our last serious climb (this one takes us to 4100 metres) for the entire trip. We reach the top in cold, wet conditions and put on extra layers and waterproofs for the descent ahead. Good job, too, as it's bloody freezing and the miserable conditions and fading light see us stopping in the little village of Papallacata.
Day 182 - Papallacat - El Reventador - 117 KM
A long fast downhill is the perfect way to start any day and this one goes for quite a bit. A stop in Baeza sees us scoff a proper breakfast (unlike the brekkie from the hotel in the morning) and also sees Midd get some more route info. The info results in a change of plan for us and we take a different road from that which we had planned to take towards Coca. We push on until it starts pissing down again and a nice resort with pool appears by the side of the road. Cycling boots come off and it's into the pool for a mess about with attempted overhead kicks and diving headers with the ball we find. Dave isn't feeling too well so Col does the decent thing and scoffs his dinner for him.
Day 183 - El Reventador - Lago Agrio - 102 KM
First 45 kms go quite quickly and we stop for a drink and for Col to change the tube in his rear tyre due to a faulty valve. We stop again 2 kms down the road when Col realises the rear tyre is partly off the rim. Whilst touching Cols rear tyre the tube explodes and I, as we would say back home, near shat myself. Lago Agrio is reached just before a torrential downpour and we check into a nice hotel as it seems to be the only place in town where we won't get our stuff pinched or get beaten up (Lago Agrio doesn't have a great reputation). It's a little expensive and it's my turn for the camp mat on the floor but we didn't get a beating or our gear nicked so we call it a success.
Day 184 - Lago Agrio - Coca - 91 KM
Not the most memorable cycle but we get to Coca and book ourselves onto the first of our many boat trips to come in the next 2 weeks. I say 2 weeks but that is a bit of optimistic estimation as it could well be 3. If it turns into 3 then we could be in a bit of trouble on the final leg of Manaus to the Caribbean coast as it will leave 2500 kms in just over 2 weeks. Interesting.....
AL
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