Back to normal (gettit?) and an education in Ecuadorian roads

Well, the back finally got better. It took 12 days at Canoa taking it easy and not even looking at the bike never mind sitting on it, making sure we gave enough time for the back to settle down. Now Canoa, I bet you can tell, is one of our favourite places. We had a great send off when we finally decided to leave with Jonny, Becky, Elizabeth her husband and the Great Irish landlord Mark, not forgetting Tony who had said his goodbyes the day before. Thanks to you all for a making our stay so memorable.

It was with some anticipation that I climbed on the shed and rode her out of the sand that had caused the bad back but it was no problem. An almost deserted Canoa due to the early departure time disappeared in the mirrors and both Sandra and I hardly said a word as we rode off.

We had to take the ferry at a place called San Vicente. This was across the channel to Bahia. A long and even sandier path on to the ferry put paid to any lasting anxiety I had about sand and we climbed aboard for the short 20 minuet crossing.

From Bahia we had planned to go to Cuenca some 300 miles south. However the roads were just terrible. More construction and lots of off road sections, maybe 20% off road, meant the progress was pitifully slow. However, the scenery was just spectacular. Now road works and construction in Ecuador is not like in any other country we have been through. There is no warning, no countdown to road works. You can be drifting nicely through a left hand bend when suddenly no tarmac, no nothing just lose stones and mud. This means when you're on tarmac you are always ready for the unexpected, which keeps the speed down and the tension up.

The temperature rose as the sun got higher and we started to overheat a little. Being near the equator the sun comes up at 6 am and goes down at 6 pm. This, as you get higher in the mountains, creates some cold nights so we try and get all our riding in early. As we were hot and tired from the constant off road effort we knew our goal of Cuenca would be difficult so we settled for Guayaquil some 100 miles short of our target. This is a huge city (the largest in Ecuador) and as we approached we knew that the hotels would be plentiful, and they were, but also all full!

Now keep in mind we had spent the last 12 days as beach bums in a bamboo hostel, washing in cold sea water and living the basic but good life. Now faced with a big hot city, tired and hot, we did what any self respecting beach bum would do, we checked into the Marriott and spoilt ourselves rotten. Hot water with a shower that actually had water pressure, a massive bed that we did not get eaten by bugs in and overall, right posh. To be honest for all its finery I don't think Sandra or I enjoyed it anywhere near as much as the last 12 nights and we left early the next morning, glad to be back on the road if not considerably lighter of wallet.

We found our way out of the city very easily and headed for Cuenca. Another day of hard riding and rough roads. We climbed to over 3500 meters where we were above the cloud base which made for spectacular views.



However, passing through the cloud base meant visibility was down to zero and I could see only 2 to 3 feet in front of the bike so we crawled along which concerned me. Not for what was in front but about the crazy Ecuadoran drivers hitting us from behind. Thankfully nothing untoward happened. We nearly did have a nasty spill at one point. Central and South America have speed humps at the entrance and exit to most towns or villages. Often these are painted yellow, some are not but I usually spot them anyway and slow down enough. I must have been distracted and this particular bump was not painted but we must have hit it at about 50 MPH. I shot of my seat as I felt Sandra do the same. Sandra went much higher and only be the grace of God landed back in her seat. She got really shaken up and hurt her leg against the panniers and I jolted my back. I slowed down and checked with Sandra to see if all was OK. Thank goodness she was fine with it, but she did say some very rude words.

We had planned on stopping in Cuenca but as time was good, as was the weather, we pressed on south to Loja. A total of 400miles in one day. Mind you my patience nearly ran out as we approached our destination and the road works got messier and more frequent. I desperately needed a beer. Sandra spotted a hotel and that was going to have to do. It did very nicely, still a bit posh but no where near the Marriott level
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Refreshed, fed and watered saw a damp start to the day. We planed to get to the Peru border some 200Km south. The roads much better, we made great time and came to the border ahead of schedule.
Boarder crossings no longer fill us with dread, we just take our time. We know the procedures and this one was a breeze - through in 1 hour with not one cent changing hands. The roads miraculously become much, much better the instant we entered Peru. Unbroken tarmac meant that we could start to get a real wiggle on and the miles or kilometres just disappear behind the bike.

The scenery changed and there were no mountains now just flat, sandy stretches that would eventually turn to desert. We headed for Piura and made it in good time, found a hotel with a lock up for the bike and went out for a chicken dinner and the now usual beers.

Now this might be a good time to tell you about some of the pitfalls of being an adventure motorcyclist. Things are not always sweetness and light. I would like to dwell for a moment on the hygiene of the adventure motorcyclist. Firstly, you are sat for great periods of time, usually on a hard seat, overdressed in protective gear. One principle complaint the biker has is something called "monkey butt" but I will not linger on this. Neither Sandra or I have had this complaint but we have heard it about many others (Editors note:- Brian has now a scorching case of monkey butt). Other symptoms are over heating and beginning to smell like an old dead dog. This simply can't be helped and is the reason hotels with good showers are essential. However no matter how much you keep yourself clean the riding gear can not be washed as often and inevitably the stuff starts to stink to high heaven...... I thought you would want to know this.