Skip to main content

CHAPTER : QUIT OH QUITO

By
Well, I had the whistlestop trip to NewZealand and back ( in 6 days ). Meanwhile Diana went off to the Galapagos and now knows how species such as myself can adapt to the environment one finds oneself in. Well perhaps I do not epitomize the wondrous nature and success of sophisticated evolutionary process. Anyway that observation aside she had a wonderful time and full details can be found on her blogsite -
(www.pearlson2wheels.blogspot.com. )

Then it was time to "Quit Quito" somewhat reluctantly as it is a nice city.

We left BMW Motorad where the bikes were serviced and started the long journey south.

Time to go



But to where?




Adios Quito




As we left Quito it was hot - very hot. Then a strange thing happened. It cooled down to a delightful temperature as we climbed out of the Quito valley. Then -
Hey the heat is going
Hey it is getting cooler
Hey it is getting fresh
Hey it is getting wet
Hey it is getting very wet
Hey it is bucketing down
Hey it is getting cold
Hey it is getting freezing cold
Hey there is white stuff on the side of the road
Hey it is not a chemical spill
Hey it is sleet and ice and snow on the road
Hey it is hailing big hailstones
Hey, Hail Mary ( three times )
Hey it is bloody freezing!
Hey, are we not half a degree from the equator ?
What is happening here
It is colder than Prudoe Bay in Alaska ( again !)

We did say the trip was "ice to ice"



Well, the only nice thing you can say about being soaking wet and freezing and bombarded by hailstones is that things can only get better and slowly they did and by nighttime we were so thawed we only needed four blankets on the bed !

And thus we left Quito dear reader.

Now for the next day. We were on the road early towards Cuenca. At the town of Riobamba we turned left ( as you do !) and instead of climbing on the direct road to Cuenca we headed over a high pass at close to 4,000 metres then in about one hour we went down and down and down and down and suddenly we were in banana country and almost at sea level !

Down,down,down!



Early afternoon and we look at the maps and the road leading back up into the lofty highlands of Cuenca. How about we stay down here and take the coastal route to Peru? Decided unanimously ! So a hasty reprogramming of the GPS and down the coast to Machala we go.

Now Machala would truly drive you bananas as it is the banana capital of the world ( according to Lonely Planet so again it must be true!). Apparently it is the largest banana export port in the world. Certainly the road was lined with solid banana plantations for mile after mile. And just to reinforce the point at the hotel instead of the usual flowers in reception there were two huge bunches of green bananas.

Bananas, bananas everywhere








So then it was a case of banana mañana as in mañana we headed south again thru more banana country ( even the bends in the road are shaped like banana bends ! ) and thence to the border crossing with Peru. Again the usual two hours was taken with paperwork at the border although there were less visible guns here.

In Peru they arrange their climate differently to Ecuador and suddenly the lush tropical greenery went to be replaced by dry arid coastline where the rainfall seems to be just a few inches a year if that.

Along the coast there were hundreds and hundred of small Peruvian fishing boats all anchored at sea. Of course it was the Peruvian fisherfolk who coined the household names " El Niño" and " La Niña" to explain the different weather patterns that affected their herring fishing out in the area of the Humbolt current.

And although we are must about six degrees south of the equator and at sea level it is pleasantly cool and almost pullover time at night. I like it so long live El Niño and La Niña. Again I like it !



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The last post!

By
How do you summarise a motorbike trip around the world from Tokyo to Los Angeles?. With difficulty!   Well we are not into record setting. But we believe we are the oldest couple in the world to ride a motorbike “ two up” ie with pillion passenger, right round the world on one season  Let’s start  off with the statistics for the little trip  -                                                                    Total mileage.        34,416 km *                                                        No of days travelling        165                                                      No of countries visited       29                                                     Max temp on bike               41 deg C                                                     Min temp on bike                0 deg.C                                                          No of punctures.              One                                                          No of breakdowns.         One                 
2 comments
Read more

Chapters 1 and 2

By
WHY MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES ? I have always been interested in adventure. Over the years I have climbed mountains, parachuted, had my private pilots licence, dived, sailed and done various adventurous pursuits (with various degrees of success I might add!). Motorcycling has been one of the later activities. Why motorcycles?  Firstly it is all a bit easier on the body as one gets a little bit older. This is of course on the assumption that one does not inadvertently part company suddenly with said machine!  Secondly, it does also require a bit of brain power - intellect you might say if that does not sound snobby. There is also, to me, an element of "man and machine" about motorcycling. Then if that is not enough justification in itself there is  the scenery and the absorption into the landscape you are passing through. On a bike you see much much more than in a car, bus or train. You are aware of nuances in the landscape, you smell the smells and you become more than just
3 comments
Read more

And a volcano stopped us!

By
What a day. First thing this morning it was off to check the rear tyre of the bike. Oh the relief !  The tyre was rock solid and the same pressure as after fixing yesterday.  So it is a pack up and first day on the road today. We get on the way with a just a little bit of nervous excitement.  On to the  Japanese motorway system we go. And what a delight. The traffic is orderly, calm not going to fast and not too thick. We track right in towards Tokyo itself before bearing West. Yes, there were lots of spaghetti junctions - It looks like The Los Angeles motorway system but it is so much easier (and slower). Japanese politeness really shows thru’. However there were lots of toll booths - we had chopped thru  about NZ$50 in the first hour and a half  Then we are on to the slow bit and off the motorways.  It was about a four hour stop and start crawl thru the urban sprawl of greater Tokyo. However I did find time for some serious reflection - I also saw a hotel called - and I kid you not
3 comments
Read more