61. Hard Roads to Peru

 Look at the jaunty angle of my bicycle as it casually rests against this mountainside wall. This picture speaks volumes of the terrain I am now riding through.

Glutton for punishment that I am, from Loja, Ecuador I decided to push on to San Ignacio, the first town across the Peruvian border in two days. Little did I know the challenge this would pose to me!

 Spectacular scenery, some of the best I was to encounter in Ecuador. My photos don´t really do the landscape justice but trust me, the downhill road you can see across this mountainside was a dream to ride on. It passes through the pristine Podocarpus National Park which, aside from the road, showed no sign of human development. 

Riding up to the highest point the slopes were brutal and in some stretches I was managing just 4 mph and taking breaks every 20 minutes. These mountains just weren´t designed for roads.

 A common problem between Loja and San Ignacio - landslides and mud slumps. Credit to the Ecuadorian authorities, bulldozers were on-hand ready to clear the debris along most of the route. I got a bit muddy at times but on a bike you can soon nip through and I was rarely delayed for more than a few minutes.

 Last stop in Ecuador, the sleepy village of Palanda where for only the third time in three weeks I had to pay for accommodation. My hotel room cost me the princely sum of $5 and, to be honest, I got what I paid for. Still, exhausted, I didn´t really care that my room resembled a prison cell, I just needed a quiet place to lie down. 9,500 ft of elevation gain in the days ride.

 Riding on from Palanda I was absolutely single-minded in my desire to reach San Ignacio by the end of the day. This days ride made the previous one look like child´s play! Despite the pouring rain I knew I had to get started early and was on the road, getting drenched at 7am. Pretty soon I couldn´t see a thing through my specs and had to put contact lenses in. Not only were there more landslides on the road to the border but it was mud tracks all the way.

 Road or river? To think that three weeks ago I entered Ecuador near Tulcan on a three lane paved highway. What a contrast, this road had a remote, rural feel that, with the steep slopes, was a challenge to ride. I was certainly getting my money´s worth from my new 2.25 inch tyres. 

 What a slog it had been but, seven hours later and with the weather improving, Peru was finally in sight. In this picture it´s the territory on the far side of the river.

 2:30pm. Stamped out of Ecuador and I just needed to cross the bridge to get my entry stamp for Peru and I´d be away. Four hours before nightfall, just enough time to ride the final 30 miles uphill to San Ignacio. If only the immigration post was open! Every afternoon the ´24 hour´ border post closes between 2-4pm which means I was stuck, frustrated, waiting for 1.5 hours before I could ride on. The immigration officer was very friendly and said I was welcome to camp there for night. But it was humid and sticky, I was being bitten by flies and when he told me it probably wasn´t sensible to ride on to San Ignacio, well, it was like a red rag to a bull. So stamped in at 4pm I jumped back on the bike, ignored all my aches and pains and made a beeline for San Ignacio. It was an intense ride! More downpours, I got drenched to the bones as made my way up the endless uphill curves. I knew I wouldn´t make it in daylight and I hate riding in the dark but, as I said, I was utterly inflexible in my desire to reach San Ignacio this day. There were many moments when I regretted riding on but I saw the ride through and rolled into San Ignacio at 7:30pm, after an hours night riding in the rain. Pretty miserable really! At least I have good lights (and a sense of humour).

 Market in San Ignacio. My 15 soles low budget hotel room, another prison cell, felt palatial. As always with these mega rides, I was absolutely elated to have made it in one piece and vowed never to put myself under such pressure again. Until the next time.

In two days I´d covered 150 miles with an elevation gain of over 21,000 ft. I later realised that on this second ride I´d made a new elevation record of over 11,000 ft in one day. 

 It was Good Friday in San Ignacio, nearly all the shops were closed up and there wasn´t much going on so I decided to have an easy day riding on. 

 

 First proper days ride in Peru was a beauty, descending from into a river valley lined with rice paddies. Expansive landscapes, more sparsely populated than most of what I´d seen in Ecuador and Colombia.

 After stopping to take this picture I met two English cyclists, Jules and Nicky Anderson, heading north. Nicky was also riding an Oxford Bike Works touring bike! I could have chatted to them all afternoon, great to feel a bit of solidarity on the road. They had a great piece of advice for me - two miles up the road, in a small village, Perico, lives a guy called Milton who lets cyclists stay at his house.

 So with just 33 easy miles on the clock I stopped for the day and gratefully accepted the wonderful hospitality of Milton, Daisy, Hamilton and Jack (two sons). Unlike in Ecuador and Colombia I just don´t have a network of contacts to depend upon on the road ahead so I was delighted, second day in, to have this contact with the local people.

 A very peaceful afternoon, Milton took me up to his plantation where we drank coconut water and ate the sweet flesh from cocoa bean fruit - delicious. Milton is not part of Warm Showers or any other cycling network but has helped hundreds of cycle tourists over the years purely through word of mouth. Flicking through his visitors book it was great to see entries from cyclists I´d met in Mexico and Central America.

 Moving on, more fantastic scenery.

 Local knowledge is invaluable and Milton was able to show me a route that would take me off the main road, cut a corner and save a days riding on the way towards Chachapoyas.

 Including a fun river crossing.

 Fat tyres or not, this was too big to ford...

 I spent the night in Bagua Grande before embarking on another mega ride, 80 miles uphill to Chachapoyas. The lesson learned two days earlier was already forgotten, another tough day in the saddle!

 Nevertheless, the scenery did distract and the reality is that I´m in Peru with some of the world´s toughest riding. My fitness levels are sky high right now, if I can´t ride these roads now I´ll never be able to. Honestly, with just two months to go, there are moments when I think I should just store the bike in Lima and see out my time backpacking around Peru and other parts of South America. That would be easier. And a cop out. And guaranteed that I´d be missing out on incredible experiences and memories. 

No option but to ride on. Dan, you can do this!

 Riding up the river valley towards Chachapoyas the landscape narrowed to a spectacular gorge.

 Chachapoyas, a pretty little Andean town that attracts its fair share of tourists.

 Though today was a bright, sunny day I felt no guilt whatsoever in spending most of my time relaxing in the backpackers hostel, my first rest day after 12 arduous days in the saddle. I´ve spent the day reading, eating, drinking coffee, sharing stories with other travellers, it´s been awesome!

 Oh dear, I hope I don´t look as tired and run down as my shoes! Taped up, these shoes will just have to make it through the next two months, I don´t think I´m going to be able to find a new pair of cleated shoes in rural Peru.

This trip has been an object lesson in making do. I rode for 6 months with a completely mangled pannier rack - it worked out. The protective coating on my glasses flaked off in the States - I can still see. My sleeping mat regularly deflates by the middle of the night - I just have to blow it up again, I can still sleep. 

These things do get a bit wearing if I´m being honest but this trip has taught me how to endure petty annoyances and made me realise how comfortable my life is. Water, food, shelter and social contact, what else do you need?

 Chachapoyas market. 

Well dear reader, this is where I´m up to. I go to bed tonight with slight trepidation about the road ahead, three tough days on to Cajamarca from where I´ll be riding south towards the spectacular Cordillera Blanca.

Remember, you can motivate me and contribute to a wonderful cause by making a donation to OXFAM. Big or small, I appreciate any sponsorship in the fight against global poverty. 

Click here to find out how Peru has cut its poverty by half in 10 years: Cutting Poverty in Peru

60. Ecuador - Into the Amazon

During my stay in Quito my host Diego had shared all manner of suggestions, advice and ideas with me. So much so that I found it exhausting to listen to him at times! However, one gem of an idea he gave me was to bypass done of the mountain region I already knew from my first trip here and make an excursion down into Ecuador's Amazonian region.

 After our hike up the slopes of Tungurahua everyone except for our host, Lenin, was exhausted and we all opted for a rest day before heading on. Clearly the muscle sets used for cycling are different to those used for climbing as my legs were screaming as if on fire! Furthermore, with my stomach still rumbling on uncomfortably I decided to be proactive in curing the problem and drank copious cups of herbal tea all day to douse the bugs that were causing me trouble.   

 Unexpectedly, we were paid a visit by the local newspaper in Ambato to be interviewed about our respective cycle tours. I'm currently on a roll with my Spanish and I handled my interview with consummate ease even if I do say so myself! 

What a cracking rest day. I felt reinvigorated by spending time with the other cyclists and, without wishing to sound overly spiritual or mystical, I was reminded of the importance of our trips. We're all on some kind of journey with rich  experiences and new learning at the heart of what we are doing. Sometimes I need to remind myself of this as planning takes over and I become preoccupied with covering distances, organising accommodation etc. These things will always sort themselves out but you only have one chance to enjoy each passing moment.                 

 The next day my stomach was back to normal, my legs were still screaming but it was time to move on. The other guys were heading south by the mountain route while I headed west towards Amazonia and the Ecuadorean jungle. Passing through Baños I noticed these road markings advising people in case of eruptions.                 

 HEP station.    

 The road down from the Sierra was just stunning and it was an easy 60 mile ride. My commitment to adventure is evidenced by my new tyres picked up in Quito. I'm back to chunkier 2.25 inch mountain bike style. I'll only get the benefit from these if I ride gravel tracks so that's what I must do once I hit Peru. No easy ride in the final months for me!           

 The Baños area is a major centre for adventure sports, zip wires, rafting and the like. Not for me, I'm happy with the bike. Also, in an attempt to protect my budget I'm trying to stick to $10 a day at the moment so as I don't withdraw more cash until Peru.   With a bit of discipline I think I can make it in $5 per day! This means scrimping on things like accommodation.     

 For example, staying with Bomberos. Here in the tiny Bomberos station at Shell I was welcomed with open arms. Wifi, shower, kitchen, eggs, rice, I was told to make myself at home. I don't need telling twice and soon settled in.  

 I suppose it would have been churlish to complain about the lack of a bed, they were all full, so I just pitched my tent out back. Tropics here so a few more bugs around (hence pitching  tent cover) and I was glad to have a roof over my head just in case of downpours. 

In the end, for all the kind hospitality, it was not the best night's sleep with vehicles and people coming and going and the tv blaring out until well past midnight but it's a free nights accommodation. I put up and shut up. By the time I woke up at 6:30am the next morning I'd had plenty of rest anyway and, having helped myself to a free breakfast, was in the road by 7:20am.                   

 Tropical flavour to the municipal architecture. During the day I was to see parrots flying overhead, hummingbirds zipping from tree to tree and a flock of exotic-looking kites, quite distinct from their sandwich-snatching cousins in Watlington.

 This is what I'd hoped for, views over the Amazon rainforest that give some impression of it's mind boggling vastness. I suddenly felt both that I was in a place very far from home, and very insignificant. A breathtaking environment to experience and a thoroughly worthwhile excursion from the mountains.  

 This region is in Ecuador's periphery and the paucity of funding for the area is evident. Even the church has a corrugated iron roof, a far cry from Quito's exquisite gothic cathedrals.  

Around the villages in particular, the jungle was less impressive, hacked back and cleared for settlement and small-scale farming. Amidst such 'progress' my hopes of encountering an uncontacted tribe soon faded...     

 Yes, a happy and contented day. Despite now riding my chunky, high friction tyres I still managed to cover 87 miles (140km), reaching Macas by 3pm. I was continuing to work the aches of the volcano hike out of my legs, the long ride actually helping the process more than hindering. Whatever you do don't forget to stretch after exercise.      

Following my night at the Bomberos I had a remarkable run of just wonderful hospitality, jumping from town to town along the Troncal Amazonas. First, in Macas, I stayed with Luis. New to Warm Showers but he´s already got his hosting skills honed to perfection! He really understood the needs of a cycle tourist and gave time for chatting about cycle tours and his area as well as giving me time to relax and recharge the batteries after a demanding ride. I should also say that the food was both plentiful and delicious!

The road from Macas to Limon started gently but later was obstructed by a mountain range that would take me two days to traverse. In moments of pain (many) I only had to look around at the scenery for distraction and relief - simply stunning.

Luis (Macas) put me in touch with Luis (Limon). Another great host with whom I spent a pleasant evening exploring the town a little and meeting his backpacker friends. I picked up a bit of useful advice about the road ahead in Peru and left filled with a hearty breakfast. Something that has impressed upon me about the food is that it´s all local produce - meat, fruit, vegetables. Ecuador abounds in food, it is such a productive land.

Picture of contentment having just crossed the main pass between Limon and San Juan Bosco. Minutes later my derailleur cable snapped leaving me with just the bottom nine gears for the ride into San Juan Bosco. I was having such a nice day that I refused to let it bother me!

Casa de Ciclistas in San Juan Bosco. This quirky little house is set up purely for passing cyclists. It is an absolutely charming stop with all kinds of bike-influenced decorations, running water, shower, no electricity, no Wifi, a peaceful retreat from the trappings of the modern world.

Sadly my plans for a peaceful afternoon relaxing were scuppered by having to fix the gear cable. I has a spare but just could not get it to thread through the gear system. I felt better when the bike mechanic in the village also took 1.5 hours to complete the job!

Note to aspiring cycle tourists, you don´t need to be super technical to do a cycle tour. I clearly can´t replace a gear cable but I´ve made nearly 11,000 miles. There will always be someone around to help you out of a fix. 

Exterior of the Casa de Ciclistas.

Gear cable fixed I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Erica who runs the Casa de Ciclistas when the host is away.

This naughty dog, Sasha, had been chasing chickens around the village and gotten absolutely filthy. She hates water so this wash was also a form of punishment. Five minutes later she was chasing chickens again!

Erica and Mum. Another huge breakfast meant there was no snacking despite a challenging ride on to El Pangui. I kind of take it for granted now but I should say that the soups in Colombia and Ecuador are delicious and ever changing depending on what is grown locally.

El Pangui Bomberos. No Wifi this night (they had it but didn´t know the password) but I did get a room to myself and soon furnished it to my liking. A pleasant afternoon reading Trollope while listening to Freddie Hubbard and John Coltrane. Living the rock and roll dream.

As usual, I was left to my own devices at the Bomberos but we took a few pictures on my departure and also recorded an interview about my night´s stay. Good fun and more good practice of Spanish.

The ride from El Pangui to Zamora was slowly upstream following this river´s course.

Last town on my Amazonian leg.

Zamora Bomberos. Kind of left outside like a dog this night. You have to take the rough with the smooth and be stoical at times... As long as you have access to water and electricity you can´t really complain too much. Two weeks since I´ve been in a hotel.

Climbing out of the Amazon Basin towards the town of Loja back in the highlands.

Drenched in sweat (and mist) it was over 6000ft to the pass that would lead me into Loja. The Amazon stretch over, a cracking interlude in the mountain riding.

Two days and I should be at the border with Peru. Dirt tracks, 4000m + riding await. I can´t wait, I´ve really got the bit between my teeth at the moment.

Don´t forget OXFAM, any sponsorship, big or small, gratefully received!