1. Hola Ecuador
Day 105
The morning today was chilly. The temp was exactly the same as back home in Canada. But I am almost at the Equator! I know I am not good at this geography thing but isn’t it suppose be warmer here? I either skipped the class or didn’t get the memo. 7˚C less then 90km from the Equator is simply not acceptable.
Speaking about being dumb and skipping classes. I pulled out my warmer gloves in the morning only to find out I brought two left gloves with me … I tell you …
Anyway, it is only 3 km to the border. My plan is as always, get there early before the crowds. I am at the border in 5’. I park the bike, take my documents and off I go to battle the bureaucracy. Colombians open at 7, Ecuador at 8. I am there at 0730. I go to the Aduana (customs) first to get my bike’s Temporary Import Permit (TIP) cancelled. I am the only one there. Boom, done in less then 2’! Everything is electronic, so no paperwork or copies are needed. Love it. Now I go around the corner to get the stamped out of Colombia. Again, nobody’s there. Again, 2 minutes and I am out of there. I feel cheated, this is too fast for me. Now the Ecuadorian side. I ride across the bridge and no man’s land and park the bike in front Migracion. They just opened and I walk straight to the window. Another 2’ and I am out heading to get my bike’s import permit for Ecuador. They needed to take picture of my bike. Normally the officers do it themselves but today the lady hands me over her cell phone and tells me what pictures she wants. I am happy to oblige. She needs my email address so she can email me the documents. It doesn’t work for some reason. I give her my other address and voilà, it works. One more paper to sign and I am done in record breaking 45 minutes! Amazing. The easiest border crossing ever! My system works 👍
By the time I am done, there are more adventurers arriving. The first is Jacques from Nanaimo! (The second guys from Nanaimo I’ve met) and Kathleen from Kiwiland. Jacques is on 250cc Honda he bought in Medellín and Kathleen rides a big Triumph Tiger. There are 4 more but we leave while they are doing their paperwork. I ride with Kathleen and Jacques and we search for place for breakfast. We find one and get to know each other more. You get the feeling that EVERYBODY is doing the same thing because you seek and meet people like that. It is nice to talk to people who share your outlook on life. We swap our contacts and are on the way. I don’t have too far to go and on top of it I stop often for any Kodak moment. Sure enough, I soon see a nice view so I wave goodbye and peel off to take pictures. I am sure will meet somewhere else. We all have the same destination.
Right of the bat I must say that roads in Ecuador are the best from my trip so far. Nice surface, no potholes, clear marking and road signs which make sense. I hope I didn’t jinx it now. I still ride at altitude around 2,800m and the hills around goes much higher. I feel good, I’ve been at this altitude since I landed in Colombia. The jungles of Colombia replaced farm fields. Look like a picture from Europe, again. Then I descend steeply to the valley at about 1,300m and the temp goes up to +33˚C. Talking about extremes. I soon start climbing again and catch up with Kathleen and Jacques. We ride together for few kms but just before Ibarra there is a nice lake I noticed on Google Maps. I leave the guys again and ride around beautiful lake. It looks like a weekend destination for people of Ibarra.
There is a viewpoint on the top of the hill so I head straight up there. Beautiful view of the town from there. Talking about an urban sprawl. I snapped few pictures, had an ice cream and heading to find my hotel. It is easier then usual and I am there in 10’. Right in the middle of the city. Great room, clean, nothing fancy but with a super fast internet. That all I need. And the price - USD 14! I am not kidding. I will need to go to rehab with a customer PTSD when I get back home.
And the usual stuff. Unpack, hide my bike in the corner of hotel’s secure garage and off I go to explore the city. It is OK but I won’t be coming here for vacation anytime soon. Anyway, more ice cream. I got my money from ATM. Btw, the official local currency is USD. So I am more familiar with the conversion rate.
And here we are. Catching up with my blog and pics. Now I have to figure out where to go next. I don’t have a slightest idea. I know only one place for tomorrow and that’s the Equator. It is 66km on road. An hours ride. After that, who know. But stay tuned to find out …