Quito, Ecuador. 13th April
I spent another frustrating morning at the customs office at Quito airport yesterday. But I do have my bike back! I was there all day the day before too, mostly just sitting about waiting as I was this morning. I lost two days in Panama as well because the cargo carrier, Girag, didn’t put my bike on the flight they’d said it would be on. Its all eating into the time I have to see Ecuador and northern Peru. But I’m sure it’s going to be great anyway and I’m so looking forward to getting to Lima and meeting Nushka for our mini-bike tour of Peru. It’s so exiting. I’ll be leaving just as soon as the bike has been serviced.
I haven’t had the time to properly look around Quito, but what I’ve seen is pretty humdrum. I gather the old town is very attractive. It does however have a wonderful collection of ceramic and gold artifacts from pre-Christian times in the Museo de Banco Central.
I finally hooked up with the Kiwis, Jon and Josh, in Costa Rica just before we left for Panama. Although beautiful I felt Costa Rica was too developed for tourism to be properly interesting. At the boarder we ran into my friends Kevin and Clara. I first met the two of them at Tikal in Guatemala, then again on the road to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua where we spent a fun night with Shaun. In the two hours or so we were at the boarder three other bikers crossed in the other direction on their return to North America. As Central America narrows it’s pretty common to meet other bikers because everybody’s taking the same roads.
We formed a five-bike convoy from the boarder and stopped at the city of David for bikey conversation, lunch and photos before splitting up. The Kiwis and I wanted to get on to Panama City to sort out our onward travel arrangements and Kevin and Clara had friends to visit. After a couple of days sorting things out in Panama City, I rode with the Kiwis towards Darien province to where they were catching their boat to Colombia. I’d wanted to ride to the Caribbean coast with them but the rainy season has started early in Panama and the dirt road to the coast could have become pretty well impassable, leaving me with a nasty ride back. So instead I rode on as far as I could along the Pan-American Highway; which turned out to be not very far at all as the Police preventing tourists heading for trouble in the south blocked the road.
I spent the following day looking around Panama’s old town with Kevin and Clara. It’s a collection of fabulous old buildings ripe for redevelopment. Most of them are in an appallingly dilapidated condition, but some have recently been renovated into expensive apartments and five star hotels about to open.
Traveling through Mexico and Central America has been so much easier than I’d imagined, I’ve seen wonderful things and met some great people. Sometimes after spending few days somewhere I’ve been very sad to leave. Leaving those new friends feels like leaving home again. I think it’s because although I’m enjoying so much seeing parts of the world I’ve only imagined, really I’m looking for somewhere to put roots down.
I’d like to thank everyone who’s helped; Omar from Nogales in Northern Mexico who helped me with my first boarder crossing and showed me great hospitality; Shaun in San Juan de Sur who not only showed me around but gave up his bed for me while he slept on the sofa; Santiago who produced from nowhere all the bits and pieces I needed to make a repair to the top-box rack as well as plenty of cold beer; the Kiwis Jon and Josh for the good times we had on the road; Smellybiker Bob who I met in Costa Rica and who gave me lots of useful information on roads in South America; Kevin and especially Clara for her translation efforts at Girag, and to lots and lots of other people who’ve been generous with there help often by giving directions to one often slightly lost biker.
I also want to thank the people who were so helpful in the USA. Its a late addition, but I want to make it. And since this is a blogg I think its propably OK to make changes. In New York there was Monty's friend, who's name escapes me at the moment, who kindly put me up for a couple of nights. In Saint Louis Tom at the Huckleberry Finn hostel was very nice and helpful, hooking me up with his freind Jackie in Ashville on my way to Florida. So lots of thanks to her too. In Miami Nushka's cousins Iliana and Bobby kindly gave me a place to stay on my way to Buenos Aires, and looked after my bike with them too. Biggest thanks goes to Marty and Marcie in Tallahasse for giving me a place to stay when I really needed it after I crashed the bike, and again when I came back having recovered. Gareth's friend Dan in San Antonio was also very hospitable. In Phoenix David helped fit my new GPS to the bike and my good friend Brian's Mum and Dad helped too. Lastly thanks to Beth in Tuscon for putting me up on my last night in America.
One strange event from Quito: I was woken last night by half a dozen Police kicking open the door of my room and flashing torches around. Terrorizing tourists is routine apparently.
I can’t wait to get on with the next leg! Mileage 15710.
I haven’t had the time to properly look around Quito, but what I’ve seen is pretty humdrum. I gather the old town is very attractive. It does however have a wonderful collection of ceramic and gold artifacts from pre-Christian times in the Museo de Banco Central.
I finally hooked up with the Kiwis, Jon and Josh, in Costa Rica just before we left for Panama. Although beautiful I felt Costa Rica was too developed for tourism to be properly interesting. At the boarder we ran into my friends Kevin and Clara. I first met the two of them at Tikal in Guatemala, then again on the road to San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua where we spent a fun night with Shaun. In the two hours or so we were at the boarder three other bikers crossed in the other direction on their return to North America. As Central America narrows it’s pretty common to meet other bikers because everybody’s taking the same roads.
We formed a five-bike convoy from the boarder and stopped at the city of David for bikey conversation, lunch and photos before splitting up. The Kiwis and I wanted to get on to Panama City to sort out our onward travel arrangements and Kevin and Clara had friends to visit. After a couple of days sorting things out in Panama City, I rode with the Kiwis towards Darien province to where they were catching their boat to Colombia. I’d wanted to ride to the Caribbean coast with them but the rainy season has started early in Panama and the dirt road to the coast could have become pretty well impassable, leaving me with a nasty ride back. So instead I rode on as far as I could along the Pan-American Highway; which turned out to be not very far at all as the Police preventing tourists heading for trouble in the south blocked the road.
I spent the following day looking around Panama’s old town with Kevin and Clara. It’s a collection of fabulous old buildings ripe for redevelopment. Most of them are in an appallingly dilapidated condition, but some have recently been renovated into expensive apartments and five star hotels about to open.
Traveling through Mexico and Central America has been so much easier than I’d imagined, I’ve seen wonderful things and met some great people. Sometimes after spending few days somewhere I’ve been very sad to leave. Leaving those new friends feels like leaving home again. I think it’s because although I’m enjoying so much seeing parts of the world I’ve only imagined, really I’m looking for somewhere to put roots down.
I’d like to thank everyone who’s helped; Omar from Nogales in Northern Mexico who helped me with my first boarder crossing and showed me great hospitality; Shaun in San Juan de Sur who not only showed me around but gave up his bed for me while he slept on the sofa; Santiago who produced from nowhere all the bits and pieces I needed to make a repair to the top-box rack as well as plenty of cold beer; the Kiwis Jon and Josh for the good times we had on the road; Smellybiker Bob who I met in Costa Rica and who gave me lots of useful information on roads in South America; Kevin and especially Clara for her translation efforts at Girag, and to lots and lots of other people who’ve been generous with there help often by giving directions to one often slightly lost biker.
I also want to thank the people who were so helpful in the USA. Its a late addition, but I want to make it. And since this is a blogg I think its propably OK to make changes. In New York there was Monty's friend, who's name escapes me at the moment, who kindly put me up for a couple of nights. In Saint Louis Tom at the Huckleberry Finn hostel was very nice and helpful, hooking me up with his freind Jackie in Ashville on my way to Florida. So lots of thanks to her too. In Miami Nushka's cousins Iliana and Bobby kindly gave me a place to stay on my way to Buenos Aires, and looked after my bike with them too. Biggest thanks goes to Marty and Marcie in Tallahasse for giving me a place to stay when I really needed it after I crashed the bike, and again when I came back having recovered. Gareth's friend Dan in San Antonio was also very hospitable. In Phoenix David helped fit my new GPS to the bike and my good friend Brian's Mum and Dad helped too. Lastly thanks to Beth in Tuscon for putting me up on my last night in America.
One strange event from Quito: I was woken last night by half a dozen Police kicking open the door of my room and flashing torches around. Terrorizing tourists is routine apparently.
I can’t wait to get on with the next leg! Mileage 15710.
posted by motomit at 9:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home