(May 20 – written by Dave) So we’ve settled in Quito. As Nancy mentioned, we are staying a nice apartment in the La Foresta neighbourhood. We are surrounded by buildings new and old and of a huge variance of architectural styles – including a striking building called Torres del Castillo (an older castle shaped building … Continue reading Quito – the old city
Author: Dave & Nancy
Into the big smoke – Hotel Las Abejas (Hwy 283) to Quito (43k/15,461k, 3500ft)
(May 18 – written by Nancy) For a short mileage day today it seemed like a hard one. But we made it into the very large city of Quito without any mishaps and are now relaxing in our very luxurious apartment, awaiting the arrival of my sisters very late this evening. We did have few … Continue reading Into the big smoke – Hotel Las Abejas (Hwy 283) to Quito (43k/15,461k, 3500ft)
Riddle me this – Otavalo to Hotel Las Abejas, Highway 283 (63k/15,417k, 3,500ft)
(May 17 – written by Dave) (posted on the 18th as the no-tell motel had no internet, not the sort of place people worry about email I guess) Riddle me this: How is it possible to be spring one minute and autumn the next, without having any summer whatsoever. Answer: Cross the equator north to … Continue reading Riddle me this – Otavalo to Hotel Las Abejas, Highway 283 (63k/15,417k, 3,500ft)
Otavalo market and meeting other cyclists
(May 16 – written by Dave) Today we had one goal (that is if you don’t count eating, sleeping in and relaxing). We wanted to see the “famous” Otavalo market. The market is located only 400 meters from our hostel so it was hard not to visit it. The market is known for having lots … Continue reading Otavalo market and meeting other cyclists
Impressions of Ecuador –Ambugui to Otavalo (64k/15,355k, 4200ft)
(May 15 – written by Dave) Yesterday we spent most of the day in Ecuador but being so close to the border, it still felt like Colombia. Today we got our first real taste of Ecuador, and so far we like it. We’ve noticed a few things that are different - here’s some quick observations: … Continue reading Impressions of Ecuador –Ambugui to Otavalo (64k/15,355k, 4200ft)
Into Ecuador! – Ipiales to Ambugui (98k/15,290k, 4000ft)
(May 14 – written by Nancy) I don’t think either of us slept too well last night, with the late return to our hotel room from the border and being a little shell-shocked over the whole experience. We actually set the alarm for much later than we usually do – 7am, but we were both … Continue reading Into Ecuador! – Ipiales to Ambugui (98k/15,290k, 4000ft)
Happy Mother’s Day from Ipiales
(May 13 – written by Dave) Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, and especially to our mothers. We saved our favourite photo of the Pasto Mother’s Day cakes just for this occasion. And just in case you were wondering, by late in the afternoon on Saturday, the bakery shops looked decimated. All … Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day from Ipiales
More up – Pasto to Ipiales (82k/15,192k, 7,200ft)
(May 12 – written by Dave) We had another big day in the Andes. In fact, we had two days today. We were planning on riding 40k or so to a small town called Pedregal. The only trouble was that we arrived there at 9:30 in the morning and it was sunny. Too sunny to … Continue reading More up – Pasto to Ipiales (82k/15,192k, 7,200ft)
Bulging in Pasto
(May 11 – written by Dave) Ah, a rest day – no alarm and no pressure to get up. Nice. Could get used to this. We had a bit of a look around Pasto today. Nothing overly strenuous, a cafe, a few churches, bit of a walk through the streets and a visit to the … Continue reading Bulging in Pasto
The rest of the climb – Chachagui to Pasto (29k/15,110k, 3200ft)
(May 10 – written by Nancy) I woke up several times last night to the rain coming down on the metal roof covering the walkway outside our room. Hmmm, not a good thing to hear but thankfully when we got up this morning the rain had stopped and there were only broken clouds in the … Continue reading The rest of the climb – Chachagui to Pasto (29k/15,110k, 3200ft)
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