Ecuadoritos

Ahoyhoy UK,

This is Ecuador calling. Repeat Ecuador calling.

Goodish news with respect to Sir Humphrey. As so often is the way one can´t get what one wants but one can get what one needs. I still cannot remove the two oil drain plugs from Sir Humphrey but by draining his oil via the oil filter and oil screen ports bit by bit I managed to remove about 3litres or 75% of his oil volume. The old oil was only brown not black, the oil screen was clean and the oil filter didn´t look grotty at all. I replaced this is top quality stuff and having changed the filters I consider him serviced. He is a good boy but does has this bad habit with his nuts. 

At this time I also had my first big bug experience. I had three of these in one boot and various others in other places:

Anyway I headed off into Ecuador or so I though, I actually took a wrong turn and went back into Peru by mistake. I noticed the shouting border guards, U-turned and blasted off doing my best to appear not to notice them. I´d had enough of the Peruvian/Ecuadorian border the day before. I eventually found the Pan and headed north. As it was fairly quiet to start I was able to enjoy the amazing greeness of Ecuador. Heat with rain I guess. It is nigh on as green as England! I ate some Doritos as I´ve been quite rightly (thanks George) advised to keep my salt levels up - never a chore.

But we have less houses on stilts:

For miles and miles I drove through banana plantations belonging to the Dole banana company. After A while I stopped and rearranged Sir Humphrey so I´d have a back rest, it was that or more painkillers. It worked rather well especially with my legs resting on the crash bars, cool. I also ate more Doritos. They wrap the bananas in bags and polystyrene whilst they´re still on the vine (they wrap Doritos in foil):

I made it to Quevedo and then got completely lost thanks to no help from Emily, map lacking detail and duff road signs. Having ridden entirely through the large town and crossed the river twice on different briges I found my self back where I started. Bothered and very hot I decided to go old school and used a compass and judgement; in 5mins I was back on the Pan and pleased with my guesstimates but still very hot. 

After Santo Domingo the road turned east for the final leg to Quito. The getting lost and the heavier than expected Pan traffic had me running late but I didn´t care as this was a great road curving through a green valley with a large river and many waterfalls:

I cared a little more when it went dark, fog/cloud reduced visability to 10-100yards, it started raining and we started to dramatically climb. This was just like the last bit of the road of death but for one massive difference. I wasn´t cold. In fact I quickly started to enjoy it and once above the cloud the rain eased somewhat and I was having fun. God knows what the truckers thought as this orange motorbike sped by in the wet up the continual 1 in 4 slope bopping his head and punching the air in time with `Walking on Sunshine´ by Catrina & The Waves. After a while the lights of Quito could be seen and I felt I had never laid eyes like this on such a large city. I found myself cruising the 4 laned motorway that crests a high ridge that seems to divide Quito in two. I follow signs for the centre but made some mistake and only had signs for the north burbs quickly after. I took a turning, ended up in a residential area, found a hotel with secured private locked parking and settled in. This was the first time my whole body was vibrating after getting off Sir Humphrey. It took 10-15mins to completely die away. I then reflected that my room came with a complimentary condom, there was a condom machine in the foyer and there were calling cards under glass at the reception desk. It honestly seemed really nice initially, my room is clean, large, has the best matress so far and there is TopGear on the telly! I decided to stay an extra night as it was only $10 to do so. I also had another bag of Doritos and felt the best I have done for ages. I did need a shower and good wash though:

After a pleasant kip I got a taxi into the historic colonial bit of Quito. I had to ask the taxi driver where he had collected me from as I suddenly realised I had no idea where my hotel was nor could I remember its name. I recorded the place name on a few seconds of video for safe keeping. Once there I enjoyed a quiet wander to start as I´d arrived at 8.15am and nothing was open but it was colonial looking a pretty.

Cathedral and ornate altar area (via sneaky non-flash photography):

Main square (Independance plaza I think):

San Juan Cathedral with its clocks for the visually impared both telling the wrong time but it does have cool gargoyles:

But the highligh for me was the Jesuit church - Iglesia De La Compania De Jesus. Check out the stonework especially the columns by the main door and then the inside is all gold! Jesus is very big out here, throughout South America. I got caught and told off for photoing here. They must think I´m stealing the Baby Jesus! Maybe that´s why the camera feels heavier?

Anyway this was all very well but I had jobs to do so I listened three times to my video of the place name of where I was, said it to a taxi driver and described the massive shopping centre I had passed on the way in. I was SOOO relieved when he dropped me right opposite my hotel. I mooched up to the shopping centre which even has a fair ground rides in it as well as a cinema and massive car dealership. Just for the purposes of a high salt diet I had a McDonalds for lunch. I also bough memory sticks, new rechargable batteries (as I think I´ve left one 400miles away on a road), fuel injector cleaner, octane booster (just in case I´m lumped with 80 octane rubbish) and a new diary after a burst sachet of beans soaked into the last spare. This brings me up to now where I am in an expensive but salubrious internet parlor typing this blog having had some good Skypage with Sam and the parents.

The Plan: A restful restful evening and then Columbia to Venezuela.

TTFN,

Tiggritos