Vilcabamba

Having heard a bit about Vilcabamba beforehand, i approached the town with mixed feelings. There are a lot of ‘gringos’ staying long-term and half of the businesses are owned by ‘extranjeros’. I arrived on a sunday, while the market was on. The central square was filled with people and as the sun was out, two… Continue reading Vilcabamba

Cuenca y Las Cajas

Like in Quito, i stayed at ‘el cafecito’ hostal, which has a relaxed atmosphere, superb breakfast and came this time with a glass covered court yard complete with bicycle themed art on the walls. After the Chimborazo round, the first days were spent solely relaxing until new arrivals were luring me out to see something… Continue reading Cuenca y Las Cajas

Riobamba

The downhill continued and by the time i reached Riobamba, it was time to peel off some more layers of clothes. Jo, a friend from France whom i had met in Indonesia, sent me the contact details of Borja, a friend of his in town. I ventured through town to find a place that could… Continue reading Riobamba

Around Chimborazo

After the Quilotoa lagoon, it was only a small downhill to Zumbahua, where i arrived during the busy saturday market. Hats are a must there and the streets were filled with people in their tradional clothes, mostly colourful while young and old wearing a fitting headpiece. I changed my brake pads which was drawing a… Continue reading Around Chimborazo

Quilotoa lagoon

Starting from the panamericana at Lasso, i followed the paved road to Sigchos. After being a bit boring for the first ten kilometers, this changed luckily soon. The second part to the lagoon is also popular with hikers. But as the road is taking a rather long way around the mountain ridges with the views… Continue reading Quilotoa lagoon

Cotopaxi

It was another cobblestone road, worse than the one leading to the Laguna de Mojanda, and steeper in parts. I didn’t make it to the park’s entrance that day and set up camp, from where i had no views of the vulcan yet, but a nice sunset with the valley filled with clouds beneath. The… Continue reading Cotopaxi

Quito no. 2

Arriving again in time for the sunday ciclopaseo, i saw some now familiar faces from last week’s ride, like this daughter-father duo. The girl had an incredible voice which was a real surprise when hearing it first from the a distance and seeing the person it belongs to later. Just next to the el ejido… Continue reading Quito no. 2

Quito

Arriving in the mariscal district, it could hardly be a more drastic change from the last evening spent around Mojanda. Bars and discos with booming music and people running to and fro. It took a while to find a hostel as many were booked out. I was glad to get an early rest and enjoy… Continue reading Quito