Cycling to Quito plus some side trips from Quito.

After 3 nights in Ibarra, my legs finally stopped aching. Of course I had to carry on doing something stupid like pack up all my stuff, get back onto the bicycle and make my way to Quito. The owner of Hotel Imbabura definitely did not make it easier by recommending that we take a bus out of Ibarra to avoid the ascents since Ibarra was surrounded on all sides by mountains. In fact, during the side trip where we took a bus to Cotacachi, I couldn't help but notice that the initial 20-30mins of the bus ride was all uphill. It was probably a 200m ascent just to get to San Antonio de Ibarra, a short 4km away, where there were many artisan wood carvers. Needless to say, I struggled while trying not lag behind by too much. I have to say that just like in Colombia, the Ecuadorian people have also been very welcoming to us. One of the owners of a wood carving studio invited us to have coffee and even bought bread for us. When we went up to his house above the shop, his mother had also prepared juice and cheese. A second breakfast is always welcome for hungry cyclists! After spending a bit more time looking at the other shops, it was time to get back on the road as we still had a few more kilometres to cover. We'd decided to use a different route and avoid the highway, instead cycling on the smaller roads and going through some of the small towns. This was a different experience from just sticking on the Pan-American highway. We barely had any vehicles on the same road, maybe at most a truck or 2 every hour, we also got to see a lot more indigenous people as the main highway mainly went beside any towns.

Lagoon near Cotacachi

Lagoon near Cotocachi

Making ice cream the traditional way

Artisan from San Antonio de Ibarra

Being about 120km from Ibarra to Quito, we decided to break the journey into 2 cycling days. We'd been given a recommendation for a camping site near Cayambe where it was only 3USD to camp including shower and WiFi. The site was run by Valentin and his family and we were warmly welcomed by Valentin's son who also invited us to visit his sisters cafe which was just near the Quitsato Sundial, near Cayambe (Fun fact, the Mitad del Mundo monument in Quito isn't actually on the equatorial line). Originally we weren't too keen as it had been a hard ride to get there and we were a bit worried about how late it'd be when we got back and had to prepare dinner. Shouldn't have worried though. They were really nice and kind enough to make up a plate of potatoes with avocado and cheese for all of us. Additionally, we were also treated to a special drink, Colada Morada. This normally is only prepared during "Dia de la Muerte" or Day of the Dead, but it can be found during other times as well. (I did see it in Otavalo when I visited the market a few days later and definitely made it a point to have another mug!)

Packing up after spending a night at Campng Valentin

50% in the Northern hemisphere, 50% in the Southern

Taking a short breather after entering the outskirts of Quito. 

Made it into Quito! Cathedral in the old city.

After another round of Colada Morada and Torta back at Valentin's farm as he was back and his son had brought back a pot for his faily who had stayed behind, we turned in for the night sated. After all it was still about bit of a cycle( approx 40km) to get to Quito from Cayambe and we did want to see the sundial before we left. Entrance was $2 which included a short description about how the sundial worked as well as a bit of history of the Quitsato organisation. By the time we had breakfast and were ready to go, it was already 12 noon. If only we'd known just how hard it was to cycle into Quito. Getting to the edge of town was easy, but it took me 3 hours just to cover the remaining 10km. After taking the wrong turn, I ended up having to push the bicycle 6km uphill on a crappy narrow road as it was too dangerous for me to cycle and cars to pass. By the time I cleared that section, I decided to take a taxi as it was already dark and I did not really want to cycle at night. Surprisingly, despite having split from the couple at the entrance, they'd only reached 30mins before me, which just shows how tough it was to get in. Thankfully we did have 4 nights booked at Hostel Revolution, which was a lot of time to recuperate. We also took the opportunity to visit the Otavalo Saturday market, the largest in South America, which we had missed on our way down as we had stayed an extra night in Ipiales.

Cycling across the border between Colombia and Ecuador

After leaving Pasto, we headed to Ipiales which was the border town at the Colombia-Ecuador border in Colombia. Took the opportunity to visit the Las Lajas Sanctuary, a church built between a valley. Despite the rain, which has plagued the past 7 riding days, and the resulting overcast skies, the view was still amazing. Being close to 3,000m elevation, I could definitely feel my lungs struggling to extract oxygen from the thin air. Walking to get a better view definitely had me gasping for breath and I guess it was a combination of the 700m of ascent, thin air and my general lack of cycling fitness which had me struggling to walk around!

Plaques giving thanks for favors received lined the walkway to the Cathedral.

After the second night, we woke up at 7, had breakfast and headed straight to Rumichaca to cross the border. Getting there was easy as it was generally downslope and it took less than 20mins from Ipiales. Getting through immigration on the Colombian side was easy too though we had to use the pedestrian line (kinda hoped that we could use the car lane as it would have been faster). It was the Ecuador immigration that really took some time. We were queuing up for almost 3 hours before we had a chance to even get within visual range of the counters. There were also a large number of Venezuelan asylum seekers camped outside of the immigration office. I guess it is a good thing I decided not to visit Venezuela after all. The solidarity and camaraderie of the Venezuelans were amazing though and they sang songs to keep their spirits up. Cycling in the Andes has been tough, but I'd imagine waiting outside for days/months without and idea of what will happen and being in limbo ain't easy either! I guess not that many Singaporeans use this particular border as well as the lady took my passport to the back room twice and also consulted 2 other colleagues before returning to the counter and proceeding with the necessary work.

Right after clearing customs, it was off to Tulcan. Needless to say, after the brilliant downhill from Ipiales, there was a climb right from the get go before we could get to Tulcan. It was also odd to have to start thinking in USD which is the currency used in Ecuador.

First meal in Ecuador. 

Based on the recommendation of Oscar from Colombia, we also visited the cemetery in Tulcan before proceeding on the Pan American Highway. It had a topiary garden which made it a really unique experience!

As it was pretty late already we decided to stay at the next town in Julio Andrade as it was only a short 20km away. Asked at the fire station in Julio Andrade, however the station chief directed us to San Pedro de Huaca, a fifteen minute ride away, as it was an actual station and more likely to have space to put us up. Fortunately for us, after one of the firemen consulted the station chief, they let us stay in an empty bunk which had 2 beds. Definitely a lifesaver as it was already dark and none of us wanted to be cycling at night especially with the area being in the clouds it's like perpetually raining!

 

Up bright and early to head Ibarra, which almost a hundred kilometers away, and the first 70km was magnificent. Downhill most of the way and we covered it in 3 hours with speeds close to 70km/h on some stretches. Barely had to peddle at all and before knowing what was up, we were through Valle de Chota and looking for a place to grab lunch! Happiness for me was short-lived though as the last 30km was where it was really painful. Right from leaving the lunch venue, it was ascending all the way. When I reached a crest, I would realise that it wasn't even flat, it was just that the incline was not as steep as before. With some tailwind, I was happy just to be able to keep above 6km/h when i wasn't stationary! The views at the last climb before Ibarra was amazing though and i used the opportunity to take more photos while resting at the same time!

Took a while but finally I made it to Ibarra, a medium sized town, and met my fellow travellers at Hotel Imbabura. The proprietor is a friendy old man who lives with his family and has a massive collection of airline sized liquor from all over the world. Sadly there isn't any liquor manufactured in Singapore so he had to satisfy himself with showing me one from Japan. He recommended Laguna Cuicocha and the town of Cotacachi which was well known for it's leather goods which we visited the following day and also San Antonio de Ibarra which we intend to stop by on our way to the Equator! From the bus ride out to Cotacachi, it looks like getting out of Ibarra to the Equator promises to be a challenge with something like a 400m ascent over the course of 10km. Fingers crossed for my legs!