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Chance encounter with Fonzy and a Radio Star...

Riding from Otavalo to Quito, we stopped in the middle of nowhere. It was cold and as I started digging in my top box in search of my fleece, a big 4X4 stopped behind us. 2 people got off the car! Now don´t be paranoiac! That´s how we met the 2007 Argentinian version of Fonzy (from "Happy days" fame!) and his beautiful radio Star wife: Gabriel and Maria belen. Maria Belen has her own radio show everyday. That´s the closer I´ve been to a radio star ! On their way to a car race, they had pulled to check we were ok and have a chat! They gave us their mobile phone number and invited us to have diner at their place! So once sorted with our hotel and bike, we left a message on their answer phone with very vague directions to our hotel! SO it was a big surprise when they turned up to pick us up there at 6pm! After a quick detour by the biggest super market I´ve been into, we went to their flat where Gabriel prepared us a very nice meal. GAbriel is also a biker, and he is also planning to ride to Argentina in September. So we spent the evening comparing notes, pouring over maps, watching photos on the internet of the Bolivian trail we all wanted to do. That made us realise that we would need proper Enduro tyres for that bit.

Gabriel website for his trip is the following: www.gabriel-sudamericaenmoto.blogspot.com

Gabriel will do his trip in a 2-stroke Russian cruiser!!!

The following day, a Monday, Gabriel took us to a big motorbike shop to have a look at the tyres available, although we prefer to wait and order them from Bolivia. We will spend some time in Cochabamba, and a biker contact over there confirmed we could get our tyres there. we live in hope !

During our stay in Quito, we went to see a Doctor at a travel clinic, as Alistair was unwell. After some analysis it came out he had few ailments. Parasites in his stomach (apparently I was told I was probably contaminated too although I was feeling fine), some infections and the muscle he pulled few months ago was still very sore. SO, we had a list of antibiotics and anti-inflamatory to buy.

Then after 3 nights in Quito, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends Gabriel and Maria Belen and move on to the beautiful town a Baños, famous for its hot springs! We had heard on the news that the road to Baños had been damaged by heavy rain and that it was only open like few hours a day only. So we left early morning and after great difficulties in finding the Panamerican highway we were on our way! Mid-afternoon we arrived at the site of the landslide. It was not nice. Lots of 4X4 "taxis" drivers were there and told us it was closed until 6pm, but that there was a trail that could take us there. After asking many times we rode to what we thought was the right trail. In a way it was, the problem was that this trail was suddenly stopped across a river with a 4 metres drop. It seemed this trail had also been destroyed by the rains. It was impossible to continue, so we went back to the landslide site, hoping the road would open at 6pm for us to get through. A police car on our trail gave us hope that they were going there for that reason. At the site we asked the police who told us the road was totallly closed and the only way to Baños was on foot!

 Exhausted and for me suffering from stomach aches all day, we turned back and as the night was falling we found a hostal on the road. The following day as I was getting more ill, we decided to give up on Baños and continue to Cuenca. This time there was a road, and by mid-afternoon we found a hostal. With the bikes parked in the inside patio, between the breakfast tables, we could finally relax and rest for few days. I started taking the same antibiotics than Alistair for his stomach bugs.

During our stay in Cuenca we decided to do an oil change. We wandered into a main Harley Davidson dealer who seemed to be a specialist in lubricants as well. HAndy as all the small bike shops only had oil for 2-stroke engines! Anyway, at that dealer they offered that we use their facilities and tools to do the oil change. So half an hour later we were back with the bikes and they started to help us. There was also a small crowd of curious Harley and BMW owners looking at us and asking us lots of questions about our trip. I bet they don´t see many times women changing their motorbike´s oil! During our stay in Cuenca we came across another british couple bikers, travelling around the world in a big BMW 1150GS. They had been on the road for a year and where feeling unwell with stomach problems as well. First time in a year! Here is tehir website:

www.pooleglobaltrek.com

Once we felt better we decided to continue south toward Vilcabamba. Unfortunately, in Loja, we took the wrong road (Never any road signs and people are never very precise when you ask them!) Anyway we ended up going east toward the Amazon , rather than South toward Peru! When we realised our mistake it was too late om the day and decided to continue to the next town: Zamora.

The road since Cuenca had been in a terrible state and required a lot of concentration to avoid falling off, also violent guts of wind were sending us flying from one side of the road to the other! Terrifying! After a full day like that, few kilometers before Zamora we reached a landslide / building site site where there were bulldozers sending half the mountain down the road. The passage through that deep mud. Really deep mud. Actually more than I expected. As a big 4X4 was biping for me to get out of the way I had to other option than move forward in the mud, then the guys above in their bulldozers started shouting at me. No idea what they said, but it did not look like  it was not a good idea to stop in the middle when half the mountain was falling off there! I kept moving forward into what ended up being a deep river of mud and in the end I just fell off the bike once again! I ended up totally covered by very liquid mud. Alistair came to my rescue to pick up the bike and move it to safety and solid ground. Anyway, as per my usual I ended up wlaking into a hotel in town, covered in mud! The foillowing day, we moved back to Loja, and from there managed to find the correct road to Vilcabamba !

We are now in a very nice hostal, with pool, jacuzzi and sauna! What I needed after the last 2 days! We have now spent 2 days washing the bikes, panniers, bike gear and basically everything as all was covered in mud.

In a couple of days we will move toward the border. Vilcabamba is our last town in Ecuador. Next post we will be in Peru !

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