2013 Ecuador Semester blog post #6

Roberto preparing for the next leg of our journey

The first day of our biking expedition was definitely an epic one.  It began with a solid breakfast and the hurry of last minute packing. We were on the road by 11am.  We hadn't been going for more than 20 minutes when the first downpour hit. A few of us plunged into the day with a dirty slide in the mud. The terrain wasn't particularly difficult and the country-side was beautiful. We were biking through the highlands from Angla to the slopes of Cayambe. Cows in rolling fields, eucaliptus forests, tiny towns, and majestic mountains greeted our eyes as we rode through the day. It was our first day working with Mathias, Michael, and Roberto as our leaders so it took some patience to get used to their leadership styles. In stark contrast to Thomas and Marcea who are insistent that we keep together, Michael and Mathias tended to favor the accordion approach, letting the group spread out and then re-group at intersections. This system worked great during the day, but as the darkness fell it became increasingly evident that we had only a vague sense of where we were going. That is when we began to ride much more closely together.

Around 5PM, when everyone was starting tire, we were told we were 30 minutes to our destination. This was a relief to hear and we all started out eagerly. The 30 minutes stretched a bit and it wasn't long before night was coming upon us. We were hopefully spending the night in some barn or other building owned by a friend of the family, but no one knew much more. The place seemed more and more elusive as we pedaled hard up hill after hill. Our headlamps pierced the dark fog, which only seemed to grow thicker as we forged on. On top of that, it had started to rain pretty hard and the puddles kept getting bigger. Our spirits were definitely flagging a bit!

At the top of a particularly nasty hill, we pedaled under an arch and Mathias announced that we were close to his friend’s house! Our miserable group wasn't too convinced, but we pushed on, because that was the only thing we could do. The road running to our mysterious haven turned out to be a mudslide ride with really deep puddles. With rain in our eyes and our headlamps shining pitifully into the dense fog, we biked, walked, sloshed, or slid our way down the hill, arriving cold, wet, and dirty.

Chris checking the repair kit

At the bottom of the hill, lights shone from a building. By this point, nothing was believable, and as we rode around the corner, Mathias’ voice rang clear telling us we had arrived and to change into dry clothes. After a quick change, we stumbled into the light and warmth in a dream-like state. As it turned out our destination was a full lodge with a blazing fire, hot tea, delicious crackers, running water, electricity, a gas stove, beds, and calming yet motivating music that made the place all the more dreamlike. Needless to say, it was a blessing after our long night to have such a luxurious place to land!

Our good fortune with great campsites didn't end with the first day. After a successful start biking, our second day was spent at a beautiful place by a river. The uphills were more intense on the second day, but the weather Gods were much kinder. We took a nice long lunch break in the tiny village of Pisambillo where we bought lunch in the one room village store.  Despite, the long break, we still made it to camp by three in the afternoon, giving us ample time to wash ourselves and our clothes in the frigid mountain stream. All in all, it was a beautiful, cold, and windy night spent in the highlands.

Learning about the production of
Oyster mushrooms

Yummm!

The next morning, we rode fast to get fresh milk from the farm across the river. The biking on the third day was a similar distance to the first and just as hilly, but we were now in higher altitudes. By this point, we were well over 3000m and by the end of the day, we crossed the continental divide at 4000m, a triumphant moment - especially for our tired legs.  That night we lucked out again with our ¨camp¨ where we ended up at the park ranger's house. The walls were an awesome guard against the cold and wind. We had made it there early, so we had plenty of time to hang out in the warmth and write in our journals. Mathias and Michael didn't let us relax too much though, for they sprung a surprise group solo on us, handing over the navigation and logistics for the last day biking in the highlands.

The team mascot

Being on solo forced us to be on our toes, but both groups managed the 25-30km ride to the town of Papallacta smoothly. The ride was gorgeous! The volcanic mountains were at our side most of the day and for the last 5km, we dropped down into Papallacta past waterfalls and mountain lakes. In Papallacta, we soaked our tired muscles in the hotsprings and ate trout for dinner - a fabulous treat after the long days biking over the Andes.  Here, we said goodbye to Michael and welcomed Marcea back into the group. She stayed with us for the two days of biking down into the jungle as well as our layover day in Archidona.

Enjoying the hot springs!

Friday and Saturday were relatively easy days of biking - we covered many more kilometers then the previous days because we were descending from an altitude of 3,200m to 500m.  As we made our descent, we witnessed the landscape change dramatically. The springs became raging rivers and the trees adorned larger foliage.  Most noticeably was the temperature change – from cold, windy days  in Papallacta to sticky, steaming weather in Archidona. The transformation in the land and ecosystems was incredible to see and we understood the reason that Ecuador is considered one of the world's most bio-diverse countries. With so many different ecosystems in such a small distance, we encountered an enormous diversity of plant and animal life.

Our home in Ashanga

At the end of this multi-day descent, we arrived at Ashanga, just outside of Archidona. Here, we were met by Nicole and Thomas who spent the next layover day with us. The rest was sorely needed. We spent yesterday taking care of our bikes, washing clothes, bathing, writing in journals, and writing letters. We swam and snorkeled in the clear cold river that runs by our camp. It was a fun and restful day that helped us heal our worn bodies that had endured wear and tear of the 250km biking journey we did over the last six days. Rejuvenated and acclimatized to the jungle weather and lifestyle, we are now ready for the last 35km of biking to La Serena, where we will start the rafting section of the expedition.

 Naya and her cousin lifeguarding
 as the boys get cleaned up.

Before closing out this update, there are a couple of birthday wishes to send out. Quinn and Jackie want to say happy birthday to their respective fathers.  Additionally we are also sending Hannah good wishes who hasn't been able to be with us for the past week due to health issues. We miss her and hope to see her shortly! (UPDATE: Hannah is back with the crew and feeling better.)

Ode to Bicycles

By Jack

How did I end up so far away?

Where the skies are brighter during the day

By burning fury within my limbs?

Without a gas tank emptied from the brim.

It must be those bike rims

And the thousands of times that my tires spin.

A note from Marcea:

I hope you are all well. I am writing with a quick note to let you all know that sadly there will be no photos in the next update. Our new family camera unfortunately took a bad fall during the biking expedition is completely dead…

We are really bummed but will try and work something out for the next update.

Be well, Marcea