Sunday 23 September 2012

Vilcabamba to Peru. (not the easy way)


Because of a little confusion we headed South without a full tank of gas and hit some of the most horrible roads I had encountered yet.  Take a close look at the surface.  I can tell you with a heavy bike like this, it is still kinda fun, but mostly not.  Thank god I had put the TKC80 tires on.




I don't think we ate dirt that day, but little did we know, we were in for a few days of this and worse.  Much worse.

We finally got to a small town and the chain was very loose with no adjustment left in it.  We found a place to wash the bike first and the kind man who washed the bike, would accept and money from us.  People here are sooo dam nice some times.

We went to a little bike shop and started to look at the chain situation together.  Once we removed the pannier, it was evident, the bracket would need some repairs too.





After the bracket was welded, the chain broken and shortened we would a nice little hotel to stay in and settled in for the night.  This was the "REAL" Ecuador.  There was not another gringo in site.


It was pretty obvious this little town had a lot of  pride.
The Royal Palms are beautiful.
A huge meal for a couple dollars.  The Ecuador food may lack a little flavour at times, but the  portions and value somewhat compensate.
We finally got to the border of Peru.  Holy shit, what a ride.  Clearing out of Ecuador was a breeze, but holy crap was the Peruvian side ever messed up.  Be prepared for a lengthy clear-in at this border!  I've heard the same story from other people after-the-face as well.


Me looking maybe just a tad bit tired, but happy as hell.
It's sure looks beautiful here so far.  What adventures lie ahead???