They say, that we all trying to find that special place, that special one, that special moment. They say, that our relentless pursuit of perfection blinds us to the obvious. That sometimes, just sometimes, the thing we've always wanted was right in front of us. Arriving in Quito, he had that similar feeling. Besides the Galapagos, Ecuador usually receives little or no mention. Not quite the ugly duckling of the brood, she has had to live in the shadows of her more flirtatious & flamboyant sisters Colombia, Peru & Brazil. Thus on arrival in Quito, he was struck by what he didn't expect, something unexpected. The first night, was to say the least an eventfull one. Getting to the hostel, he discovered that they ran a really tight ship. He thus, after just having checked in, checked out & moved up the road. At this point, the witching hour had approached. The new digs would surely be sufficient, he hoped. Wishful thinking. After checking into the 2nd hostel he realised that all this running around had made him hungry. So off he went in search of food. The La Mariscal area would give him what he needed. The La Mariscal area would also give what he never expected, a nicer accomodation option. The night had moved swiftly onto 2am. 'This was crazy,' he thought. 'Surely I couldn't possibly be considering moving again.' At first he was, & then after a cab ride back, he was getting ready to actually do it. So an hour after he had moved into his new hostel he was on the move again. 'I'm gonna have a good laugh in the morning,' he thought. At 3am, he moved into his 3rd & final hostel. The La Mariscal area was bustling with tourists all coming or going onto there next adventure. He sat sipping away on his first descent cup a coffee in over a month watching the procession go by. After contemplating for a day, he decided on doing a short excursion to Otavalo. 2hrs north of Quito, Otavalo is world renowned for it's markets. Saturday being the big day out, when acquiring anything & everything is possible. The rain decided to visit the market as well. That however, would not stop the masses of stalls from being erected at day break. The animal market was one of the highlights of his trip. Given advice from some fellow travellers, you could even purchase live stock for the right price. He could barely take care of himself, never mind another breathing, living being. Not even he was that crazy. Back to Quito he went for another nerve jangling experience. This time in the form of his beloved football team playing in the cup final. He would encounter more misery, as old 'Big Ears' was to be taken to Catalunya. 'Please don't talk to me,' was his response to fellow travellers for the remaining part of the day. He was really impressed & surprised with how much Quito looked nothing like his dreams. The fancy cars, posh multi-level malls, to name but a few, were chalk & cheese to what he thought he'd find. He could easily have got caught up in the lifestyle, & nearly did. Once more the road beckoned & one of the pre-trip highlights awaited. Banos. Named for the Church of the Virgin of the Holy Water, Nuestra Senora del Agua Santa, Banos is famous for it's gothic influenced church, which was built from volcanic rock from the turn of the previous century. It's also famous for it's hot thermal baths. His first night at the turkisk influenced baths, was to say the least, pretty interesting. The sight of heaps of over-weight Ecuadorian men in way too tiny speedo's made entering the bath, which was one big pool in reality, as big an adventure as he has had on the entire trip. The soothing mineral's in the water, he hoped it was minerals that was caressing his body, was what he needed after all the months on the road. It would feel even better after the day that was to follow. He had purposely planned Banos into the trip because of it's close proximity to the number of waterfalls in the area. Since he had seen Iguazu a few years back, he had become fascinated with these magistic feats of nature.
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The plan.
He had decided to hire a mountain bike to cycle the 75klm round trip route. The morning of the trip, he woke up early filled with excitement, like a kid on Christmas morning. Looking out his hostel window, he was greeted by grey skies, that siffed out water from the clouds, leaving a sheet of water across the road, that gave it the complexion of a freshly polished shinny mable table.
Steel wheels keep on turning.
The opening few lines in the song, 'He aint heavy,' sprung to mine when he started the ride. 'The road is long, with many a winding road, that leads us to who know's where, who know's where,' & indeed it would be. The scenery was amazing. Although initially covered in a layer of mist & fog, when it eventually lifted, it needed know words. He was as happy as he had ever been on this trip. The comfort of solitude has always been his favourite past time. Feeling the icey air streaming & filling his lungs, & the sound of the bike cranking over through the gears, was total bliss. On reaching the first few waterfalls, which were shroaded in mist, giving them a mystical appearance, like something out of a J.R.R Tolkien novel. He thought, 'This will be a good day.'
Riding blind through tunnels, always fun.
The 'Show stopper' was to be reached shortly after midday. El Pailon del Diablo, the 'Devils Cauldron,' was all he imagined. Reaching her, required patience. Trekking down the countless number of 'stairs,' he could feel her spray gentle kissing his brow. She was still not in view, with the curtains of leaves & over growth hiding her charm. He had just recently watched 'The Mission,' starring Jeremy Irons & Bobby De Niro & felt like he was in a scene from the 1986 classic. All he needed now was Ennio Morricone's haunting soundtrack to finish his own 'Mission.' On reaching 'The Cauldron,' he realised how important the $1 raincoat was. Trying to have a look at her beauty meant showering yourself in her beauty as well. It was well worth it.
Wearing the standard hiking gear as normal.
He was always, 'the road less travelled,' guy & so it would prove on the way back. The next 2 hours back would be some of the best (& muddiest) off road riding he had ever done. It was made all the more interesting due to the fact, that his steel horse decided that she didn't need her other gears (oh dear indeed). So, the terrain would be taken using only one gear. 'Horseshit !!!' But exhilarating non the less.
One last visit to the famous thermal baths were more than deserved. Guayaquil was just down the road. The road unfortunately was another bone rattling experience. The commercial heartland of Ecuador was as the rest of the country, an expected surprise. Situated on the banks of the Rio Guayas, Guayaquil was slowly starting to slip out of the shadows of her more illustrious & famous sister in the north. He found a lovely hacienda type hostel, the name of which he funnily forgot as soon as he got told. He was also chuffed to find the company of like-minded individuals. He had enjoyed the mindless ramblings of his previous encounters, but had also missed the chatter of conversation that contained more than just reflections of nights filled with sex, drugs & rock & roll. The next week was a much needed encounter. Peru was looming large, & the Rio Guayas, Banos, La Mariscal, 3 hostels in one night, would be added shortly to his memory. An unexpectedly fond memory.
Until that day .....
Biking made fun, one gear needed.
