Our arrival to our honeymoon location was far from perfect. We missed our connection at Madrid airport due to ice on the wings of our plane from Heathrow to Madrid, once de-iced we set off nearly an hour late, needless to say as we rushed around Madrid airport trying to make our connection clinging on to the hope that we’ll just make it, we didn’t!

12 hours later after a night in a Madrid Hotel, told that our luggage was lost, (My Gosh! Where was our highly expensive new tandem that due to a 12 month wait on delivery had only arrived a few snowy and unrideable days before), then blessing our graces was told it had been found; we were en route to Ecuador……

Our flight put down in Quito and we witness a spectacular vista of the city and the surrounding mountains, witnessing the growth of the city that had already engulfed some smaller hills and was creeping up the slopes of the larger ones. The landing unfortunately into Guayaquil was in darkness but smooth and soon we were whizzed off in the dark humidity to our honeymoon treat, the Hilton. Due to our late arrival we decided to stay 2 nights to enable a leisurely bike set up and to book flights to the Galapagos, all surprisingly easy allowing us to enjoy the sunshine, pool and jugo de pina! (Pineapple juice, which transported the taste buds into a totally different dimension!)

6.30am 7th January 2010 We were diving out of bed to start our great adventure, breakfasted and packed we left the cool, tranquil environs of the Hilton to the busy, hot, polluted manic roads of Guayaquil, the feeling was like you were treading water like mad but only just keeping you head above stormy seas. The dog eat dog attitude of the traffic led to a white knuckle, enthusiastic and energetic exit from the city. We had directions from the door staff at the hotel so navigating the roads wasn’t too bad but the raucous, do or die style of driving was both scary and exhilarating, the Ecuadorians were so enthusiastic and friendly we had more road respect than they gave each other! It was great, waving and grinning in response to the friendly hails, beeps and mad gesticulating we belted out of the city over the bridges of the Rio Guayas and on to the banana plantations of the south. Soon we were seeing Finca’s and Hacienda’s with the names of banana producers we recognised from the supermarket. We passed through regular truck stops that were a hive of activity and virtually anything could be bought from the tiny shacks which were shops/homes for these people, we soon found that Ecuadorians eat at every available opportunity every village or hamlet had lots of food stalls of fabulous quality local dishes, usually run by a roly poly mother and daughter outfit. On the road there was a severe shortage of catalytic converters, so every time a vehicle passed, the romantic, dreamy plantation surroundings were shattered with black clouds of fumes, my golly we were going to come home with lungs like age old smokers! You could hardly get frustrated with the sore throat created from the fumes as the enthusiasm from the passengers and drivers were louder than the roaring engines of their steeds. Heading to Machala it became apparent of the scale of the fruit industry and how the communities are developed and provided for by them. With zero tourism in this area we anticipated camping and in our search for a suitable site we came across a battered sign for a hotel 5kms off the road, we couldn’t believe our luck and set off down the dusty lane to Hotel Shurimal, it hardly looked habitable but we knocked on anyway soon to be told by its neighbours that it was shut but another building had rooms. Wayhey! This tiny place was bouncing and we ran across the ‘square’ to see the proprietor and for $8 we had a room with an ensuite cold shower, no electricity but more importantly no bugs!!!

8th January 2010
Up and out, with no luxury to enjoy we left at 7am and enjoyed the morning views of the pending cloud cloaked mountains, exactly what we were here for! So far the days have been overcast for most of the day but the sun still penetrates giving us large doses of UV rays, vitamin D overload! The tandem was causing a stir where ever we went but we were never mobbed; people shouted and cheered! As the mountains approached we left the large plantations and rose up through mining areas, our initial taste of the Andes was not quite as romantic as we imagined! Labelled a developing country you can see areas that are racing forward but others are meandering, a stark contrast between the Ecuadorian perfect turn out with mobile phones to the wooden shacks some live in, pride is massive with major emphasis on cars, clothes and technology. Weaving through the quarries was strenuous where it shouldn’t have been due to major mistakes made by our tandem supplier. As mentioned before we had waited over 12months for this bike, lots of discussions had taken place to perfect the build of the bike, eventually it arrived a couple of days before our wedding. We had put our trust in our suppliers and were limited to a very small test drive due to snow and ice, the bike was packed up and taken home ready to go to Ecuador. We had been assured on all dimensions that this was the bike for us and we had parted with a large amount of money. In the first few days of our holiday we both had noticed unfavourable aspects of the bike but hey this was our honeymoon, it was going to be perfect and we had put these aspects out of minds as imagination and failed to speak about them until this day. Without doing into technical detail this was in no way shape or form the bike for us, the frame did not allow for different size cranks and wasn’t fitted with the amply discussed and requested components. So still acclimatising and climbing up into the Andes we set up camp pretty much exhausted.

9th January 2010
After a few more large climbs we left the quarries and entered a more pleasing panorama where hog roasts and fruit stalls littered the villages. The Ecuadorians love their food and we ate great soups followed by rice, vegetables and meat dishes, great fuel food! Hill after hill it got tougher a granny ring of 32 teeth wasn’t ideal, thanks for the oversight! We stopped at Giron for a feast of egg rice, peas and shrimps, totally divine! But alas the cloud came down and brought its buddy the rain, visibility was literally 10 metres, we felt very vulnerable and exposed as no one reduced their speed, we had already witnessed a large crash with a car and a bus. Cycling right on the brink of the road donned with lights we carried on and just as our spirits were getting a total battering from the altitude, exhaustion and environment we dropped out of the mountains and cloud into a fabulous valley. The surroundings were almost alpine and you had the feeling the whole valley was self sufficient this boosted us more than any energy drink/bar could and we razzed the last 20kms to Cuenca. What a gem, a huge city, but totally developed with a beautiful large colonial sector once you crossed the Rio Tomebamba, we decided to have 2 nights here, source a smaller crank and explore the city.

10th January 2010
We checked into Casa Alcazar and enjoyed all it offered, great service, outstanding colonial decor, colonial furniture and awesome food, a total taste sensation and massage of the senses, it felt like heaven! Whilst we were at Dinner 2 chocolates and hot water bottles were placed in the room, my word, words fail me, we had found a total diamond!

11th January 2010
Five bike shops later and we thought we had a new crank, not a straight forward job but an assemble of parts and 4 hours work only to find this had repercussions on the derailleur and other parts culminating in the rebuild with the original components and the original problem, more worryingly welds were found compromising on the strength of the frame, yet another knock on what was named the ‘Rolls Royce of Tandems’.

Along with the friendliness and enthusiasm of the Ecuadorians is the resourcefulness, it’s amazing nothing is wasted, we are so used to buying a new product or part, yet there are other ways to achieve the same result.
Come 2pm we were rebuilt and finally ready to hit the road, we cycled to Gualaceo to start the trek over the mountains to Macas. Our 12 year old guide book led us to a few hotels and one parador that had been closed for years!! We found some digs and got a good kip ready to hit the mountain roads.

12th January 2010
7am We were sat in a shop/cafe breakfasting on coffee, cheese tostados and bananas fuelling our legs for the climb out of town towards Macas, the tarmac changed to gravel but didn’t get any worse. Our cycling on this path was tremendous and we both felt strong pedalling at a good rhythm, working well as a team. The scenery was fabulous we wound through farming communities where the fields were being worked by people in traditional dress. Unfortunately and certainly not meaning to we startled a ranchero and his horse, the horse shot off with the elderly ranchero hanging on, we didn’t see him again to apologise! Dogs have been a bit of problem, luckily they’re after the bike and not us, we’ve been using a whistle as a scare tactic which 95% of the time has been successful! The terrain changed from lush farming land to moorland type terrain, climbing steadily we passed trout farms, 6 hours or so into the climb Dan noticed a wobble on the front wheel, the hub had come loose, we had a spanner but needed two. This loop was going to take a few more days before we reached a town to borrow tools, so with our spanner and multi tool the hub could be tightened to stabilise but not quite to the amount we would have liked. We had to have a rethink, the rough tracks would soon loosen the hub again and so we turned back to Gualaceo to borrow tools. We immediately found a mechanics who directed us to a bike shop and the hub was sorted. Another defect on the brand new bike! Our morale was pretty battered, we felt that each time the bike was put to a test it failed. The 6 hour climb had taken 2 to descend, now what did we do? Did we restart the climb and hope nothing else went wrong with the bike, try for Macas then get the damn thing back to Guayaquil and get ourselves off to the Galapagos or stick to good roads and hope the fumes weren’t too choking. Either way we needed food, so we sat and ate, trying to put it all into perspective. We knew that at some point there was going to be a tandeming holiday where we had a load of problems, our little cheap beginners tandem had never let us down, we had battered it down some gruelling downhill’s in Morocco and ground it over the Stelvio Pass in Italy, and now we were on our honeymoon on a brand new bike and problems were cropping up left, right and centre. A reroute was required, a fresh road and fresh attitude. We promised ourselves a vino this evening and set off to Azogues on the decent roads, we so hoped we would get good scenery so we didn’t feel as though we were missing out due to a reroute. That evening over pizzas, beer and wine we studied the map and wayhey, we could just make it to Volcan Chimborazo then bomb back to Guayaquil for the Galapagos flights! The town didn’t offer many good accommodation possibilities but the saving grace of this hostel was the hot shower that we savoured.

13th January 2010
Half wondering had we spent the night in a brothel or just an extremely busy hostel we shot off early and began a massive climb up the A35, weaving and winding up and down the mountains we dropped into Canar for lunch only to be met by two gentlemen in traditional dress so excited, he hopped about chattering at 100mph, it turns out they had passed us earlier in the day whilst driving from Cuenca to Canar, and now we were eating at their restaurant, we were treated like kings with supersized portions and endless glasses of jugo. The food was gorgeous, chickpea and plantain soup followed by rice, meat, potatoes and more plantain….. Nursing full bellies we carried on for the rest of the day like a steam train and found a suitable place to camp just south of Chunchi. The MSR Dragonfly Stove made camping a joy as we enjoyed coffee and a hot rehydrated meal pack of vegetable risotto. Ever the wuss and mardy I spent the first hour or so jumping at every noise, the only answer was to face my demons (all a figment of my highly vivid imagination) and take a walk outside the tent in the dark, once I knew no monsters were lurking I was able to leave Dan in peace and sleep.

14th January 2010
5.30 am and every dog and cockerel in the area began a very unorchestral clamour. A quick brew and we started packing up enjoying the clear bright morning unfold to reveal fabulous views of the mountains and valleys that had been hidden by cloud the evening before. We had been totally unaware of the scenic surroundings, the fertile valleys that plunged down from the encompassing mountains, we spent the next few hours cycling to Chunchi for breakfast taking photographs and videos at the fabulous vista that spread out before us. The crappyness of the bike was forgotten as we felt strong motivated by the environs and attacked the mountains with enthusiasm. We rose out of the fertile farmed areas into a sandy pine area where we found a suitable site to camp, the sky was crystal clear revealing the southern hemisphere in all its glittering glory.

15th January 2010
We pedalled into Guamote for breakfast, the temperature had really dropped and we could only guess at our altitude which we guessed was around 3000metres, we got togged up to make the cycling enjoyable and comfortable soon warming up once we began to climb. The weather remained cool and damp and we passed Laguna Colta, obviously a tourist attraction in good weather but today it looked dreary and bleak, although we were amused by the signs, one in particular which pointed out that guns are not to be fired in that area!!! On reaching Cajabamba, we had an air of anticipation, we knew that we were going to climb Volcan Chimborazo today, and we stocked up on supplies in case we had to camp that night. We had checked out the map and had decided on the lower road as we had a fair way to travel and the guide book said the best views of the volcano were from this road, we also had to think about getting back to Guayaquil to catch our flights to the Galapagos Islands. We had managed to distinguish the ragged scar cutting the land near Cajabamba this is where the whole of the first Spanish city had fallen during an earthquake over 200 years ago. We were setting bets and forfeits for the first to see the snowy peak of Chimborazo also looking out for signs to Guaranda which then would signify our route around this tremendous giant. Due to the equatorial bulge Volcan Chimborazo is the highest point from the centre of the earth in the Americas, with its peak at 6310 metres. We left the surrounding area of Cajabamba and began the climb through small villages concentrated on the tourist’s love of hiking, art and eating. Somehow unbeknown to us we missed the low road and began the long climb up the Volcano higher and higher, only when we passed the trail to the peak at 3960 metres did we realise the mistake in navigation. Not long after this point did we start to feel the effects of altitude, a dry thirsty mouth, giddiness and a little dizziness. We climbed to around 5000 metres above sea level enduring spells of light headedness, giddiness with an unquenchable thirst. Unfortunately with all the climbing we rose straight into cloud and never saw the peak of Chimborazo. The cloud was so close it was encompassing, you felt you could reach out and touch it. The traffic could be heard but not seen until within a few metres, this became a little hairy as the side of the road was a steep embankment. The cloud varied in density and at times of further visibility we peeked Vicuna, we were surprised by their curiosity and boldness, some even trotting along for a few paces as though trying to get a better look at us! A truck passed us a little too close, moving out of the way took us to the edge of the embankment, that combined with the back draft created we lost balance and I fell off. Dan managed to get both feet on the ground to steady himself and the bike but I got my foot stuck and hit the deck! Luckily the bike was not damaged, we were not hurt and we were able to carry on to the summit. Then strange things began to happen, we were convinced the road ahead was starting to go downhill, but we were pedalling hard and we hadn’t picked up speed. Confused we looked behind and saw that we were climbing steeply. A short while later we hit a short downhill only to find that the road looked to rise again, bizarrely we cannoned ‘up’ the hill at 35mph barely pedalling! We thought we were going mad!! Laughing like loons we carried on until we got to the real downhill and gunned down to Guaranda. We dropped altitude like a lead balloon, the wind combined with down hilling froze our hands and feet, whipping our faces raw we were barely acknowledging the awesome views and surroundings, the cold, numb hands and feet were a major distraction, our only focus was to warm up! Guaranda was much larger than we anticipated and we decided to get a hotel, both craving a hot shower and comfort, we found a passable place and checked in. Once fresh warm blood was flowing into our hands and feet it slowly dawned on us the beauty of the area we had shot through and decided that the next day we would cycle back up for a few hours to take the photographs we should have taken on our way down.

16th January 2010
I think we were solitary guests at the hotel and ate our breakfast in the dining hall that was obviously grand in its time, but a little tired now. We wrapped up to the cool morning and began the climb back up the foothills of Chimborazo and spent the next 2 – 3 hours cycling, taking photos and making video diaries about our adventures. A funky little restaurant had caught our eye on the way out of town and we return to give it a whirl at lunchtime, we were not disappointed, arroz con camerones, possibly the best we had in the whole holiday, but saying that you would be hard done to find a bad meal in Ecuador! It was market day in Guaranda and we wove through the madness, the traffic was at a near standstill as pedestrians, bike carts and donkeys filled the street, a total joy to watch! The day didn’t really warm up but the hill climbing certainly got the heart racing and we trogged along roads sliced into the mountain sides climbing and descending continually. Saturday is water bomb day, and kids everywhere had buckets, balloons of water and any kind of container they could lay their hands on. Hidden on rooftops, behind trees, on balconies, everybody got it, people travelling in the back of open top trucks were soaked to the skin, people walking in the street would have large damp patches, the kids were having a whale of a time. We were fairly lucky as the majority of bombs missed us, the little horrors!! Climbing again we hugged the mountain roads waving to people working the land, cooking at the side of the road or generally just hanging out. Rounding a corner a lady in traditional dress with 2 young girls were examining some road kill, hhhmmmm they really did look at it a bit too long! The former creature was flat as a pancake! As soon as we were out of earshot we both said the same thing…. Do you think if we hadn’t come round the corner that would be in a pot???? We had been cycling in and out of rain but from mid afternoon the gentle drizzle changed from refreshing to drenching and we started to think about camping. This area was largely populated and no suitable spots were found, just as we were discussing the option of asking permission to camp on someone’s land or to ask at a school or police station we saw a sign for a hostel at a hamlet called Biblovan, 2kms off the road. The hostel turned out to be the 1st floor of a family’s house with intricate wiring for the so called ‘hot’ shower, but for 10 dollars it was home for the night and ignoring the freezing cold shower it was fine, a trip to the shop led to a tour of the town to knock up the old lady shopkeeper to purchase local peach wine and goodies after which we hit the sack.

17th January 2010
Uh Oh! I woke with the tummy gremlins, not the greatest of scenarios considering the flush barely worked on the loo!!!! Getting ready took a little longer this morning but eventually we were able to leave, we pedalled out of the hamlet and back to the road we expected more climbing but in reality only climbed a couple of hills before down hilling for 24 miles!! The road was being resurfaced and with all the rain from the day before we were filthy within minutes of setting off! We dropped like a rocket weaving out of the mountains. Just as the foliage became greener we came over one of the best views of the holiday, we were still quite high but overlooked where the Andes and flat lands met, it was awesome! The jungle and denseness of the flatlands versus the sparseness and steepness of the Andes. We carried on descending and soon entered a town with an incredible party/holiday atmosphere. The town had water parks, bars, discos, restaurants all competing for the loudest music. Bus loads of people were here all having a great time. We were so surprised and enamoured with the place, giddy with the frivolity, not what we expected when minutes before we were cycling through lush rain forest. We were back to civilisation on full volume! We stopped at a petrol station to wash all the grime off us and continued towards Babahoyo. At the next major town we pulled up into a carwash and scrubbed the bike down. Whilst passing through town unbeknown to us we had missed a turning, only to be stopped and redirected, another car load of people then ensured we took the correct way. Cycling along the flats we could see the rapidly diminishing Andes to our left and unending plains ahead and to our right. The roads were flanked by rice paddies and the heat was immense. Something was changing; we could sense a change but were unsure what it was. I thought it was because we had left the Andes and were heading back to Guayaquil or as I was off colour I was misinterpreting the surroundings. The towns we initially came to when dropping out of the Andes were vibrant and friendly but now, with miles and miles of flatness the mood had changed. We decided that we would get a hotel in Babahoyo, get my tummy right and start afresh tomorrow. We were treated to a display by an extremely large hawk as it flew over the rice paddies, gliding then diving, slowly were we ticking off the miles to Babahoyo, industry became visible. We knew that Babahoyo was on the crux of 2 rivers and therefore would be a large industrial town, but we never anticipated the ‘lifelessness’ of the town. We had a loo stop at a petrol station; the whole area was dirty and despondent, nothing like the rest of Ecuador that we had visited. We carried on into town passing by the dump, swamplands with houses on stilts and eventually the town. The mood of this town was definitely different, we had seen lots of poor places with poor people but they still had pride and love of life about them, here was completely different. We needed a rest and food, we were too far from Guayaquil to give Babahoyo a miss and we felt that due to the swamps and fruit plantations that cycling on and camping was a no go. Finding a hotel wasn’t hard, but finding something that looked half decent was, we had seen 2 or 3 horrendous looking places then spied what appeared to the best bet just off the main road. We went to enquire, it seemed ok, cheap and had a cafe adjoined, so we checked in. Quick showers and we went to find food, we thought we would try the cafe adjoined to the hotel as the owners were fairly friendly; oh my gosh! The food was inedible; we chose off a menu and were served slop! We really didn’t want to offend these people, especially as the owner appeared to be some kind of mafia, and the guy running the cafe had had his ear ripped off, I tried to explain that we had tummy gremlins and that we thought we were over it but unfortunately we weren’t and paid up. We felt like naughty school kids and were about to go for a walk when the hotel owner called us over, he wanted to know where our passports were, in Ecuador it is law to carry ID at all times. The owner fetched the receptionist whom we could understand and she said that there were bad men watching us, in this area, now. Wow, this threw us, we had planned to go and get some food, beers and chill but now we had been given a stark warning, during this time 2 police cars had pulled up near the hotel and were watching us. There was a shop across the road and we considered going there for goodies then watching TV, but now there was a gang of men outside it messing about, we didn’t know who or where these bad men were, it could be those! You couldn’t help but let the odd paranoid thought seep into your mind so we decided to go to our room, watch some TV and when the coast was clear scoot over to the shop. An hour or so later the men outside the shop had set up a TV and were all sat on chairs watching it, we decided that now was the time for goodies and beer. The hotel owner had shut up the cafe and locked us in! Luckily we could pull the bolts out of the floor and ceiling and open the doors, now we really felt like naughty school kids sneaking out, we shot round the corner trying to be inconspicuous straight into the shop, bought our goodies and straight back to the hotel for an evening of American sitcoms.

18th January 2010
‘Out of this hell hole’ was our mantra for the morning and we were ready in a flash! We knew which way to go as we had seen the signs to Guayaquil yesterday, so at the speed of light we were down the main carriageway taking a right on the roundabout when Woop! Woop! The police wanted a chat, luckily it was a friendly chat; wanting to know where we were from, where were we going etc, etc, what we didn’t know was that it was also an escort all the way out of town, and a good few miles thereafter, at which point it was Woop! Woop! Adios Amigos!! Needless to say, there must have been some truth in the previous days warning!

We were now on our last day of cycling and it always arrives with a feeling of melancholy. The swamplands and stilt houses continued, we felt like we had been transported out of the Ecuador that we had experienced and loved. The damp, stagnant aroma wafted up our nostrils regularly on this stretch and we longed to get back to the beautiful surroundings of the Hilton to prepare for the Galapagos, the next part of our adventure. The surroundings slowly began to improve and we came across a busy little town where we stopped for smoothies and toasties. Now we were not far from Guayaquil and we were getting excited about the Galapagos, with an element of sadness our tour of Ecuador and the Andes was nearly over. The heat of the flatlands was intense, that combined with heavier traffic of the city instantly covers you in grime. We were back to the frenzy that was Guayaquil, and boy didn’t we look and smell attractive as we wandered into the immaculate, tranquil foyer of the Hilton Colon!