Banos Day 3 Part 2-Dec 31 2017

I went earyl around 6pm to explore what might be occurring around town.......

 Men dressed as women......

 costumed characters 

 Effigies 

 The owners of my hostel suggested I try dinner at their son's pub...THE STRAY DOG so named after the dog which died rescuing people trapped in the earth quake of 2016........

 my Pub Fair Fish and Chips

 Actual people appearing as toy soldiers

 It is early and the side streets are filling with people ready to celebrate into the night.

 The effigies will be burned in the streets around midnight

 

 Selling grapes to be eaten during the ringing of the bells heralding in the New Year,,,,,,remember eat 1 grape at each ring representing a month of the coming year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Yellow is the colour of the underwear you should be wearing to bring good fortune in the New Year.

Banos Day 3-Dec 31 2017-NEW YEAR'S EVE

Just asked the Lady owner who is from CHICAGO who she was burning tonight. What, your thinking. It is a New Year's tradition to burn an effigy of someone you may have not liked...maybe a POLITICIAN ( Los anos viejos)(the old year) out with the old and in with the new. At midnight the custom to eat 12 grapes...1 at each stroke of the clock.....one for each coming month to bring good fortune......don't miss the bell or eat before hand as this spells misfortune. Apparently men will dress as women pretending to be the widows of the OLD YEAR( Los anos viejos ) .They block the streets and demand a token money donation to allow you to proceed. At midnight a custom which sounds exciting is to kiss many people......hopefully the opposite sex.....then of course there is the dancing in the streets ....topped off with fireworks at midnight.....http://www.lead-adventures.com/blog/Ecuador/exciting-Ecuadorian-new-year-traditions.html........ANSWER to the opening question SURPRISED me......she is considering THE DONALD holding hands with KIM JONG-UN........

 Sorry, I am not a FAN anymore of THE DONALD.........and cannot understand why so called CHRISTIANS support him.........he has done the opposite of what he campaigned on and appointed all the people he threatened in DRAIN THE SWAMP........by the way it is not FALSE NEWS that the American Economy was already on the upswing under OBAMA's WATCH.......for which the (donald) has taken credit which is FALSE NEWS What the above have in common with PUTIN.....TOTALITARIANISM  

HAPPY NEW YEAR 

Banos Day 2-Dec 30 2017

I awoke early and headed downstairs ..... no one but me was stirring at this hour......so breakfast would need to wait.....a few pics from last evening of the inside and street scape's....

 The owner is from Chicago.....she and her spouse purchased the place after vacationing here when it came up for sale...... 

 

 

 

 looking towards the mineral bath springs

 wash basins ????

 More to follow as I go out and explore Banos on foot....bike is parked until the 2nd of January. 

 The New York Lad on a Freedom Self Guided Tour.....he is headed for Cotocachi Amazon Lodge....yes....the same one where Ken had the late night encounter with a BEAST.....back in February.

 Little late for a Christmas parade.....

 Central Park

 enlarge and you will see all the crooked poles that are scaffolding to hold the cement floor above......this is the way it is done in Ecuador and Peru

 a street with moto rentals of all sorts including dune buggies......

 In 1999 the local volcano which had basically been dormant for 300 years  (except around 1949 when it spewed steam) erupted and the locals were forced by the army to evacuate the city. The evacuation lasted close to 10 months. Since then, I have been told that eruptions occurred in 2006/7.....though this time people refused to leave. The picture of the inside of the church is the one mention in the story on Banos. 

Cuenca to Banos-Dec 29 2017

Yesterday, I posted the route.....didn't deviate and arrived about 2;15 pm after an early start just before 7 am. I believe I mentioned motorcycle Insurance not required on foreign bikes as long as you have a valid TVIP ( temporary vehicle Import Permit ).......well, not 15 minutes into my journey I get pulled over in a road check......hablo Espanol un poco to the Policia....I hand him my ownership and Peruvian Soat Info. He reviews it and in English says thank you and sends me on my way......I was nervous in my mind....

 Packed but can't get out,,,gate locked....6am...I am the only one up.... 

 Early in the am   sunny... 

 It wouldn't be long before I would be riding in the clouds.....in and out of them for an hour,,,,,,scary as visibility about 15 feet....slowing to a crawl was not an option for fear of being run over..... 

 

 Road hazard...untethered animals 

 this pic doesn't show the drop but it is likely 200 to 300 feet...a village on the edge of a cliff.....this was the norm along my route.... 

 

 note the farming on very steep slope....what I have observed is that the mountains here, though as high as those in Peru....they are covered in greenery, more rounded not nearly as rugged. It is as though they are millions of years older than those to the south....weathered to this shape.  

 Inside the court yard of Posada de Arte...where my bike sits alongside one from Freedom Tours being ridden by a young lad from New York on the same self guided tour Ken and I took in February. 

 

 Great dinner tonight,,,broccoli soup followed by Spaghetti and shrimp in a great sauce....

 My room....the same one I had in February.....

Cuenca Last Day-Dec 28 2017

Tomorrow I leave Chasky Wasy for La Posada de Arte hotel in Banos........Ken and I stayed there on our trip with Freedom Moto Tours in February......a tad expensive at 72 a night but with my discounts at Booking .com 35.00....includes a full course American Breakfast.....I will leave here for Canoa on the 2nd of January.

 hope to be able to park bike inside that gate as before but it being New Years ????

 The planned route in blue...appears to be all mountains with plenty of twisters.....no problema if no rain/sleet or fog.....currently packing once again........as near as I can learn from Ecuador Bike Rentals....David Graces doesn't believe I require insurance...covered as a foreigner with a valid TVIP in his country but it is the law that I have Personal Medical Coverage. 

Cuenca Day 7- Dec 27 2017

Little to report....been raining the last couple days though it cleared this afternoon and is warm compared to this morning. I needed to get my M/C boots polished....they are a disgrace.....so I walked towards El Centro after breakfast. Stopped at the 1st shoe shiner I came to at a market....he took one look and shook his head....so it was off to Parc de Calderon where I had seen many young lads looking for work. A light rain was falling and I had on my rain gear and riding boots hoping they might get a wash, Yes, a young lad took on the challenge and for $1.00 plus a tip of an equal amount they look as new.

Spent 4 hours sitting in the park watching people go about their day......relaxing for me and only interrupted by a coffee break and lunch....then the 1 hour trek to my hostel.....no pics left the camera behind. Just finish a light sink wash and hung the garments on my bike.

I will be packing it in here soon and heading for Banos on the 29th....rain is in the forecast for the week....hope the weather forecast is wrong.....I have been fighting a head cold since I arrived.

Cuenca Day 6- Boxing Day Dec 26 2017

This morning after breakfast, I serviced my bike with a touch of oil, chain adjustment and thought how filthy this bike is....should have taken a picture. Decided to find a wash for it.  (Puedes lavar me moto. ) Can you wash my motorcycle......memorized the phrase and went looking for an auto Lavandar. Found a detailer, CAR DR. PLUS,  and paid $ 15.00 usa. Picked bike up 2 hours later and didn't recognize it....didn't look this good when I bought it.....they even detailed my helmet.

 At the moment the bike is sitting outside the gated compound at the hostel....young lady couldn't find the key to open..........hope it is still there when she finds it........On another note unable to find if I require insurance....in 2015 apparently SOAT insurance was abandoned and replaced with a new form of coverage that Ecuadorian licenced vehicles purchased and foreign licenced bikes with a valid TIP were automatically covered.

Hopefully this is true as my last trip in February here, I was stopped 5 times in 9 days.......but then I had a rented insured Freedom Adventure bike. Contacted Court Rand at Freedom but he had no knowledge of the rules on bikes domiciled outside Ecuador.