Febr 6th-2017 Ecuador Day 4.

We leave Canoa about 9am in the rain..........it has poured overnight. We cross the bridge to Bahia de Caraques....at San Clemente and San Jacinto we are routed off the main road into the Beach Side towns. The Beaches are Ecuadorian packed on week ends and Holidays....today it is all but deserted. We stop for Cafe and a coke.....instant cafe is on tap.

Prior to reaching the beach at Bahia we are in water and mud 18 inches deep at times....due to construction on the roads destroyed a year ago by the earthquake....we are a muddy mess but it is all part of the adventure.

At  Portoviejo our path led us along a canal amid rice, cacao, coffee, fruit and banana farms and into the town of Santa Ana. Here we stop for a bowl of Sopa at an outdoor cafe and snap a couple pics of local transportation..

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We are in a little trouble at Olmedo as the Gps cannot find the newly paved road...we eventually are back on track and back on gravel and pot hole roads........at Colimes we again are temporarily loss but seeing the large steel bridge in the distance gives us renewed hope and we zig-zag through traffic to cross and back on route.

We pass through Vinces which was the world centre for the finest Chocolate growers ...... the Swiss and French establishing this town.. The town is known as little Paris due in part to its French Architecture and possibly its mini Eiffel Tower. The river here is used to race power boats and jet skis. From here we make our way to Hosteria Senor de Los Caballos in Antonia Sotomayer but not before 1 more stop by the Policia......the greeting is friendly and hand shakes are in order...we are warned that banditos are in the area ...... he put his hand on his gun and I said banditos and he replied si...as he was having a hard time getting through to us with my limited Spanish....Ken he just blabbered away in English...lol

Febr 5-2017-Canoa Ecuador

I will update a little from the beginning of our trip, as I was quite ill the 1st couple days. Leaving Quito following in the slow lane so around noon on the 3rd put us in heavy traffic similar to Toronto after  3pm but without the same rules of right away....motorcycle lane splitting is a past time here but we have not mastered the art of moving between cars and end up for our own safety in the slow lanes.....not so much to avoid cars but the motos......lol.

We find the Equator Monument on the outskirts  but we are unable to get into the park do to a private function.. We stop at the Pululahue Crator which is dormant but heavy cloud cover prevents seeing into it. Back out onto the pavement, it has started to rain. we pull over and I put my rain jacket on but not the pants....mistake....Ken has a GEO cache site heading en route.....I mentioned it in the 1st post and Ken gets plenty of exercise in the climb. He is gone about an hour and returns disappointed, soaked from perspiration plus rain. We move on and take our 1st off road excursion, Ecourta del Quinde or "Hummingbird Road" into the Cloud Forest. The road is basically a forest trail along a ridge and climbs steadily....it is raining hard, Ken is having difficulty seeing as our visors are fogged up. It is a wild road but very doable on our small bikes which seem to relish the challenge. We stop at the Bellavista Cloudforest Reserve. Here, their is a lodge with what we are told is an amazing restaurant which sets you amongst all kinds of colourful birds. We stop only to take a photo of the entry....can hardly see, we are drenched and decide to press on to Mindo, our stop for the night at The Septimo Paraiso Cloudforest Reserve....we miss the turn and end up at The Chocolate Factory in Mindo...The Quetzal Chocolate Factory, which we have mistaken, following a pre programed Gps, for our accommodations...we get help from an American Lass who is working here. The road to the factory was MUD...we are soaked and covered in the stuff....waterproof boots.....no so....you can pour the water out.

Feb 5th Canoa to BahiaHow do I get in...ring the Bell, KenHappy, GEO 2 found wrong way Ken

1K Bridge over the Rio Chone which empties into the Pacific on the left.....This pic taken at mid section....the tall white structure about middle of picture is a lookout tower....pics to follow show the devastation the 7.8 Quake April 16th 2016 had on Bahia. People near the tower are still living in tents or under pieces of corrugated steel...no hydro, no water.....basically little shelter.

no luck at GEO 3

near the tower at top of hill

Damaged Firehall

going down the steep hill from the tower

Bottom of Tower........................................................We leave and go to The El Paseo Mall at the end of the Bridge where we dine on KFC......the mall which is fairly new.....withstood the quake but the buildings nearby are mostly vacant.

From here we return to our hotel in Canoa about 20 miles away and relax. We are back on the road tomorrow.

Continued From Febr 4-2017-Ecuador

Day 2 and busted,,,Ken enjoying the pat down.....after I gave the 3 officers 3 packs of gum...I was carrying for kids, they let us go.....even though, we were unable to speak each others language, these officers who had stopped us in a road block in the middle of no where...afterwards staged this photo opp.   

Day2-Febr 4 2017 Ecuador

Ken was up early this am.....I think he hung out with the Birders who started snapping pics of the 100's of Humming birds at this Eco/Bird Lodge. 

10am

7am

Ken having Breaky

Inside of our stay last night

1st view of Pacific

Our Bartenders for the next 2 days

Our Hotel

Pool Pics

view at Dinner

Day 1 ON THE BIKES- Feb 3 2017 Ecuador

The start of hunt for GEO Cache

Ken is up there somewhere in the clouds

In the cloud forest

my room for tonight...all to myself

After a hardy breakfast, we walked to Freedom Rentals arriving at 9;15 am.....finally on road by noon. Following Ken who was following the GPS....we made it out of the city by 1 pm in HEAVY TRAFFIC....no lane splitting for us......all the bikes flew by us, the locals must have figured we were newbies. 1st stop was the Equator Monument but it was closed for a private function.....Starts to rain....put rain jacket on....big mistake without pants .....end up soaked at days end.....KEN CLIMBS A MOUNTAIN LOOKING FOR A geo cACHE....FAILS TO FIND IT....GONE ALMOST AN HOUR WHILE i GUARD THE BIKES...RETURNS EXHAUSTED.....HAS TO PAY $ 5.00 WHEN HE RETURNS...NOT A HAPPY CAMPER....We do some off roading through the cloud forest....it is teaming and the road is constantly changing directions sometimes only 90 degees other 180....Ken is having a hard time seeing...the road wines through the jungle...no traffic.....course gravel, pot holes and mud....but FUN...we are soaked. A humming bird centre is in its midst but we stop only for a photo opp....it is raining to hard to see anything so we push on.

more tomorrow....pics ended up

Ecuador Arrival and Day 1 - Feb 1- 2 2017

Flight Problems necessitated a change of planes to depart Houston arriving 2 hours late in Quito. It was 3 am before we made it to the hotel. I was sick and crashed immediately.

Nice spot....great breaky. AFTER BREAKFAST we headed out to find Freedom bike rentals to drop off the School Supplies , we donated. The glue sticks set off alarms at checked baggage, as upon retrieving my bag I found disorder and a custom note but it was in Spanish.....no one stopped me as I left the airport. today was spent sight seeing on the Quito Tour Bus 6 hrs....let pics speak..

From our Hotel window

on the bus

inside the roof of church

haft way to top

Built in 1846

Ken hAPPY WHEN HE IS FED

Scenes of Quito hillside dwellings

Tuckers Market-Jan 31-2017

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/159f99ca83b6af15

Ken dragged me to this place and after 3 trips to the main food bar.....Ken made 6.....it was time for dessert.......waiting at airport for departure to Houston then on to Quito from there. Arrival midnight.
Just received email from Hotel Sebastian, they will have a car waiting for us with the driver holding a sign with our names.....