Ken is up early.....his bike is loaded and parked ready to head out as I just start loading mine. He meanders over for breakfast as I pack. A typical breakfast is Eggs, cheese, juice and bread ( toast is not normal ) with some kind of re fried beans. Dinner last night was beans, rice and chicken....a little to well done for my liking but perfect for Ken....dessert was 2 slices of bread with what looked like brown sugar on the bottom piece and a dob of maybe honey on the top slice. I mistook this as bread being served with the meal and dove into it....my bad. Ken was slower and observed the table next to us eating the slices with a fork.
We leave with a slight drizzle and for most of the morning it is overcast.....we are back tracking to Vinces.....Vinces claims the best chocolate in the World. Our route takes us to Quevedo a rather large city in which we are learning to ride like the locals and it is hairy as you get squeezed between buses and passing taxis. We survive. The city is known for its food processing industry....making ketchup and hot sauces. The city was largely established by Chinese immigrants in the 1920's....so it has many oriental Restaurants.....the finest is said to be the Chifa Jade but we arrive early and it is closed...no Chinese for Ken today as we get an ice cream bar next door and press on.
Steep mountain passes
We journey through large Palm Plantations.........odd we think but learn that this is a cash crop. Palm oil is a non trans fat oil and is found in most things on our shelves like cereals,french fries, sweets, baked goods, to soaps, washing powders and cosmetics. It is rarely listed on products as processors simply list it in Vegetable oil.......It can also be used in animal feed and as a bio fuel.
We stop at a Cantina on the edge of Pilalo which is in the mountains at an elevation of 12000 feet....here we have lunch .....though we ordered pollo we get stringy beef with a potatoe, beans and plenty of rice which is served with just about every meal....drink is a coke $ 2.50. we give out some gum to the Chicas before leaving to climb higher passing 13000 feet.........Ken is feeling light headed.
We make a left at The outskirts of Zumbahua a picturesque town built on a steep mountainside. Continuing on, we are on twisty roads, as we have been for the past 3 hours even going into the clouds at 12000 to 13000 feet....not being able to see more than 20 feet.....and this is all switch back riding on great tarmack....It is along the route to the Quiltoa Crater Lake...a water filled caldera and the most western volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes.....the lake is 3 k wide and was caused by the collapse of the rim of a VE1-6 eruption 800 years ago. It must have been very catastrophic as we see volcanic ash 4 to 6 feet deep where the road has been carved into the mountain sides. Along this road we hand out most of our remaining gum to the local kids....they seem overjoyed with this as the gum is in small colorful plastic heart shaped with various pics depicting Christmas.
It cost us a dollar to enter the park and we ride up, near the rim.....it is awesome....hoping we can escape before it blows.
We then ride a few more miles to Mama Hilda's Hostel in Chugchilan another quaint mountain village
Many more pics...will post when I have high speed internet.........
The stop from yesterday warning us of banditos
Lunch 1st day at sreet vendor....rice is served with most meals....the locals eat it 3 times a day with HOT SAUCE
Stopped and believe warned about Banditos in area.....would help if Ken had learned spanish.....
On the beach in Canoa in front of our Hotel Resort
Again, we are find ourselves enjoying the twisty tarmac with the smaller bikes handling the corners like track racers, though I come within inches of hitting a bridge abutment on 1 Sharp turn.
Along the way, we pass a thermal mineral hot spring..
We will climb to 14476 feet as we ride to the back side of this snow capped mountain....the terrain here reminds me of Patagonia in Argentina. It is cold and windy....
more views
TunQurahua Volcano overlooking Banos
Banos in the distance 
Ride Along Canyon
Twisty gorge and zip line
volcano in background....in the above pic a zip line crosses the gorge above a river......Ken would not try it......
School with 200 drop plus....no protection in playground..
long way down children
Ken and miss piggy
Dirt coming up
Stunning views
Steep mountain passes
Many more pics...will post when I have high speed internet.........
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