I had a good sleep last night but woke up a few times, feeling that I was not getting enough air and our 10000 foot elevation explains the phenomena. After a good breakfast we check out of the Hotel Finlandia and drag our suitcases 300 meters down the road to Ecuador Freedom Bike Rentals where we are greeted by the staff and are given the soft bags and liners needed to carry our gear for the next 10 days. After an hour or so, I am finally satisfied to have all the right stuff in the right bag and as any of you who ride motorcycles know, having the right equipment is one thing, but having the right equipment in the right place is another and we all know how endearing it is to have to open all the bags in a downpour, trying to find the much needed rain gear. So here we all are, taking up most of the lawn with clothing, cameras, wires, chargers, first aid gear and medications, trying to make sense of what goes where and why.

Egle, our guide and Hanna, the driver of the chase vehicle are at this point more Shepards than guides, herding us 4 sheep towards the quickly approaching time of departure and with bikes and gear going through the final check, we are herded back into the briefing room for a final safety session where traffic laws are explained (if that is at all possible), and here are a few of the rules:

Double lines, single lines and other assorted road makings are only suggestions and if 4 vehicles fit into two lanes, let it so be! Red Lights, they just look pretty and only count on crowded city streets. Heck, we ran into red lights that had no cross street at all so we stop, only to be honked at by locals. Being caught without a drivers license – immediate jail time, driving 30 miles over the speed limit – Immediate jail time, so there are rules, however having them enforced is another and we saw no enforcement happening on any of the streets we walked or drove so far.

With the briefing out of the way, we saddle up and hit the busy streets of Quito, trying to stay in close formation to make sure we do not lose sight of Egle, our guide.

Having been riding motorcycles for 58 years I never tire of riding with others (well, sometimes we all meet an incompatible Doosey we try to lose), but in general, I have met wonderful people from different walks of life, backgrounds and upbringing that enriched my life in so many ways and this time, it is no different. Egle, born and raised in Lithuania, chose to be a writer and now travels all over the world to join other riders on tours, rallies and races, penning stories and allowing readers to experience their and her day by day triumphs, failures, struggles and high points. Her easy going style makes all of us glad she is in the lead and her great sense of humor will certainly cheer our days as we run into the unexpected.

Then there is Hanna, also a guide and driver of our chase vehicle, organizer, mechanic and competent “can do” person raised in Germany and working for Ecuador Freedom for several years now kept impressing all of us with her organizational and people skills and sense of humor. Having two women in our group changed the dynamics considerably for the better and all of us wholeheartedly agreed.

As with any motorcycle group that is assembled by sheer chance, there can be initial difficulties and our group is no different. Driving skills differ greatly and one of our members has a great learning curve ahead of him. His driving skills are at the Novice level and looking at our itinerary things look alarming to say the least. However, we all agree to start and finish as a team, no matter what happens.

Once out of Quito, traffic disappears and our first stop is at Latitude 00.00’00”, the Equator. The temperature is hovering at around 34 C so off comes as much gear as possible to avoid heat exhaustion. Straddling the center line of the world is a very unique experience and it reminds me of the time I crossed the Arctic circle on my motorcycle. Same feeling but not nearly as hot. We wander through the open air museum and look at all the exhibits that have to do with the Equator and the Amazon. From Shrunken Heads to stuffed Anacondas, from native blow guns to local linen we look, touch and smell and enjoy every moment, but time is moving and so must we, heading north to Otavalo. Next stop, a tiny restaurant in a tiny village at the edge of the Pululahua Geopotanical Reseve where we are served rice, potatoes and boiled pork hide. Hm! Very Traditional. I watch the young lady bring us the food and wonder what her life is like? She does not look happy, sad in fact; and I wonder what life has handed her to carry so while eating my meal I pray, for her, her family and am thankful. After our meal Hanna and Egle springs into action and as All good good leaders would, chase us out the door to keep to our timeline. We have nearly 3000 km to go and 8 days to do it. The road, build with bowling ball size rocks, leads us up and up over a pass the Incas took over 1000 years ago. The rocks, placed side by side, make the road surface extremely resistant to wear and tear but is also deadly slippery for anything on two wheels. Going up the hairpin turns is one thing but going down another and after a few run-ins with gravity one of our members sums up his experience in two words:” Bloody Incas”!

We roll into the breathtaking Hosteria Pinsaqui Hipico before dark. The once 8000 hectar ranch will be our home for the night and we are ushered into our massive and beautiful rooms to drop our gear and get ready for dinner. Later we are taken into a large room where we are greeted with music by a traditional local band. Dinner is next and I must say that I am ready for bed. Strange bike, strange traffic, strange food and high altitude certainly have taken their toll.