Day 6 Banos to Alausi
I had a great sleep last night and we are all looking forward to getting back on the road. With breakfast behind us and the bikes checked for leaks and loose parts, we load and leave Banos under cloudy skies. Our Newbie sports some pretty impressive bruising from some of the spills but what I have learned from him is that he is not a quitter. Incredibly, after about 10 falls so far he is back up, and ready to roll – amazing man! On our way south we pass the mighty Tungurahua, an active stratovolcano with its summit reaching 16418 feet and it’s snowy slopes against the now blue sky affording us a breathtaking picture. As we gain in altitude I can feel the temperature plummet to around 0 degree and several inches of snow line the twisty road that leads us through lava wasteland and a moon like landscape. Vicuña, a protected species with a similar look of a small Alpaca, graze on the scarce vegetation of this high altitude terrain and we watch several of them bounce effortless up the steep slope to get away from the noise of our motorcycles. We have, in the last 5 days, passed 8 of the 27 volcanos in this beautiful country and the name “Volcano Alley“ is as fitting as it gets. Stopping to enjoy the view and layer up to shield us from the low temperatures and biting wind is a welcome break and trying to take a picture of a curious Vicuña makes me realize just how high we are in the mountains. My 50 foot walk up a small slope proves to be “breathtaking” In more than one way and I have to stop several times to catch my breath and ateempt to slow my pounding heart. Placing my Oxymeter on my finger I quickly realize why I am out of breath and why my heart is trying to pop through the top of my head. With a blood oxygen level of 74% instead or 98% and my heart rate at 120 beats per minute, I abandon a potentially great picture of a Vicuña to avoid a potential heart failure and return to my bike gasping for air.
As we descent towards the city of Riobamba, two volcanos, Igualata and Chimborazo poke their summits through the mist and a huge dark ominous looking cloud moves up the slopes to meet us only to, within minutes, pummels us with heavy rain and strong winds. With visibility now at about 15 feet, I can barely see the white line on the side of the road and pulling over is out of the question due to other traffic, so on we go flying nearly blind. The rider in front of me has completely vanished in the thick cloud and these are the parts of adventure riding that provide the adventure and the riding underlined by the question “But why”!
We get to beautiful Riobamba, the capital of the Chimborazo province and lying 9035 feet above sea level marks the start, or finish, of the Pan American Highway. The main market with its rows and rows of goods from raw chicken to dried Coca leaves to tropical fruits to hardware like hammers and axes takes all our attention and as we rubberneck our way between merchants and merchandise I feel connected. Connected to the group I am with, connected to the country and its people. The colors, the smells, the sounds, the feelings, all mixed into a wonderful blend of peace and joy. That is Why!
Our lunch in a small local restaurant consists of rice, potatoes carrots and roasted pork, covered with the ever present Aji, an Ecuadorian hot sauce. We enjoy our food and the staff is so friendly and accommodating that we all remark on the trade. Local music can be heard coming from somewhere and the mix of flute, guitar and ukulele fit perfectly with the bright yellow and red colors of the restaurant walls. Looking out the window reveals another accumulation of dark clouds and we discuss our options and gear up to meet the next storm head on. Riding in the rain only lasts about one hour and the skies clear to reveal a beautiful dark blue sky, free of pollution and any sign of the past downpour. The ride through small villages reveals a simple way of life hardly ever seen and we dodge llamas, donkeys, dogs and other assorted domesticated animals as we weave our way through traffic of all sorts. Police is hardly seen in small villages and if we do see them, they ride small displacement motorcycles that can be easily maneuvered through the narrow streets. With the sun in our eyes we head towards Alausi and arrive there in the late afternoon, where we follow a set of railroad tracks that lead us to a large closed gate where Hanna and Egle spring into action to get the gate opened. We are led to a beautiful building overlooking the valley, are escorted to our rooms, go for dinner and feel the sandman sprinkle sand into our eyes.
