Sitting on the small balcony in front of our room and still half asleep, I stare at the small whisks of steam rising from the rim of my cup, filled with dark, strong coffee. The temperature is cool and a slight wind drifts a mixture of aromas from burning coal to roasted something to a sweet smell of roses towards our sitting spot and a small hummingbird with a long blueish green tail feather takes his morning drink from a…
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…
If you read my post of day 4 you are probably still wondering about the remarks I made concerning “Pig manure, motorcycle riding and fond memories”. Well, without a story it is certainly hard to imagine how pig manure and fond memories can be in the same sentence but here is the true story that happened to me 59 years ago. Hmm, where does it come from? How did I get it? When did it start? The wind in my face,…
After a lovely breakfast we gear up and leave the Hacienda under cloudy skies. We all enjoyed last night, spending time telling stories and finding out more about each other, our families, friends, hobbies, likes and dislikes and as everyone injected his or her sense of humor, the conversations were fun and lively. Adventure riding has been part of my life as long as I can remember and my adventures started sitting on the tank of my father’s Puch motorcycle,…
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…
Yikes, 03:15 comes early and I think at age 66 I am becoming a wussy. Getting up that early feels like stroking a cat backwards – not good. Off to the shuttle and my driver and I have a great discussion of life in general and fixing major world problems while being driven to the airport seems to be an easy task. I also noticed that going through security early has its benefits, everyone is still in a reasonable good…
Up at 07:30 and making sure all the items are packed and by the door. As I watch the ham, potatoes and eggs sizzle in the pan, I once again go through my list hoping I have everything I need and nothing I don’t. I love sitting at the kitchen counter looking out the large bay window seeing all the birds flitting back and forth and this morning is no different. It is slightly snowing and dozens of birds crowd…
Well, once again the time of departure is approaching fast, with every moment being packed (no pun intended) with a flurry of activities, from choosing the right underwear ( yes, that is very important when riding a motorcycle) to checking for needed inoculations, medications and all the other things one thinks one needs. This time, the trip will take me from beautiful Powell River, a small sea level community on the west coast of Canada to Vancouver and on to…