Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

As we covered so much distance yesterday, today we have a short ride to Quito so have the benefit of a slightly later start time of 10am. That gives me chance to update the blog and call Tracy before I have breakfast and load up the bike. In the early morning light the hotel we've been staying in looks much better than in the dark when we arrived, yet another example of the great accommodation we've had for most of the trip...





Riding out of town as one large group (minus the kippers, who once again have set off to do their own thing) we headed for the equator, which was just 30 miles up the road. I chose to ride at the back, which gave me a great view of the group, stretched far out ahead of me as we rode up and down the hills in formation. Once again we caused quite a stir amongst the locals, many of them standing open-mouthed at the roadside, counting the bikes as we went past. I guess it's not every day they see 18 large motorcycles ride by... Then we arrived at the small town of Cayambe and the centre of the Earth... my GPS doesn't lie, and there was no doubt we were there, as there was also a large monument and a big line drawn on the ground. We arranged to park our bikes on the cobbled circle surrounding the monument, which meant riding through a small opening (vehicles are not usually allowed onto the monument), and they made quite a sight lined up straddling the equator, front wheels in the Southern Hemisphere, back wheels in the Northern Hemisphere...








As we were there at mid-day, the sun was almost directly overhead (it would have been at the equinox), and it was really odd, having our shadows completely underneath us. But we couldn't spend all day hanging around, half in the north and half in the south, so we rode the bikes out of the monument and back on the open road to Quito, again riding mostly as one large group, only getting separated for short periods as a result of overtakes. When we arrived in Quito we discovered that the town had reversed a number of the one-way systems (the old markings still visible on the roads) and removed some roundabouts that were landmarks on the notes. But as we were still riding in a group, we simply followed Kevin and Julia's lead and soon arrived at the hostel. This was split into 2 buildings across the street from each other, each with a small parking area, which we filled completely with bikes. Checked in and changed, I went for a wander round the town with Nick and Chris & Danielle, stopping for a salad lunch in the Magic Bean (a popular tourist hangout). We then went on a sticker-hunt, whilst Chris & Danielle were shopping for a tee-shirt. By now I was starting to feel tired, the after effects of the last few days hard riding catching up on me. But with a meeting at 5.30, I didn't get much chance to snooze. The meeting was to run through the next few days, as Kevin and Julia were struggling to find a printers open to print the route notes – a lot of businesses closed due to Independence Day. It was also another birthday... Chris turning the ripe old age of... well, just a year older than he was yesterday...

The usual present-giving celebration was held, the first present he opened being particularly amusing... (and no, Tracy, I haven't bought one for myself)...





We also got him a number of presents appropriate to the local area, including a rather nice embroidered shirt, a bright green woollen hat, a shot glass and some pan-pipes... but the presents that got the largest laugh were the last two. But first, I need to tell you the story behind them. Back in Panama, when Danielle's bike was due to be shipped home, Chris swapped the wheels and tyres over with his own bike as the tyres were virtually new. In doing so, something must have been disturbed, as his speedo (and ABS) stopped working. Chris then proceeded to tell everyone about his speedo problem, and I think he must have forgotten who he told, because he told a few of us several times. Then he started to get really concerned that without his speedo he wouldn't be able to follow the route-notes, which are marked out based on mileage counters. Which he also told us about. It became something of a standing-joke amongst the group that whenever we saw Chris, he'd mention his broken speedo... and so, his last 2 presents... which were, a pair of Speedos and a rather appropriate tee-shirt!





Chris is a good sport, and took it all in his stride, laughing along with the rest of us, before volunteering to buy us dinner at the local tapas and wine bar. This place certainly wouldn't survive in the UK, as the way it works is there are several set menus, each with different prices. They don't relate to the food, which is an “as much as you can eat” arrangement of lots of different tapas which are constantly brought to the table. They relate to the different ranges of wines that you can select from, again which are served on an “as much as you can drink” basis. Almost the whole group turned up and we had a long table facing the square, and selected the $23 option from the menu, which gave us an excellent Argentinian Merlot (the same one we'd had in Popayan). And so we sat and chatted and ate and drank. In the square in front of us a crowd gathered to watch 3 local lads break-dancing on a wooden board they laid down. One of them was really, really good, spinning on his back, shoulders and head, then stopping dead in a head-stand before spinning and jumping about some more. Whilst the entertainment continued, we continued to eat and drink. And even when it was over, we continued to eat and drink. Some of the group left whilst a few of us remained, to continue drinking. I think that an “as much as you can drink” bar that serves a great red wine is a dangerous place. When the last 5 finally left (Pertti, Nick, Simon, Andrew and me) around midnight, we'd certainly got Chris' money's worth... which should please him, as he's Scottish after all...