Race to the border

First, I’d like to give a shout-out to Cait for not only keeping pace on the bike, but for providing the Bike Meets World faithful readers with a welcomed perspective on bike touring. Her excitement and awe for bike touring life has made me appreciate it, and her, more than ever.

With the Ayampe sojourn finished, it was time to discover new coastal towns. Our first ride was along a tiny coastal backroad that lead to a fishing hamlet called Chanduy. Without a speck of information in the guidebook, we didn’t know what to expect. Upon arriving, we found exactly one restaurant, one store, one hotel, and one panadería. Add to that a pretty beach and a damn good street food scene and there was nothing else that we could possibly ask for.

Opting for al fresco, we decided to camp on the restaurant’s terrace from which we enjoyed an idyllic sea view and the convenience of ordering our meals from inside our tent. After a couple days of relaxing yoga (Cait), and surfing with only a few curious sea turtles (Ryan), the team morale was high and it appeared we would never leave Chanduy. But one morning the surf went flat, the winds calmed, and it was clear that it was time to ride. Thanks to Chanduy for the wonderful food, warm greetings, shared waves, and hand-drawn map of Guayaquil – which proved invaluable for navigating the city of 2+ million.

Riding Solo

Around this time, Cait split off from Ryan and me to visit the charming colonial city of Cuenca. Ostensibly, her plan was to study Spanish for the week but I suspect the real motivations were the vegetarian restaurants and hot showers. Either way, that left us with a couple weeks to get to the border. With a lighter load, rested legs, and plenty of queued podcasts, the stage was set for some long riding days.

From the coast Ryan and I turned east to go through the commercial hub of Ecuador: Guayaquil. The city itself is an uncomfortable combination of colonial, modern, industrial, and run-down barrio all set in a tropical climate. But the overall experience was lovely as we spent a couple nights in a hotel located next to a delicious smelling chocolate factory.

Feeling rested and energized from many servings of ceviche, Ryan and I departed the city early one morning and spent the next 4 days riding hard to arrive at the border with Peru. Along the way we encountered miles of banana plantations, cacao farms, and the loveliest roadside eateries this side of the equator.

The crossing

Yet again, the border was full of friendly, albeit understandably tired, Venezuelans who had fled their country on bus several long days earlier. Going without showers, proper meals, or a mattress for that long would make even the most seasoned traveler irritable. Yet, the Venezuelans showed admirable patience with the 7 hour border crossing line. When Ryan complained about one of the immigration officials sneaking WhatsApp messages in-between interviews, they laughed. “You’d never make it in Venezuela”, they said, “We wait in lines this long for bread”. Ryan smiled, then gasped when he realized that they were not exaggerating.

Having said goodbye to the resilient Venezuelans, it was time to ride off to discover Peru. It promised long lefts, delicious seafood, soaring mountains, and a rendezvous with newly bilingual Cait. More to come.