a self-supported bicycle tour through South America

7th - 9th August 07 Total: 360 miles / 576km

Guayaquil > Machala (95miles/152km)

We set off early from Guayaquil to avoid traffic, and to make the most of the incredibly flat route and lovely road conditions. Very muggy and humid, but loving the fact that we aren’t out of breath after 2 minutes of mountains! Hooray, decision well made.
This day was my first real enjoyable day of cycling and I can now see where Simon gets his buzz for it from. Making your way from place to place under your own steam is such an empowering thing to do, and I have so thoroughly loved watching the kilometers tick over, and the speed pick up. In the mountains we were averaging about 3km/h and only making 25km in four hours. Very disheartening.
But today the average was 22km/h, and after four hours of cycling we had done 70kms! Such a pleasure. We stopped for lunch at a bizarre roadside yoghurt stand that sold the most delicious smoothies you could imagine. We were literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by banana plantations and poverty rife shanty towns, and …. a yoghurt oasis smack bang in the middle! When the Pilsner truck pulled up delivering supplies, the driver took pity and gave us two beers “..for strength..” he said as he flexed his muscles at us. Nice. The locals we have met though have just been so incredibly friendly. All of the trucks and buses beep their horns as they wizz passed and give us the thumbs up. I am getting a little tired of this though as they are now seeming to beep their horns just on going passed, which nearly throws me off my bike!
We had only planned to make it a short days’ cycling but as our surroundings proved (once again) not to be camper friendly (note dead rats and 4 meter snake road kill! – and no, we weren’t collecting for dinner) we pushed onto the next town, and then the next, and then the next.
We both get a little nervous when the day reaches near end as we have been told on a number of occasions to watch out for thieves. It is better to already be settled in camp by this time of the day, but the vegetation just hasn’t allowed us to do so. So, we push on to the next dodgy shanty town. By this stage, most of the workers from the plantations are on their way home, either by bike or foot, carrying giant machetes swishing them over the grass as they go (just for fun we suspect). Not much fun for the oncoming cyclist doing 26km/h!
So we pushed onto the next town (again too dodgy) and then decided to push for Machala. After a full day totaling 152km (I repeat that - 152km – and am told, by you know who, that I haven’t reached my century [he in miles], but I retort that I was brought up in kilometer so milestones will be more often and he can’t take it away from me!) we arrived in Machala at about 1800hrs in search of suitable accommodation for the night with incredibly weary limbs and tired eyes. Exhausted and only after one full day of cycling!
I have not experienced much “saddle” time before this, and for those that are interested, it can be quite … uncomfortable shall I say? One has to adjust one’s self every few minutes which requires less pedaling, and when you have someone cycling right on your back wheel (to assist with headwind and drag etc) can prove to be incredibly precarious!
Sore bum aside, the stress at the moment for us stems from the fact that we don’t have any idea if there will be a suitable place to pitch a tent at the end of the day. And because of that, we have to push onto towns to find accommodation (that are proving less safe than the dodgy banana plantations!) We are hoping that this will change. This aspect hasn’t been much fun so far. But we are hopeful that this will change as we move further down the coast into Peru.
We were hoping , and were fairly confident through our research, that we would be able to avoid these major roads and hence the dodgy shanty towns (the poverty really is saddening) but the condition of the back roads is appalling and not really doable by bike, especially carrying the amount of gear we are. Ah the trauma of adventure travelling!
Thank you all for the great text messages and the comments on the blogs and in the guestbook. It means so much to us that you are following our journey with us. Although we do suspect that it is a good way to waste time at work…Gary J?????

Sorry for the boring pickies…x

4th - 7th August 07 Total: 487 miles / 779km

Quito > Tambopaxi (42miles/67km) > Ambato (90miles/144km) > Guayaquil (265miles/424km)

We set off from the Marriot a little nervous and apprehensive about the day ahead. I am prone to fall off my bike (due mostly to my lack of experience with clip pedals) and was more nervous about falling off in front of the Marriot than anything else really!

We had read the cycle out of Quito was pretty horrible. Mostly uphill and full of big trucks with lots of pollution. Reality set in. The pollution was suffocating, the traffic heavy, and the inlcine endless. I could feel the pollution in the back of my throat and then I developed a chesty cough. We hit a downhill stretch (joy) and the whole idea of cycling through South America seemed like a wonderful idea….until the next hill. The ascent contintued throughout the next few hours, and yes there were tears. Day one and already tears….from me that is. Simon was too busy telling me to cycle faster and to put my bike in a higher gear. I was not very happy, especially considering that it had been 7 and a half hours since breakfast. I am not good when I am hungry.

Lunchtime was spent outside the Military Academy. Cheese and tomato rolls. We thought the 12 volt sandwhich maker was a bit of a luxury and had decided against it. Seriously.

We were hoping to make Lasso the first night but as we were only doing about 7 miles an hour this looked very unlikely. So, we decided to take a detour to Cotapaxi National Park knowing that we would get a great campsite and would be relatively safe. The city seemed to go on forever and the towns joined in with eachother. Not good for camping. And as we were getting later in the day, a 20 km detour seemed very doable and rather appealing compared to the trucks and pollution of the Pan American Highway (Panam).

The warm fuzzy feeling we had about a lovely campsite in a National Park quickly faded when we discovered the condition of the road. The map showed it as a B road, but it transpired that this road was no more than a cobble stone track…all uphill at a 1 in 4 gradient! The hill was so steep, and the road so bumpy that we had to get off and walk our bikes. Not very easy when you are carrying 40 kilos of kit. Oddly enough a Mr Whippy van went up past us only to come back a while later laughing when we had only moved about 100 yards. Crazy Gringos!

We had run into a couple of cyclists coming down the hill who were a part of a tour group, who told us that the park entrance closed at 1730, and that we had about 2 hours worth of cycling to get to the gate. It was now about 1600, we had already done 55 km and it was getting late. We were concerned that we wouldn’t make the gate in time so decided to hitch a ride with a passing truck, and then for the last 50 minute stretch of road, an army vehicle offered us our last ride for the day. 2 hours to go. Yeah, if you are going downhill on an unloaded mountain bike! Tourists!

Once we reached the gate, having given the army guys some di nero for beers at the mess, we set off for the last 3 km of the day. A relatively flat track to the Tambopaxi campground took almost an hour. The conditions were rocky and sandy and very hard to cycle on. I was scared of falling off, and threw my toys out of the pram. It had been a long day and this was ridiculous. The road conditions were just unbearable, and the altitude kicked in. We would be out of breath in seconds. We thought this would be a breeze. But no.

Nevertheless, we pushed on to the campsite, which appeared deserted, and found a lovely Hacienda serving hot food and best of all…..hot showers! On leaving the Marriot that morning, I had convinced myself that I wouldn’t see a hot shower for at least a week. This made me very happy and warm. We couldn’t believe how the temperature had dropped and how the altitude was effecting us (couldn’t believe that I was already using Katherine’s beanie - hand knitted out of baby Alpaca).

The following day, we packed up having arranged a lift across the other side of the Park toward Lasso, taking in inspiring scenery. Here we picked up the Panam and made swift progress to the outskirts of Ambato for the night. The last hill of the day was a bitter taste of what was to come.

Monday was an early start (after a terrible nights’ sleep) with an aim for Riobamba that night just 60 km down the road (yeah right, whatever!) 25 km into the day and 4 hours later, we had done nothing but climb insanely steep mountains. The altitude was really taking its toll and we had an 11,500 ft anticipated total ascent to make that day, we started to question if we would make Riobamba at all.

Shortly after a lunch, we reached a major interchange and contemplated the crazy Ecuadorian buses near the petrol station. We stood and watched from the forecourt for an hour or so, and decided that we would be unable to run (literally) to catch the bus with bikes in tow (local style) whilst it was still moving! It was at the this point we met a lovely man and his brother on their way to Guayaquil who offered to drop us in Riobamba. A decision well made as we continued our ascent along the Panam. We could never have imagined cycling this, and were so greatful to our nameless friend.

On our way to Riobamba, our friend spoke of the beauty of the coast and the flatlands, which seemed so appealing. We promptly decided to change our route and head to Guayaquil with our friend and his brother, seeing it was so easy and they were so friendly (although, it did cross our minds that we would get pulled over by the rest of the family somewhere along the way and be stripped of all our kit!). Mum’s, don’t worry….

Our friend was incredibly generous (even buying us cokes) and true to his word. The scenery (all uphill - 12,000 ft!) was epic. How on earth people farm on a vertical mountain face we have no idea! The lower down we got, the warmer it became with the vegetation appearing more tropical. Bananas everywhere!

We were dropped off at a hotel in the city and decided to take a day out to replan our route south along the coast to build up our cylcing fitness without the affects of altitude sickness in preparation for Macchu Picchu and Bolivia.

Neither of us anticipated just how great the effect of altitude sickness would have on our ability to tackle the mountains and make the distance we need to make to get to Argentina in time.

Now, we are looking forward to more sunshine (haven’t had that much recently as we have been literally in the clouds) flat roads and starry nights.

Yesterday we touched based with the touristy side of Quito by taking in the Old Town, the Angel monument and of course, the Equator. We had a lovely guide, Cara, whom Dr Simon helped out by offering allergy advice and prescribing Zirtec. We also encountered the not so nice side to Quito in the form of a corrupt policemen who tried to solicit money from our driver for overtaking a bus going up a hill. Luckily for us our driver phoned his brother, the General of Police, and got him to have words with the policeman who promptly apologised profusely and wished us a lovely day!

Today we visited the local hospital for our last installment of jabs and wondered around for an hour trying to find X Bikes (a bike shop we had been recommended) hoping to get some info on our journey. No such luck. Not only did we come across Lothario with his smooth Ecuadorian looks, but he didn’t even offer us any advice. An hour and sunburn not well spent to say the least. Nevertheless, we did see a bit more of the city and one really can’t complain about 30p cab rides now can one?????

As I sit here watching Simon eat his last Argentinian steak “Marriot Style” I contemplate the enormity of what we are about to do. Can I get off now? Just jokes.

We were only saying today, that it seems like we have been waiting for this day to come for the best part of the year…and I guess we have really. All we have been thinking about for the best part of the year is being on our bikes and actually cycling, and that day is tomorrow. Time has flown this past week, and each day we discover more and more things that we have to do, or have forgotten to do (even the never-ending lists haven’t helped!).

Had we decided not to let you all in on our little journey, by means of the website, sat phone, GPS, video (I know! And yes Mum, Simon promises that technical difficulties will be far and few between) we probably wouldn’t have that much to pack or worry about, but as this IS the trip of a lifetime we want to share it and document as much of it as we can. We think it makes it fun and allows us to be a little closer to our families. That is important to us. [Jen]

Well as I sit here finishing off this last blog entry for a few days until we get our next Internet installment, I’m struggling to remember all I have to do. All being well the GPS will give us the Lat/Lon in WGS85 decimal notation which I will use to send in an SMS via the satphone to update our current location. The ceramic water filter has already given us our first 2L of water (I wonder how many litres she will have to be milked for?).

I’ve also had to do some research on a drug called azetazolamide (helps one acclimatise more rapidly in extreme altitudes) which we bought today over the counter at the medical centre. This is the drug that our GP in the UK refused to prescribe (privately or otherwise) as he wasn’t experienced enough in mountain medicine and it was too risky for him to prescribe. That said having done lots of research we are aware of the side effects  now and it’s there just in case we need it in extreme circumstances. Some of the height gains will be significant and we anticipate reaching altitudes in-excess of 15,000ft. For those interested:

• Ben Nevis, highest mountain in UK is 4409ft
• Machu Pichu, Peru is 8202ft
• K2, Pakistan is 28,252ft [thanks for the correction Gary]

So just a final quick thanks to everyone who has written in our Guestbook, left comments or sent us satphone messages, they are all warmly received.

GaryJ keep it clean(not), moderating your comments is just so much fun. Nomad, I guess we’ll be seeing you in France, and thanks again, you are a top bloke. Pete, I hope to bring back some pictures for your online gallery of mine Of course everyone else who has helped and supported us, and not to mention laughed at us. Mum, Dad, Wendy & Tamsin the Champas was great and meant so much (even if it doesn’t agree with altitude sickness). Will catch up soon people. Adios [Simon]

With the successful arrival of one lost kit bag (thanks very much for the heart palpitations Delta) we are now well and truly settled in our lovely room at the Marriott in Quito. Yesterday was spent relaxing in the super king sized bed, ordering room service (I know! Excessive) and sleeping (for me) and doing web stuff (for Simon). To be honest, I thought that once we were on the road that Simon would have lost interest in the “mistress” (his laptop) but I was obviously mistaken….although we can all benefit from his affair, as you will see from the new addition to the site which enables one and all to text our sat phone for FREE. My boyfriend is a genius!

Even though we have not ventured far from the hotel yet, we are both showing significant signs of mild Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). According to our little First Aid Manual, the dull headache (kind of like a hangover), the interrupted sleep, the shortness of breath (Simon tends to start puffing when he changes channel on the remote!) are all symptoms. We are weeing constantly, which we read is our body’s AMS mechanism kicking in that helps to prevent water retention. The manual, however, doesn’t explain why Simon has pooed 7 times since we have been here! Might have something to do with the Baby Back ribs in Atlanta. What an appetite!

Today is Wednesday, bike building day. The room is littered with tools, and no mum the carpet is not covered in oil…have you not seen the Rohloff hubs? Cycling nerds will know what we mean.

We are also in the process of trying to find a clinic in Quito to arrange to have our final jabs for Rabies and Hep B. After a brief conversation with the Business Centre in the Hotel trying to explain what we needed and that no we didn’t want the doctor to visit us, he said “ah, yes, leave it with me and I will call you back”. He called back to explain that a representative from the laundry department would come to our room to assist us with our request. Needless to say the language barrier is proving a little frustrating to say the least!

The water in the hotel is very drying to the skin and hair. My ponytail feels like a Brillo pad at the moment even after a tube of leave-in conditioner. I have, however, discovered that the Health Club do pedicures! Might have to sneak down for one later I think! Can’t let the standards drop just because I am on a cycling expedition. When the opportunity presents itself, one must maintain personal hygiene I say.

We have already checked out the local supermarket for our vitals shop (Dad, I know you love that word!) and are quite impressed with the variety available. We wont have any troubles finding the rice and pasta we need for the “camp” dinners. I have no idea how Simon will cope without meat everyday, but he assures me that Lama won’t be THAT hard to catch and roast! I think he might be serious.

Signing off for today. Love to you all.

Well this is just a quick update as I’m completely knackered and must get some sleep. We arrived yesterday evening having had a 26hr trip from Gatwick to Quito via Atlanta, USA. Luckily both the bikes arrived ans appear to be undamaged (we hope they’re ok as we’ve yet to assemble them) however, not all the bags turned up and we were missing just one of Jen’s bag with all her clothes and equipment etc.. (what a nightmare!)

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, the bag has just arrived this evening having been lost somewhere in Atlanta. Apparently this happens a lot coming into Quito although I’m not entirely sure if it’s just more common with Delta or not.

 I’ve managed to create a page for anyone to send us a satphone message free of charge! For more information click here.

More updates shortly and some pictures hopefully of where we’re staying at the mo…

Adios Simon