Mancora, Peru to Quito, Ecuador

It was hard to leave the beach town of Mancora but I'd had enough sun and surf plus I was looking forward to getting into a new country and seeing what Ecuador has to offer. Being stamped out of Peru and stamped into Ecuador was pretty drama free but border crossings are always a little dodgy as the area seems to attract an interesting bunch of people! It was amazing how quickly the landscape changed from dry heat desert to extremely humid rain forest and banana plantations. The temperatures were so hot and humid that the next few days riding was more like swimming as each day within a couple of minutes I was totally soaked in sweat. The hot weather only lasted a couple of days before we started to head back into the Andes mountain range and the going started to get really tough. In one day we climbed from 1500m to over 3800m at an incredible 5-6kms an hour up some of the steepest terrain I've encountered to date! It was one of those amazing days on the road though as we meet some great people and scared a whole bunch of kids in one small village who were just totally blown away to see two gringos on bikes. We also had kids running beside us and we even managed to talk a couple of them into pushing us up the hill for a few hundred metres!! They were stoked and so were we! Raising over 2kms vertically in one day was a little too much and I was suffering from altitude sickness with a headache and dizziness but thankfully we then had a big downhill run into the next town where we stayed an extra day as Alex's bike was having a few issues!! Cycle touring is always interesting and never boring as the second day into Ecuador was spent riding by myself as at a cross roads Alex went the wrong way but by the time I came through there I headed in the other direction but the correct way!! A full day and a half later I was sitting in a restaurant on the Pan American highway and there out of nowhere Alex came around the corner cycling up the hill in the pouring rain!! Reunited we compared stories of what we'd been up to for the last couple of days and discussed how the riding was, then we set about preparing for the coming mountain riding and getting some much needed sleep. The next day was my birthday and we had some more hard riding and ended up in this small town where I celebrated with a couple of beers at a local bar! The real celebration was going to have to wait until we arrived in Quito the next day were we hit the town in style and certainly had a few beers! Currently I'm exploring Quito which is an amazing city and also trying to get out to the Galapagos Islands and onto a yacht for a few days before then heading north on my way to Colombia, this time riding back on my own.

Riding Stats
> 18th April - 105km
> 19th April - 111km
> 20th April - 142km
> 21st April - 80km
> 22nd April - 87km
> 24th April - 106km
> 25th April - 98km
Total - 6776km

Trujillo to Mancora

After looking around the Chan Chan pre-Inca ruins and spending some time out at the beach town of Huanchaco, also recovering from getting sick it was time to head north again and do some hard riding through more deserts. This time though I had a riding buddy, a young Austrian guy with a dodgy local bike and some hand made saddle bags! It actually worked out well as some of the places we were riding through are a little dangerous so having a riding partner was a great help, this said we did come very close to getting held up and robbed in one town!! Anyways, riding with someone else was a great change and we seemed to be riding well and doing a lot of kms in good times so it made the boring scenery and headwinds a bit easier to manage.
The further north we rode the hotter the temperatures were getting and the terrain more barren but the riding was fun and just so different from riding by myself. Also, we had a couple of really early starts so were up and out the door by 4.30am as we had some serious kms to do, but riding in the dark was hard going and probably not the smartest thing to be doing! After a couple of 100km days we got a good flow going and on the third day out from Trujillo we had the Sechura desert to get through in one day as there is not much in between the two towns on either end of it. The road was flat and it was hot with shifting winds but we managed to complete the 215kms and get through it by late afternoon. Carrying all my gear plus an additional 10 litres of water certainly made the bike a little heavier but as the day went on the bike got lighter as I chopped through the water and food in the 38 degree heat! I was knackered and had very sore legs after the longest ride of my trip so far but we had another 185kms to do the next day so it was an early night and out the door at 4am again the next day. This time with extra sore legs and a bunch of hills the going was even harder but we managed to get through to the beach town of Mancora. We were off the bikes and straight into the closest bar for a beer to celebrate our 400kms in two days before finding a hostel for the night. The last couple of days have been spend eating a lot of food and relaxing on the beach in preparation for the next week or so of riding across the border and up to Quito, Ecuador. Peru as been a great place but it is a extremely large country and cycling through it has had its fair share of challenges so the prospect of a new country and getting back into the Andes mountain range are going to be a welcome change. Border crossing are always fun and the first few days riding in Ecuador will be through lots of banana plantations and I hear in they have free bananas on roadside stalls so that is going to suit me just fine! Oh, and for those who have forgotten it is my birthday next week (24th April) so just send the gifts etc on to Quito, Ecuador and I'll get them when I arrive! Look out Ecuador here I come!!

Riding Stats
> 12th April - 106km
> 13th April - 107km
> 14th April - 215km
> 15th April - 185km

Total 6047km

Lima to Trujillo

Well, since leaving Lima it has been desert, desert and more desert!! Not the most exciting riding but still fun all the same. I'd been planning to leave Lima for a couple of days now but the infamous Loki Hostel and it's abundant vices were keeping from get up in the morning and getting on the bike!! Finally I decided to get out of there early on Thursday morning and into the chaotic traffic trying to get onto the Pan Americana highway again and out of the city. The riding was interesting to say the least and there were a few close calls but I managed to get out in one piece and up the coast. I arrived in a small town later that afternoon and decided to call it a day totally covered in sand, dust and diesel fumes but it was a successful day and I was finally back on the road riding. The next 5 days were spent riding in total desert and in high temperatures making it extremely hard work. The riding has been a little uneventful but sometimes I think too much sun and long desert stretches are frying my brain and turning me a bit insane!! Yesterday I was hoping to make it all the way to Trujillo but after about 80km riding under a blazing sun I was feeling very sick and dizzy. I made it to the next town and had to stop for the night as I was in bad shape. After a shower, food and some rest I was feeling better and was able to function again. The next day I was up early to beat the worst of the sun and heat and rode the remaining kms to Trujillo where I'm staying at the famous cycle tourist hostel. This Peruvian guy's house is also a bike shop plus he hosts cycle tourists as well. It is pretty famous as far as cycle tourists go and he has had over 900 cyclists stay with me over the years. I'm the 11th Kiwi in the hostel so I'm looking forward to a couple of days rest and getting the bike serviced. There are also some ancient pre-Inca ruins to explore and a good beach where reed boats are made and used to fish the local waters and surf the waves. The plan to head back into the mountains changed at the last minute and I've decided to head north and into Ecuador sooner rather and later. I still have a lot of riding to do in Peru to make it to the border and I'm sure there will be plenty of fun in between but I'm keen for a change of scene and the challenge of a new country.

Riding Stats
> 3rd April - 91km
> 4th April - 116km
> 5th April - 100km
> 6th April - 141km
> 7th April - 91km
> 8th April - 58km
Total 5434km