I rode out of Cuenca playing tag with light rain and wondering at the stark contrast between the beautiful vacation homes and the less structurally sound houses.

Some dogs were very friendly,

Others were just terrified of the silent motorcycle... and why was it moving so slow. And what is that sort of an aparatus that the motorist took out???

Across the valley were the rugged peaks of Cajas National Park but I had decided to give it a pass this time. It seemed too touristy and after the Inca trail, hiking this would be too easy.

I made a note of a small hill that seemed good for camping and there was a soccer game at the nearby town. "You kick like a girl," does not apply here, the green team absolutely kicked the other team's ass and I headed back to the hill with water and a portion of fried potatoes. A man surprised asked me where I am going and I asked him if I can camp here.
"No, why dont you sleep in my house?"
"I like it here, its beautiful".

Sandwiched between two thunderstorms, I was getting all the rainbows and great views. Ecuador never stops to amaze with its wonderful camping opportunities. Worst comes to worst and one of these storms comes here, I can go hide in the little one room house behind me.

The sunset was as good as ever and the red stretched across the sky leaving me speechless but somehow pressured to try and take a photo or video of it. Doesnt even come close to being there.

The camera has some interesting photo options:

And at night you can barely hear the light buzz of the Panamerican highway below, overtaken by the dostant mooing and donkey cries and thats when the fireflies come out.

In the morning I meet the man riding up on a horse with the milk, his wife pulling behind onto the tail. We chat for a bit and I ask for a photo, thats when somebody passes with a car and yells out "charge him two dollars," bringing a not so pleasant reminder of the photo system at the touristic Quilotoa loop.

The road is very good and kind of reminds me that you dont need to be freezing your ass at 4000 meters and that some sunshine and warm weather is okay.

San Jose de Raranga has about a thousand people and at least few hundred dogs. They have taken over the plaza, resting and relaxing. Well fed and happy with left over energy to wreak havoc on the streets at night and get into all sorts of trouble.

he looked very sad because he was hungry

dogs sleep in pairs, one on the lookout while the other gets some good shuteye

and the mayor of dogcity proudly overlooking his cozy little town. Watching for trouble, its election time soon and he cant let anything slip by!

While I didnt get to stop too long in Cuenca, I stayed here few days plus I was coming down with a flu or something. There were nice rooms to rent in the local hostel and a cheese factory. The cheese reminded me a lot of the Bulgarian feta we used to eat and the grocery store was stocked with good tomatoes!!!

it didnt really feel like a hotel, just a room in somebodys house.

shopska salata (salad), hot chocolate with real milk, fresh bread, cheese and strawberry oreos. thats what life is all about!

the outdoor cat was always on the lookout

I even got to borrow a laptop and make a short trailer of the Trans Ecuador MTB route. In the process however cuting and pasting one of my sd cards instead of copy and paste and losing a weeks worth of video mostly on the Inca Trail.

After a little climb the road drops off into a forgotten valley.

And when the dog isnt on top of guard duty, the geese have to pickup the slack. Watching vigilantly over the mischiveous pigeon who goes around bothering the ducks.

cutting down dried meat is really a spectator sport. I wonder if the locals may see the dogs as pests sometimes, wandering in and out of doorless houses and restaurants, eating stuff, knocking over more stuff and chasing horses and motos.

Weather was warm but windy and the road snuck up and down the hillsides. I took some interesting detour from the bike route and was happy to go exploring, connect a valley via an old track possibly be the first bicycle to set tire tracks there!

I found a roof and some protection from the wind above a little town. The houses seemed stitched next to each other creating some monstrous super house covering most of the town.

The square was quiet aside from some kids climbing up and down trees and a lonely calf mooing at the ruins.

The evening was spent watching the warm sunrays shine through the big open valleys and cheering on the sunset: Come on, turn red, red, red!

While I dodnt get to see the ingapirca ruins and am unlikely to go to macchu picchu, this will have to do. An abandoned cobble brick storage turned into pasture.

Not a single soul passed by the square while I munched down fresh bread and cheese.

While the bike route went to Oña and the Panamerican highway, a dotted 4x4 line and a red trail on open street maps offered a nice detour.

I got some water for the climb and the señor said there is nothing up there. I did not believe him. There are always cows and horses eating grass no matter where you go.

It all started fun, with sinshine and drizzle and rainbows and refreshing wind but as I got higher the rain got stronger and the winds were absolutely howling on the ridge. Making most exposed sections unrideable.

The road was a forgotten, soft and muddy mess and it did not seem anything had passed for a long time. I was soaking wet after the first 30 minutes of the climb and it was just a matter of time before I come down with hypothermia. I connected to a bigger road and began a very cold descend, looking for any opportunity to camp. The ground was just too wet and despite some mediocre cover, the wind would make setting camp impossible.

and when you think you are in the middle of nowhere Ecuador... all of a sudden the Japanese have decided to build a bridge here.

A little hut with no door and dry floor was the first thing I saw and I immidiately started boiling water and changed into dry clothes. I was wetter than the wet dog who came here to seek shelter but was too afraid of me to share.

It poured rain and howled wind (is that an expression?). Even through the solud walls of the shelter I had to put up the tent fly to stay warm.

There was a little of a sunset and even more rain overnight and after few cups of coffee waiting for it to stop in the morning I decided to stay here another day. A family from the ranch far below came by and I was in luck because they were milking the cows nearby. Meaning fresh milk for even more hot chocolate.

They seemed to have the right gear for this rain but me, I was fine under the roof, watching the rain, listening to music and generally doing something I am very good at - nothing.

Lunch of tuna, tomato sauce and tomato was in honor of the canned tuna of Morocco. Perhaps the best and cheapest tuna I have ever had. They dont do tuna in tomato sauce here in latin america... i wonder why.

Still rained on the next day but i couldnt stay more, I was still a little sick and the end of the bike route south of Loja promised lower altitude and warmer weather. It was a fun ride down from 3000 to 2200 all wrapped up in my down jacket and rain gear.

Add in some air pressure and the bike feels completely different, plus riding the pavement was very nice and easy.

pumping up a fat tire isnt easy especially while getting humped by a dog while doing it!

I got to dry off at a car wash and catch up on internet stuff and more importantly charge up the batteries.

There were some inapropriately named restaurants. Maybe its good chicken but it sounds too close to giardia to give it a shot! Unfortunately I could not find restaurant with outdoor seating and the poor man who sat near me realized how badly I smelled but did not want to move.

Buy Ecuador first, in case the 30-50% duty doesnt change your mind.

I hitched on the back of one of the slow oil tankers for a good chunk of the climb, this was perhaps the safest truck-hitching experience and one of the highlights of the panamerican for me.

A top the pass was a well fed wild dog in its natural habitat, looking for food. Or just looking at the weird guy talking to him in english.

And in case you dont know, a sign reminds you that there are trees. Trees! Kind pf odd to see the natural vegetation and not the endless pastures and cows of Ecuador.

A wet dog made good friends with me and we shared a snack before the descend. A man came out of the house when he heard all the talking. What will he tell his family? His friends?
"Hey... there was a gringo here talking to our dog..."

The route detoured to a nice canyon en route to Loja. Still rainy but the refreshing kind.

So nice was the road and mellow the grades that even the locals took to the bicycle for transportation.

I set up at an abandoned house, avoiding the nightly rain and having to pack a wet tent. I was out at 7 toward Loja.

It was nice to see again the lively low altitude hillsides and how everybody does their thing. Dogs were barking, others were lying and kids were running the sheep up to the pasture. An old man was looking at his son across the hill rounding up the cows and i finally got to see the face of Lasso, the man. His signs are all over the place but I could never put a face to that name. I wonder if he is the current president of ecuador?

poor pooch got painted purple but it glows very nicely in the morning sun, i wonder if it helps attract the lady dogs!

lasso, the man. after seeing his name painted on houses and rocks all over ecuador i feel like i know him

Loja looked nice but I had to push on. I spend a good hour looking for my glove that I lost and another hour mooching wifi at the plaza. It was a rather sad setting with many people looking down their phones, there was internet time limit to make sure people dont stay all day. A shoeshiner man approached me, had a closer look at my shoes and walked away. A kid holding a bread went right by me, his finger up his nose and gave me an intimidating look. He'd have to try harder, I was probably the dirtiest person in Loja at the time.

on a side note, currently the video project needs a little help! amidst bike repairs and other things there may not be enough left to edit up the Trans Ecuador part 2 in November. If you are willing and able there is a contribution link on the video project page. Cheers!