2038 kms...round trip

What a fantastic trip we had. We decided to return home east of the Andes, to see something different. Maps, including our GPS, for Ecuador are a) non-existent; b) outdated; and c) generally unreliable. But we struck out anyway. We figured we might be able to make it 500 kms to spend the night in Banos before we continued on to Quito. However....

...we didn't take into account that there may be landslides and
washed out roads. About 3 hours into our trip we came to a village
where all the cars  were stopped. We were told the wait would be
1 hour before we could go on, but we did not know why exactly
we were being held up. After 1.5 hours waiting,  buses and cars
began coming from the other direction. After about 60 cars came
through, our east-bound traffic began to move. We were
directed onto a small road leading down to a small bridge crossing
a raging river. The road contined along a mucky, tenuous mountain
track. Finally, we saw why the road on the south side of the river
valley had been closed. This detour was about 20 kms, crawling along.
It was a great adventure!!

Our Chevrolet Vitara does not have 4 WD - which can be worrisome.
But, so far, it has brought us through some pretty slick situations.
Anyway... on this day we were in the car for 10 hours and managed to
make it only as far as Macas - 330 kms. But what a beautiful trip
it was, nonetheless.

 

Within 20 kms of our destination, we ran into political parades
demonstrating support for the candidates for the presidential
elections to be held 3 days later. These  people are celebrating
the indigeneous party.



On the second day of our home trip we left Macas at 6:30 am with the
hope of getting to Banos to see Tungurahua before the mid-morning
clouds rolled in. We made it!!! When we were in this same spot 6 weeks ago
we had hoped to see this volcano erupting. However, the clouds were so thick
then that we had no idea how close the volcano really was. The eruptions have stopped now.
We just made it in time to get this picture. 10 minutes later the volcano was again covered by clouds.



Ecuador is an incredible country. It is truly a hidden gem. The national parks offer unlimited hiking and exploration. The people are friendly and helpful. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to live here!!!!