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| A few firsts for this bike adventure. Emily had never toured before, but with a strong fitness base of running, she had no problems at all. This was Carla's first full tour on the tag a long and she had no problems either, due to the fact that she traded places with ramon at times (between the chariot and tagalong) on last summer's big tour in southern Ecuador. Jefferson, our main taxi man, drove us to to 4000m at Paso de la Virgen and from there we rode 5 days down to 500m and the town of pacayucu, just east of Lago Agrio, 275kms, and bussed back up. |
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| Our intrepid band of merry cyclists, high up in the Andean Paramo/Alpine zone |
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| Emily all bundled up. Using my old Giant Iguana, who I had sold to a collegue for $100. He kindly lent it back to me for this trip. |
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| Spider girl all bundled up |
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| A steaming plate of habas con choclo.....broad bean and corn |
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| Hiking in papallacta |
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| bike then hike |
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| ....followed by a soak in the hotsprings |
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| This girl needs some jungle sun |
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| cooling off |
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| ....all legs |
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| yup...it's a tough life this cycling touring biz! |
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| Here comes Carlita! Sure got a lot of use out of this MEC rain suit with both kids |
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| just zooming along |
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| multi-tasking already.... |
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| peddling along while chatting with mom on the phone |
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| Blondie rides up front for a bit |
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| Mascots for this tour....Blondie above and bear below |
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| Emily in fine riding form |
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| :) |
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| Not only did she borrow my old bike, but my old stinky Colombia bike shorts too :) |
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| :) |
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| The oil pipeline....the fossil fuel resources that make the world go round.....in this case the tires, bike, paved road, the inputs to produce the food in our bellies to power the machines. What will the future hold on the downslope of peak oil? |
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| tortillas de trigo |
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| Rumba/party with Maracuya flavored vodka |
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| I'm sure you'd all agree that Carlita is much more beautiful than this orchid :) |
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| love the overlap of the petals |
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| splash time in the river |
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| ....and in the pool |
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| ....like I say....this cycle touring is real tough |
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| ....doing the laundry in the shower |
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| Does this girl ever eat a lot....and no shortage of vegan fare |
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| Hike down to the highest waterfall in Ecuador |
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| Volcan Reventador...3500m or so....smoking away |
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| all kinds of interesting drinks |
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| just another 17kms to tonight's destination |
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| :) |
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| Happened upon an evening of cultural dances and displays, put on the by the gov't of the province of Sucumbios....with the purpose of celebrating the diversity of cultures in the region. |
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| :) |
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| Cofan indigenous group.....wonder if the headgear could serve as a bike helmet? |
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| yup....it's a wee bit warm down here in the jungle |
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| chocolaty rivers |
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| Chocolate trees....cacao |
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| and a few coconuts |
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| along with guavas so ripe and plentiful that they fall of the trees and no one seems to collect them |
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| The obligatory road kill shot |
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| baby boa...or what's left of it |
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| Holiday/carnival time means kids spraying cans of blue, foamy, soapy stuff |
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| ....into unsuspecting people's faces. No Carla did not do this....this deed was done by someone in a passing vehicle. |
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| Carla going to town with the stuff |
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| good fun, but unnecessary canisters to add to the landfills (well then don't buy them papa) |
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| pulling into Lago |
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| .....and off for a canoe ride in parque Perla |
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| This poor guy got scratched up by a cat and has been given medicine |
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| ....which makes him sleepy |
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| hike and bike!....along the edge of the lake |
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| give that girl a basketball! |
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| $1usd fills the belly |
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| some not so wild life |
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| and some more not so wild life, although we did see a number of flocks pass overhead....always super noisy |
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| A sugar cane press, made entirely from wood (made in Colombia sells for 800usd) and a few nuts and bolts. Incredible craftsmanship! Carla loved feeding the sugar cane in and didn't want to stop. The guy had just opened for business and we were his very 1st customers....so a few extra bucks and a Canadian pin were in order! |
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| How did this craftsperson carve this wheel with the offset teeth in perfect alignment with the corkscrew below?/ |
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| go Carla go! |
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| ....no shortage of young, handsome soldiers to pick up..... |
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| ....but no sex on the beach around here..... |
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| ....just 2 more monkeys.... |
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| weeeeeeeee......yup.....this cycling touring is just too much to handle |
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| more splash time..... |
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| ....and the ultimate splash (if this photo looks familiar, it's the same place I took Ramon last year). Well....what a great little trip and lucky me to have had two beautiful ladies to share it with. |
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