Ecuador: Post-Trip Ramblings

I've been back for about six weeks now and I still dream of Ecuador.  I wonder if the rains have come and if my lonely orange pannier made it downriver.  I wonder if a farmer found it, opened it, and the $150+ made his or her day.  I hope that it made a difference and that they have hung my hammock up somewhere with a nice view.

The Ecuadoran Andes will always hold a special place in my heart.  These mountains are a special place, especially once you get off the beaten path.  Prior to the trip, I had read mixed reviews about other bike tourists who had passed through Ecuador.  Those that stuck to the PanAmerican highway had less than stellar things to say.  Those that wandered the dirt roads fell in a special kind of love with Ecuador.

And in no particular order, for those that follow by bicycle, the things I learned:

• I felt really safe in Ecuador.  Surprisingly safe.  Safer than cycling the back roads of the U.S. safe.  The people here are warm, welcoming, and curious.  

• Speaking Spanish can open up Ecuador to bike tourists in a special way.  

• Hands down the best resource for dirt road touring in Ecuador is Cass Gilbert's blog.  He has returned many times to bike tour Ecuador with setups ranging from traditional to bikepacking.  Some trips have been with other hardcore bikepackers, others solo, and others with his wife and adorable tiny child.  He was my primary inspiration for this trip.  Since returning to the U.S., he has published two different versions of the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route, one connecting mostly non-technical dirt roads (some of which we covered) and one more demanding singletrack hike-a-bike version.

• While I love paper maps, there are none that have enough detail for bike touring unless you plan to stick to the PanAmerican highway.  I still recommend the ITM Canada Ecuador map to get a great overview of the country and for bigger picture planning and dreaming.  The National Geographic Ecuador map was not nearly as detailed or easy to use.

• We did not use a traditional GPS.  Between all of our phones and some back up chargers, we were able to get by using Maps.ME, an crowdsourced offline map application that is available for both Android and iPhone.  There is a bicycle route option (which I understand is fairly new).  While it does not provide an elevation profile like Pocket Earth for iPhone, it was incredibly accurate and proved to be indispensable on our trip.  Not only could we calculate a route, we could either just reference the route, or have it navigate turn-by-turn (particularly helpful getting out of an into big cities).  

• For those on a budget, the set breakfasts (desayuno), lunches (almuerzo), and dinners (merienda) have the most bang for the buck.  They usually cost between $2-$4 and come with fresh juice, soup, a main dish with two or three sides, and a dessert. 

• For those who like to cook in camp, just know that white gas is almost impossible to find in Ecuador, propane can only be found in mountaineering stores and companies, and that denatured alcohol is pretty common.  Denatured alcohol in Ecuador is called alcohol industrial and sometimes you just have to ask at the counter of a hardware store for it.  

• My list of "must bike through" places for bike tourists: Cotopaxi National Park, the Quilotoa Loop, Cajas National Park.  I felt like I could have skipped the coast and been happy, but that descent out of the Andes was crazy awesome.

• If you are on dirt roads, cut your daily expected mileage in half... or maybe even a little less.  All of us are experienced cyclists and we all had to push our bikes more than expected.  The Andes are steeeeeep.  Some days we only made it 20 miles, especially when we hit cobblestone!  Of course, it's always worth it in my book.  

• When the going got tough or we needed to make up some time for our return flight, pickup truck taxis were abundant and we never really had a problem getting our bikes on buses.  We preferred to find a bus that was originating from where we were grabbing the bus to be able to get our bikes on board a little more calmly.  When they connect through, it's always a mad dash.  I liked using compression straps to affix my bike to a strut in the baggage compartment.  Luckily, my bike was small enough to always fit with just the front wheel taken off.  Larger bikes may need both wheels to come off.  It was incredibly inconsistent with respect to paying an additional fee to bring the bikes on a bus.  Half the time it was free.  Half the time we got an arbitrary fee.  Most folks just buy their ticket when they arrive at the bus station, but for our longer rides, the bus always sold out, so we either got there super early or bought our ticket the day before. 

• If truck drivers and car drivers stick their hand out the window with their palm up and kind of shake it back and forth, it means "you have balls!" and is a friendly gesture.

UPDATE: I just got notice that my travel insurance through World Nomads is going to cover the loss of my pannier!  $262 coming my way.  The process of submitting a claim was a long one, but totally worth it!