Alison’s Wanderland: the journey south : a solo adventure through the America’s

Funny...The shop did come recommended...

But yes, I should have done it myself. Or at least double checked everything.

A big washer and a nut seem to do the trick for now.

Going to the hardware store proved mildly fruitful...a big washer and the only 8mm nut I could find, but ample lights and stereo equip if I wanted to deck out my bike. I will keep hunting for something better suited, but until then, this should work.

And yes...I hijacked the rack and tank bags from your old bike. Menudovet will be joining me next month! Unfortunately, not with the KLR due to time constraints. That KLR has seen a lot of CA & OR though.

Love your RR. Safe travels Alison

are you still out there people are waiting for an update and some of your pictures :ddog

Yeah, yeah...

Here's the solution for my chain tensioner problem...nothing that $1.50 at a hardware store couldn't fix:



Oh yeah...and here is the craziness caught on the bridge after stamping out of Venezuela before reaching Colombia. Every inch was occupied by a moto.



And that's all for now. Ecuador seems to have the most problems (connectivity, not allowing certain sites, just general slowness) than any other place yet... More when I can find decent internet.

Time to catch up: Colombia, part ii

In Venezuela I realized I could not stay there as leisurely as expected, so I decided to run for the border and spend Christmas in Colombia. So, off to Medellin… but first some of the best riding in Colombia yet. The road from San Cristobal, Venezuela to Bucaramanga, Colombia and on to Medellin was stellar.







Medellin was a nice place to spend a quiet Christmas.


Then off to Salento to look at giant Palm trees, a town which I could have easily spent way more time.



With such a great place to stay at Finca La Serrana:



Down to a very hot and crowded Cali with an obligatory stay at Casa Blanca (Motolombia)



A quick stop over at Popayan, the white city:







A last nights stay in Colombia:



Then more spectacular roads that led to Ecuador.

Wow! Those photos are great! Sure do love the green mountains!

Thank you! It has been miles and miles of green in every shade. Just beautiful countryside.

I kept wondering if I was going to run into trouble trying to cross the border on New Years Eve.* I did, but it was not at the customs office as I had originally thought.* I ran into it (almost literally) on the road. *I thought is was just an excuse for guys to dress up in drag and festively dance in the middle of the street, but there was more purpose than that.* They held up ropes in the middle of the street to stop traffic and ask for money for explosives to ignite the new year.* They stuffed paper mache dolls (called ano Viejo – the* old year) and set them to fire at midnight.* I loved this idea of burning the old.

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I made it into Ecuador and headed straight for Cayambe, the equator, arriving just as the sun was setting.* I was meeting 7 other motocyclists for the night at Hacienda Gualchapa, an old monastery turned hotel.

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The actual turning of time to 12am, 1.1.13 was celebrated with handshakes and well wishes, not shouts or fireworks, tired from the days ride, I think we were all mesmerized by the big bonfire.

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So I spent New Year day at Linea 0 - the equator - resolving to live 2013 in balance and, well, to smile more.

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Bien Viaje and Happy 2013!

Crunched for time to catch up with blogging, ride reports and facebook, I am only posting an overview of Ecuador, but it barely does it justice the week I spent there. It is a beautiful country, with great roads, almost all of which were recently paved.

I shall start with Quito – a city I considered passing up because I don’t like the rush and mayhem of larger metropolises, but arriving on New Years day while Quito was closed was wonderful. The streets were vacant, shops were shut for the holiday and an eerie quiet blanketed the city. We stayed at Casa Bambu which overlooked the city, and has garage parking on a street so steep it reminded me of my San Francisco days. Exploring the city late afternoon turned to night and which unveiled spectacular night lighting.

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A second day in Quito (which disrupted the belief that the city was ever silent) led up to Freedom Motorcycles, were a very helpful Sylvain suggested an alternate route to the PanAm highway…

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So a detour to the Jungle I went, riding over the Andes a second time with minimal visibility on wet, curvy roads and where I encountered the rain part of the rainforest.

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And pickpocketing monkeys at the square...

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Ate some delicious grilled talapia...

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Then, south to Banos where a soak in hot mineral baths thawed me out. A city where there is a lot to entertain you and wisk your money away on activities.

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There is no time for frivolity, so next stop was in Alausi, where a train rides up the nariz del Diablo.

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and then the clouds got thicker...

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Sounded great, but I opted for a visit to Ingapirca Ruins, the largest in Ecuador – and ticket comes with a guided tour.

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These doors are not made for tall people...

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That evening I settled for a quiet night in Cuenca. Quiet, again because everything was shut down on Sundays. It seems to be a theme for me.

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First thing Monday was a run for the border… Rejoined with Ulysses, we rode a 320 mile day, 280 which were twisty mountainside roads over 12,000 ft. passes.

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liking the B&W

thanks

Thanks for taking time ,out of your adventure to share with us!

I've visited this exact German Bakery a couple years back. First thing I thought when seeing your picture was ---- CATS!!!

Thanks for the updates!

Hi Bubbletron,
I am at home in rainy Victoria, BC, Canada.
Your RR, and Ulyses RR, are getting me through a dreary January.Keep safe and have a great and memorable ride!

From the moment I crossed the Ecuadorian border into Peru, I could feel the mad dash was on. I needed to make it to Arequipa by Jan, 16. The roads through lush equadorian highlands, once twisted, now straightended for miles and miles through flat Peruvian desert.

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First night in Peru, I could feel a difference of environment, I wasn't as safe as I was in Ecuador. At this point I was really thankful for riding with a male companion (Ulyses). It wasn't just that the policia officer wanted a kiss for a needed stamp on my paperwork because mi novio no esta aqui, men as a whole were more aggressive here. And my feelings were confirmed by the campestre we stayed at...it was the height of Mango picking season, so watch your shit.

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Sand dunes raised high above our thumping motorcycles, pushing 300+ miles/day. Peru is bigger than I gave it credit.

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We decided to fit in quick detour, riding down Canon del Pato, along Death Valley-esque landscapes.

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It was one of the most spectacular roads in Peru.

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It was also where we found the necessity for the signs to honk before entering the tunnels... my heart was definitely beating hard when pinned between a tunnel wall and massive work truck.

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The road let out to a bustling mountain town of Huaraz (about 10,000ft), surrounded by the snow-capped Cordilla Blanca.

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I could have stayed there longer with friendly people, good food and beautiful scenery. But I needed to keep moving.

Passing more miles of desert and crops where crops shouldn't be grown:

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We found the beach town of Huanchaco had its charm and an amazing suset...

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Riding down in elevation to sea level, my bike began running like crap again. I have been chasing a carburator air/fuel mixture promblem since Mexico. It chugs, but not all the time. So I tried different octane of gasohol (they cut all thier gasoline with ethanol) which I thought was the culprit, but alas, no... (more on the next post)

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Next we headed to Lima for a little bike maintenance. I was having charging issues, so would find my bike unable to start at really inopportune times - I got really good at parking it at the tops of hills. The guys at the shop were very friendly and helpful, and even gave Oscar a wash (probably the first time in a over a year).

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Unfortunately, they didn't have the part I needed at a reasonable price (I wasn't going to pay $360 for a voltage regulator in Peru when it costs $99 in the states and I was able to kindly have one brought to me in Arequipa.) So they sent me on my way, all shiny and clean.

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But not before introducing us to the local mercado for lunch. Which is what I think did me in. The words of the lady who tended the hostel in Cuenca, Ecuador still rings in my ears... don't drink the water in Peru, not even the juice. But the juice looked so refreshing during the hot Lima days. I wish I would have listened.

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I headed off solo for my date, Two more days of riding Peruvian coastline that reminded me of home in California.

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Up next...Arequipa and beyond.

Alison,

Awesome RR, keep it up, looks like you are having a great time, while I'm sat in the office in the UK only dreaming of your achievements so far!

Keep it up and fantastic pictures!

Ash

Hey Allison glad to see you updating again, hope all is well with the belly! Sure don't envy any of that! Anyway, I have a question about the exchange rate. I was looking at your picture of the fuel station and am assuming that the posted fuel prices are expressed in soles? If so, that makes the upper mid grade posted at 15.80 equal to $6.13, I hope that is not in litres! :eek1 Can you enlighten me please? About how much are you spending on a tank of fuel for the KLR? Thanks for the insight!

The cats were so darling, I wanted to take them with me.

I think its a must visit for a slice of home to anyone riding through!

It's been a fun adventure so far... hope things dry up soon. I've stopped in Bolivia which happens to be the rainy season. Not so fun to ride in, but On the other hand its good to be inside so I can catch up on RR.