I´ve now been in Quito for a week.
The city is nice enough (as cities go) but the weather here has been less than fantastic. It has rained in the afternoon of every day but one so far and there have only been two mornings where there was blue sky. This is apparently how it is at this time of year, and it seems that it is the same on the coast, in the mountains and also over in the Amazon jungle.
So, what have I done with my rainy week - not a lot :)
I was planning to do some maintenance work on my bike; I was planning to go check out the old city; I was planning to go on some day rides to nearby towns and volcanoes... But well, it really doesn't feel like fun fighting the traffic in the rain, so I´ve been taking a break, just wandering around in the tourist section of town, watching a few videos, and wondering what to eat next.
I´m definitely feeling a bit burnt out from the touristing life and I´m comfortable with Quito being my turn around point for this trip. I think I´d rather come back to Ecuador another time (with good weather - August they say is best) and see the Galapagos Islands before riding to the Southern tip of the continent. I´ve been looking into the options for getting back over the Darrien gap and I'm hoping to fly it this time rather than the unpleasantries of another boat trip. So far the options are to fly from either here or Bogota in Columbia, both with a destination of Panama. Its cheaper from Bogota but less hassle from here in Quito. I will make a choice in the next day or two and then set about heading back north. From Panama I will ride North but I expect I will take a break of a few weeks somewhere in the ride to alleviate the burn-out. Not sure what or where or when - We´ll just have to see what comes up.
The city is nice enough (as cities go) but the weather here has been less than fantastic. It has rained in the afternoon of every day but one so far and there have only been two mornings where there was blue sky. This is apparently how it is at this time of year, and it seems that it is the same on the coast, in the mountains and also over in the Amazon jungle.
So, what have I done with my rainy week - not a lot :)
I was planning to do some maintenance work on my bike; I was planning to go check out the old city; I was planning to go on some day rides to nearby towns and volcanoes... But well, it really doesn't feel like fun fighting the traffic in the rain, so I´ve been taking a break, just wandering around in the tourist section of town, watching a few videos, and wondering what to eat next.
I´m definitely feeling a bit burnt out from the touristing life and I´m comfortable with Quito being my turn around point for this trip. I think I´d rather come back to Ecuador another time (with good weather - August they say is best) and see the Galapagos Islands before riding to the Southern tip of the continent. I´ve been looking into the options for getting back over the Darrien gap and I'm hoping to fly it this time rather than the unpleasantries of another boat trip. So far the options are to fly from either here or Bogota in Columbia, both with a destination of Panama. Its cheaper from Bogota but less hassle from here in Quito. I will make a choice in the next day or two and then set about heading back north. From Panama I will ride North but I expect I will take a break of a few weeks somewhere in the ride to alleviate the burn-out. Not sure what or where or when - We´ll just have to see what comes up.
