I was quite sad to leave Colombia, but at the same time, I was breathing a huge sigh of relief that we made it through totally unscathed!
We cycled from San Juan to Quito with Andre and Tobi (although Tobi didn’t cycle the last day into Quito). We were on a pretty tight schedule, as we had to make it to Quito by Friday 10th July, in order to make our flight to Germany for David’s sister’s wedding.
Here is an overview of our travels from San Juan (Colombia) to Quito. It is detailed for our own records, so feel free to skip ahead to the photos!
We met up with Andre and Tobi a couple of kilometers out of San Juan. The first 8kms out of San Juan were entirely uphill and got our heart rate up, but once over that section the road undulated to the border. After a quick second breakfast at one of the border cafes, we changed the last of our Colombian pesos into USD and crossed into Ecuador. The actual border crossing was a piece of cake and we were all through in under an hour!
From the border, we climbed gently towards the town of Tulcan, which is famous for its cemetery, which features an amazing topiary garden. Andre was very keen to see the cemetery and we were happy to tag along, so we detoured off the Pan American Highway to see it. The cemetery dates back to 1936 and includes:
“… a wide variety of imaginative forms and shapes including angels, animals and geometrical figures … The deceased creator Sr. José Franco who is actually laid to rest in the cemetery left an intriguing written ode of his topiary cemetery which states “In Tulcán, a cemetery so beautiful that it invites one to die”. Today the five sons of Sr. Franco continue on with their topiary family tradition and are doing a grand job in sculpturing these exquisite forms.” (thebestofequador.com/tulcan)
Leaving the cemetery, we wound our way through Tulcan and up some very steep (and somewhat shady) back streets to the Pan American Highway. We then continued to climb steadily until the 40km mark. The scenery was agricultural – lush, green and mountainous. We all stopped for a breather on top of the summit and then coasted down the other side in search of a decent lunch option (with something vegetarian for Andre). Thankfully, we found a nice, rustic little restaurant for lunch, just before a huge downpour started. There was hardly anyone eating in the restaurant so we brought our bikes inside out of the rain! 
The remainder of the day’s cycling was downhill or undulating. The roads were good, with wide shoulders and the locals were very friendly – especially the road side work crews. I recall passing one road side crew who cheered as I cycled past and lifted their shovels in salute! It brought a big smile to my face!
We made it to San Gabriel late afternoon and soon discovered that our chosen hotel was at the top of a very steep hill. There was no way that I was even going to attempt to ride up that hill. To my relief, the guys also got off their bikes and pushed! Haha :)
It was the night before Andre’s birthday and he wanted to stay in a hotel, so that he could talk to his parents that night. Unfortunately, we soon discovered that Ecuador was a LOT more expensive than Colombia. In Colombia, we were generally paying about US$10 per night for a room in a hotel, but when Andre and I went into inquire about rooms, we were quoted US$32 for a private room. We made inquiries at another hotel in town, but they quoted us the same price. Although, we were all reeling a bit from the price (especially as San Gabriel is hardly a big tourist destination), in the end we paid it.
We had dinner at a hamburger shop and toasted Andre with a few birthday beers!
Hello Ecuador!!!! — at Ecuador Colombia Border
David at the Cemetery in Tulcan
David and Andre exploring the Cemetery in Tulcan
Cool topiary art at the Cemetery in Tulcan
Cool topiary art at the Cemetery in Tulcan
The topiary art was very detailed!
Cool topiary art at the Cemetery in Tulcan
The “Edward Scissor Hands” of Tulcan!
The topiary cemetery in Tulcan with Andre and Tobi
The topiary cemetery in Tulcan with Andre and Tobi
David at the Cemetery in Tulcan
David, Andre and Tobi at the Cemetery in Tulcan
The Cemetery in Tulcan
The Cemetery in Tulcan
The Cemetery in Tulcan
On the way to San Gabriel
Beautiful scenery on the way to San Gabriel
Beautiful scenery on the way to San Gabriel
On the way to San Gabriel
On the way to San Gabriel
Ecuadorian mountain village
Our lunch stop on the way to San Gabriel
Local houses on the way to San Gabriel
On the way to San Gabriel
On the way to San Gabriel
Views on the way to San Gabriel
Tobi pushing up the steep hill to our Hotel in San Gabriel
David pushing up the steep hill to our Hotel in San Gabriel
Jo pushing up the steep hill to our Hotel in San Gabriel
I LOVED this day of cycling! It had a bit of everything – a good downhill, some climbing, a bit of gravel, gorgeous views and a great campground at the end of the day!
We left San Gabriel around 8am. The road was undulating, but mainly downhill for the first 40kms. When we reached the town of Bolivar, the main highway (Highway 35) was blocked off and all traffic was being diverted via El Angel. We didn’t want to go that way, as it involved a serious amount of more climbing, so I asked the road crew whether we could still use Highway 35, despite the road works. Thankfully, the road crew said yes, provided we were careful and didn’t go too fast! J There were no road works for the first 10kms or so, and we had the brand new road entirely to ourselves! The views were spectacular and we stopped frequently for photos. Then the road works started and we had fun cycling on the gravel. Unfortunately Tobi got a flat tyre on this section (due to a blade getting stuck in his tyre!) and David’s “new cheap” front brake stopped working, so he could only rely on his back brake … not ideal on a long downhill.
At the bottom of the downhill, we stopped at a local café in El Juncal for a fresh juice. From El Juncal we climbed for 5kms, before coasting down into another valley. Unfortunately, this valley was full of biting, black insects (like midges), which followed us all the way up the major climb to Ibarra. Poor David and Andre were bitten quite badly.
Just before Ibarra, we stopped for lunch as the afternoon downpour started. Thankfully the rain was short lived and we were soon able to jump back on our bikes and cycle the final few kilometers to Finca Sommerwind, a wonderful, German run campground on the edge of the Laguna de Yahuarcocha. Finca Sommerwind was a super friendly campground and within one hour, we had been introduced to almost everyone staying there – nearly all of whom were German or Swiss RVers.
The very friendly owner took the boys into town to buy supplies and we had a huge, BBQ feast for Andre’s birthday that evening, and of course, a few beers!
KMs travelled: 83km
Jo and David on the way to Ibarra
David on the way to Ibarra
Ploughing the fields with a horse ….
David enjoying one of the many downhills on the way to Ibarra
Stunning views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Andre at the lookout on the way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
There was a lot of construction on our way to Ibarra!
Unfortunately, Tobi got a flat tyre on this section …..
Enjoying some dirt biking!
Enjoying some dirt biking!
Andre enjoying the dirt road section on our way to Ibarra
Andre enjoying the dirt road section on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
We love the mountain vistas in Ecuador!
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
The roads are generally pretty good in Ecuador!
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Dusty landscape on the way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
Views on our way to Ibarra
On the final climb to Ibarra
On the final climb to Ibarra
Taking a break on the final climb to Ibarra!
Lifting 60 kgs of touring bike requires some effort!
Lifting 60 kgs of touring bike requires some effort!
Lifting 60 kgs of touring bike requires some effort!
Our campground in Ibarra – Finca Sommerwind!
Our tents lined up at Finca Sommerwind
Lake Yahuarcocha, near Ibarra
Lake Yahuarcocha, near Ibarra
Tobi hadn’t had a day off for over a week, and as David needed to get his front brake fixed, we all decided to have a rest day at Finca Sommerwind. I spent the day learning Spanish (in preparation for my upcoming Spanish classes in Quito), while David went into Ibarra to get his brakes fixed.
Leaving Finca Sommerwind, we cycled through Ibarra (not a very pleasant experience) and headed towards the market town of Otavalo. The road was mainly uphill to Otavalo, where we stopped in at the Daily Grind Café for some good coffee and cake, before some sightseeing.
Leaving Otavalo, we continued to climb past Lago San Pablo to a junction at the 49km mark, where we stopped for lunch on top of the hill. From the summit we dropped down to the city of Cayambe, where we had planned to spend the night. However, it was still early afternoon, so we pushed onto Quisato (approximately another 7kms away), which marks the position of the equator in Ecuador.
We were super excited to be crossing the equator and we took lots of photos with the various monuments. Then we visited the Quisato Sundial, where for US$5, we received a brilliant presentation from one of the locals about the importance of the sun, and the astronomical significance of the equator, to the prehispanic people of the region.
There was only one hotel in Quisato – a love hotel, with frills galore and a plastic mattress protector!! But, for only $10, with a hot shower, it beat camping for the night! That evening we went for dinner with Andre to Balcón 2 Hemisferios – a fabulous little restaurant, with fast wifi. We highly recommend it.
KMs travelled: 71km
Jo and Andre enjoying a coffee stop at the Daily Grind Cafe in Otavalo
Tobi’s bike outside of the Daily Grind Cafe, Otavalo
The city hall of Otavalo
Monument in the Plaza Bolivar, Otavalo
Santuario Del Senor de las Angustias, Otavalo
Inside the Santuario Del Senor de las Angustias, Otavalo
Inside the Santuario Del Senor de las Angustias, Otavalo
El Jordan Church, Otavalo
Andre outside of El Jordan Church, Otavalo
Views of Lake San Pablo
Woo hoo – we crossed the equator on our 3rd day in Ecuador!
Andre, Jo, David and Tobi at the Equator!
Woo hoo – we crossed the equator on our 3rd day in Ecuador!
Woo hoo – we crossed the equator on our 3rd day in Ecuador!
Woo hoo – we crossed the equator on our 3rd day in Ecuador!
At the equator monument
David at the Quisato Equator Sundial at Quisato
Jo at the Quisato Equator Sundial at Quisato
David at the Quisato Equator Sundial at Quisato
Visiting the Quisato Equator Sundial at Quisato with Andre
Visiting the Quisato Equator Sundial at Quisato with Andre
Our guide explaining the significance of the Quisato Equator Sundial
Our funny room at the “Love Hotel” in Quisato
Tobi had decided not to cycle to Quito, so it was just Andre and us on this day.
Apart from some nice views in the early morning, this wasn’t the most pleasant of bike rides. The main event was the huge climb up to Quito, which was quite relentless. By the end of the climb, David’s knees were hurting, so we pushed the last kilometer to the top.
Andre had ascended a little faster than us and we had expected to meet up with him on top – but he wasn’t there. This was very unfortunate for us, as Andre had mapped out the route to the hostel the night before and we had planned to follow him…. Without Andre, we were forced to navigate our way through Quito by ourselves. It took us about 1.5 hours to traverse Quito and locate our hostel, including a forced rest stop at KFC to use the wifi. Cycling through Quito was a pretty awful experience. The streets are congested, hilly and polluted. Cycling behind the old buses was the worst, as they emit terrible clouds of black smoke. We quickly concluded that cycling in Quito is very bad for your health!
Eventually, we found our hostel – Hostel Revolution in the Old Town. The owner wasn’t super pleased that we had arrived by bike and we wouldn’t recommend it for cyclists. Casa Helbling, where we stored our bikes while in Europe, is a much better choice for cyclists – they are incredibly friendly and have lots of space for bikes.
On the way to Quito
Andre and David on the road to Quito
Views on the road to Quito
Views on the road to Quito
Andre and David on the road to Quito
Andre and David trying to fix Andre’s brooks saddle
Jo on the way to Quito
David on the final climb up to Qutio
Views from the final climb to Quito
Views from the final climb to Quito
Jo making her way up the final climb to Quito
Jo making her way up the final climb to Quito
Our first view of Quito
Jo making her way up the final climb to Quito
Saturday 11th July – Monday 13th July: Quito
We stayed in Quito for 3 days, before flying to Europe for David’s sister’s wedding. In that time, David and Andre tackled Cotopaxi (they almost made it to the top, but had to turn around 200m from the summit as David was suffering acute altitude sickness) and I took a few more Spanish classes.
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