Barely There

Don’t be embarrassed if you’ve never heard of the Andean Bear. We hadn’t either until Layne started poking around the Lonely Planet guide for Ecuador. We decided to go see what we could see at the bear lookout.

The main road out was a lovely drive after we broke out from under the heavy rain of the morning. 

This was where we broke down so driving by was a landmark. 

I find a lot of travelers down here seek out dirt roads and wilderness. I can see why Europeans feel that way as wilderness camping isn’t easy to find on an overpopulated continent. Why you’d come here from the US to miss the culture and the history which fills these lands baffles me. Luckily there’s room for all of us and my pleasure in asphalt and easy driving baffles others in turn. I’d just like to see more Americans here driving as they wish. 

It was a pleasant drive and then we turned off the highway.

We were only at 5600 feet but the high peaks all around us gave us a first feeling of really being in the Andes. 

Off the highway the side road up into the mountains saw the road narrow considerably. 

After the bridge the road got even worse as the asphalt ended. 

And the cobbles began. I hate cobbles as they make our heavy van bounce. Slowly does it. 

Locals aren’t deterred and come at you like they want to see you dead. It’s unnerving. 

And then the dirt began with signs of previous rain.  We pressed on a bit. 

It was about here the Google Map got lost and with the signal for our cellphone long gone we looked at the intersection. The downhill was very steep, but we poked our nose down. If it rained this would be mud and we both decided no. GANNET2 is running nicely so why try to wreck our van here? 

Vertigo Road didn’t inspire confidence so we backed up and turned around. 

I think that if this kind of stuff is important a more versatile car is indicated. It’s not just a question of will the van get there it’s also a question of how much damage will you sustain. Clutches and brakes fail on lots of vehicles which get over stressed in these mountains. 

Even pavement is steep around here. 

We came up at 20 mph trying not to stress anything and back downhill we drove in first and second manual gear to save the brakes. 

All I can think is this is the road for next three thousand miles to Chile. Sigh. The future is one of patience and taking our time. I guess there’s a reason why the PanAmerican is a tough road to drive. We continue south; maybe we’ll see bears further along. 

Breakdown And Resurrection

Three hours after we left the campground at Finca Sommerwind we returned like conquering heroes with a broken van. The photo above was taken by our Belgian neighbor who could only ask, stupefied, what happened? Indeed.

We broke down and GANNET2 got to take the ride of shame. We were pootling along on our way to an Andean bear sanctuary for an afternoon drive at a pleasant low key 40 miles per hour when, half way there the engine died. I looked stupidly at the revolutions dropping rapidly to zero and quickly steered for the edge of Highway 35. 

Latin American countries require drivers to carry emergency equipment and we have it all, triangles included. After I secured the scene I looked under the hood and smelled gasoline. It was dripping and pooling on the engine. Glad I was it only costs $2:47 a gallon in Ecuador! Layne meanwhile WhatsApp’ed Hans the owner of the campground and sent him our location on Google maps.

I had a suspicion the fuel leak was related to the recent oil cooler replacement we had done in Colombia. The fuel injector rail is the black rod behind the oil filler cap and it had had to come out to get the work done. Layne was filled with frustration but I was strangely calm so she set to cooking vegetables to relieve her stress and Rusty, no trouble at all put in some sunbathing time.

Patricio promised he would be with us in 90 minutes; in the event he arrived in 75 according to Layne’s WhatsApp records. He got us on the flatbed truck in minutes and made a freeway u-turn as you do in Ecuador.

Traffic rolled around us with no concerns. We both decided to wear our seatbelts for the elevated ride back to the campground. 

Then there was the police checkpoint. In Ecuador they are serious business as the government is driving home a war with the cartels in the same way El Salvador recently destroyed its gangs by  imprisoning thousands of people, some innocents swept up in the mass arrests but most richly deserving of being taken off the streets. We don’t photograph cops in this country so this is as close as I dared:  

The officer peered up at me and I shrugged. Breakdown I said, and he waved us through. Cars buses and pick ups were being minutely inspected.

 If you want to see a series of videos about driving a Promaster across South America a young couple calling themselves the Vandersons completed the journey with a dog and a cat. I found their videos frustratingly lacking in useful information for someone like me following in their tire tracks and they drive their Promaster beyond its limits with consequent breakdowns. And here we were on a thirty minute ride back to the campground. I recalled when the Vandersons spent a day on a flatbed crossing Chile she sat up on the bed in the van and said perkily “I’m not hating this” as someone else drove. I felt rather that same way watching Ecuador slide by.

I was strangely calm figuring where there is a problem there must be a solution even though we faced the logistical hassles of repairs, dealing with customs when importing parts and so forth. I sent the Jeep dealer a message wondering if they had a fuel rail in stock got the Pentastar engine we share with the Jeep. It was a long shot but you never know. 

We past lovely countryside and sugar cane fields reminiscent of Florida, gloomy, resigned and hopeful by turns. We felt we deserved a break from too much sitting still and organizing repairs. 

I wondered how we would ever fit back in the campground. I underestimated Patricio’s driving skills and I forgot about the huge expedition trucks that fit inside. 

We made a scene when we came in of course but Patricio made it look easy. 

Up the hill past the cabanas we drove. 

He wiggled us into the right spot and with the help of the gardener rolled us off the truck exactly back into our spot. Just like that. 

We were delighted to give him $150 for his work. We were secure and now could take our time to figure out our next move. What a relief. 

Our neighbor a car mechanic from Germany got curious and with a mirror started poking around. “Could this be it?” he said holding a up hose connector completely unclipped. Bloody right it could be. Helped it in place until it clicked into the end of the fuel injector rail hose and GANNET2 putted like the kitten that got the milk. 

Florian has been here five weeks waiting for parts for his 1998 Volkswagen Euro van (T5 in Europe).

His turbo charger blew up in Colombia and scattered metal through the engine. He replaced the turbo charger and got as far as Quito, the capital of Ecuador, before the engine blew up. He had a four hour ride in flat bed back here where he took the engine out and as soon as he can he will put his own engine back in. I bought him dinner for his help solving our modest problem. 

We had planned a return visit to see the bears but it’s raining hard with low mist and low visibility. First breakfast and then we’ll see but at least our GANNET2 is back in perfect running order. For now. 

What a day. What a day. 

Farmer’s Market

We were told of a farmers market run by the expatriate community of Cotacachi (“kota-catchee”) where we might find all sorts of things we haven’t seen for a while, foods from home. 

After a gray rainy morning the sun came out during the 45 minute drive from the campground, we parked in the street and found ourselves magically transported to a farmers market you might find anywhere back home. 

Yes, but with chocolate chip cookies. 

Andrew, a Canadian married to an Ecuadorean brews craft beer so we bought a couple of bottles of his lighter offerings. 

And an Italian woman who spent the past fifty years opening ice cream stores around the world now sells limoncello in Ecuador. 

And we got some pierogis (Polish dumplings) for the freezer and an extraordinary Polish sausage. He was quite surprised when I mentioned Key West has a large Polish community. You may be surprised to learn there are six Polish families in this small town. 

I’ve started reading a book about the Spanish invasion of the Inca Empire and I find it not only interesting but easy to read which is lucky because we have arrived in the northern reaches of the Incan Empire.

And outside the market they had this statue staring down imperiously upon us. 

I’ve only just got to the part where Pizarro slaughters the Incas and catches their emperor so this character hasn’t appeared just yet. Luckily Wikipedia knows all about him:

Meanwhile Layne got waylaid by an elderly saleswoman with a bucket. 

And it turns out, strawberries. GANNET2 groans under the weight of our haul of fruit in this productive country. 

Rusty had a walk through the market but after a while he started looking for shade and plopping fish in it so I got the hint and brought him back to the van while intense shopping proceeded without him. 

Some brisket, pickles, breads and of all things sushi was for sale so we had that for lunch: 

The campground has a washer but no dryer so in light of the uncertain weather we sought out a do-it-yourself laundry in the town of Ibarra, with dryers which worked out very well. 

Clean and efficient we got our stuff done in less than two hours for five bucks with free WiFi. Score! 

Rusty enjoyed the cement floor and was not keen to rejoin the expedition…

The Finca (“farm” ) Sommerwind campground is around a lake about 15 minutes from the town of Ibarra. 

Hans the owner of Sommerwind is German and this lake ambiance has a Central European flavor to it, perhaps Switzerland on a slightly run down untidy day. 

Hans has lived in Ecuador for years with his wife who is from Ibarra and during Ecuador’s state of emergency has been helping overlanders drive into Ecuador. The government is trying to break the cartels which ship cocaine up the coast, and part of that plan  has tried to lock down the borders for overland travel. You have to present a clean criminal history to drive in but we don’t have such a document in the US so for foreigners Hans has worked out a deal for us with the tourism ministry. We mentioned Hans at the border, they checked his list and we got 90 days. 

He also lets overlanders park their vehicles for a dollar a day. Check them all out sitting waiting for owners to return. 

There are also cabins to overnight in at I think $22. To park an RV you get charged $6 a person with electricity included, a hot shower and a dump station and some views too. 

German beer, cakes and bread for sale along with a restaurant during the day. 

And Rusty likes the walks though not with the campground puppy because he’s a grumpy old dog.