Rencontres equatoriales

That is almost 3 weeks that I am traveling with Francis. Everything happens for the best, but travel at 2, withdraw into our group and we are far from having the wealth of the meetings of a solo journey. That is why from the beginning of organizing this trip (there is more than one year already), I planned and wanted to travel alone after having crossed Africa with Aurel. Briefly, after our first night in Ecuador, I tell Francis that I want to be back on the road alone, even if our routes and our imperatives dates are compatible. Francis has the same spirit as I, and I do not need to look for justifications. Just that traveling alone is another trip, and he knows this just as much as me. Briefly, after a hug at a service station, I go on the road, still farther north, without looking at my guide for places to visit, but decided to enjoy the meetings.

So, for this article, is the portrait gallery of the meeting that the common thread running ...

I asked her her name several times, but I did not understand the answer, so I prefer not to write it rather than skinning.

Entering a village, three small signs offer coffee and a dish that I do not know. Here is a great opportunity to take my breakfast, to taste the corn dough stuffed with cheese, and get to know this smiling saleswoman. She loves her job, anyway. Her mother cooks and she sells on the roadside. The truck drivers are passing by honking, with a wink or an obscene gesture. The only thing that bothers her from all of this is that they rarely stop to buy her products. Me, I'm not staying too long too, but I leave with a belly full.

The Ramirez family is an unexpected step of the day.

Indeed, As I dont't need to save "Teuf-Teuf", the motorcycle of Francis, and having found a brand new tire cheap in Peru, I no longer need to limit the heat of the mechanics of Austria. The mountain road is therefore a good pace, with each hearty acceleration to pass over trucks, UNTIL ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BIKE MAKES A LOT OF NOISE: I'VE LOST ON THE ROAD THE OUTPUT PLATE OF THE EXHAUST, BECAUSE THE RIVETS ARE BROKEN. SO I'M RIDING WITH FREE EXHAUST, AND IT MAKES A LOT OF NOISE.

NO, I SAY IT MAKES A LOT OF NOISE!

As Francis said: "Meeting problems is to meet people," and so, I've spent an hour in that family or that wheels, erupts, bends, weld and repainted all which is metallic. I've never seen a riveter gun of this type, and at first glance, this does not inspire me nothing worthwhile, but the use is incredibly effective. Far more than our conventional tweezers.

The workshop is a family affair, and that's the kid who runs the village in search of rivets while I remove the muffler, and learns the job from his father. The little sister is in cons not allowed to touch anything. Not to keep her out of the education! But on the contrary, precisely because she has her school uniform on her and she does not get dirty before running off to join her friends at school. The mother watches from afar, and I will pay $ 1 for installation of new rivets.
I also disappear, but to eat in a small corner of the restaurant they recommended me.

Jakelin received me in a nice greasy restaurant.

The first contact is difficult: we can not understand what it is for almuerzo (lunch) day, nor on what is available or not the card. Our conversation was constantly interrupted by his incessant coming round to the kitchen because she is the patron-waitress-cook, and just as she dishes on the fire. I end up saying yes to everything she offers to end, and as usual, it's a simple meal, rather rich, full and proper that I served for $ 1.5.
While cleaning the table, calm returned, she talks about her desire to travel too, but it's difficult at the moment, alone to take care of the restaurant. She is no longer married and is determined to enjoy life, but that's life who catches her and leaves her no time to live. We exchanged our e-mails without conviction that it means something, but it is a way (maybe a little loose) to say the coup "goodbye" rather than "forever".

Arrived in Quito, Andres welcomes me home for two days.

We had already exchanged a few messages by email because he also traveled 10 months in motorcycle and solo, across Latin America. It was always plenty of things in common and a shared vision of travel by motorcycle, especially enjoying travel solo. Andres has assembled an excellent bakery, with home delivery in the city but prefers his quiet outside of Quito. Her house is both super nice and very simple. The kind of place where you feel good.

We just agree to share space with two players as impressive as nice:

But Nelly's, which offers me to show me around town after work.

Nelly is 25 and recently began his real work as an architect. Her gaze is particularly sharp on construction of the city and especially the Old Quito, and nothing like a passionate look forward to the interest in stone and the history that goes with it.

A lot of churches are built on foundations of Inca building

The principals were Spanish, but the stone cutters of the natives, and suddenly we find ourselves with cultural blends surprising as this angel head Inca.

but in addition to the city itself, this was an opportunity to taste in the streets the canelazo, a kind of hot wine, but without wine. Anyway, it's good!

The streets come alive at night too, with traditional costumes Ecuadorians ...

Nelly makes me even taste the "chocolate con queso": a glass of hot chocolate with pieces of cheese inside. Finally, the cheese has little taste, so it makes more consistency than taste funny.

Nelly thank you for this tour of Quito-by-night!

Oscar is not a talker. It revolves around the motorcycle without a word, while I am at night at a service station. I take this opportunity to ask him to recommend me a home where I can put the bike safely, and I propose to spontaneously follow him on his 115cc Yam. He tries to negotiate with parking, and various hotels to find the best solution, and when I finally put my bag in the room, I proposed him to have a drink togather.

Oscar is 25, married for 2 years, with a small baby, but his wife is with her parents for a few days. It is therefore not, and therefore we take a meal together.

Throughout the evening the discussion is difficult. He asked me some questions about the journey, and briefly responded to mine. However, he said he is motorcycle mechanic, so we would have some points to be discussed together, as the comparison of the 125 Japanese (they were manufactured in China) with imported Chinese bikes in large numbers in Latin America ... But Oscar is definitely not talkative. Yet he proposes that we exchanged our phone numbers to have a city tour the next morning, before I leave the city. Certainly, there is a world between what he did for me in the acts, and verbal rather closed attitude.

The next morning I called as promised, saying that, even more than to go downtown, I need a workshop to deliver rivets to my Akrapovic exhaust. (Again? Yeah)
He knows the neighborhood and what kind of workshop by heart and here I am in a preparer race bikes (the 125 in general).

Fortunately I have rivets in advance. The boss, he has the tool that goes.

But Oscar insists that we do a short tour of the city together. his bike is being washed, mine should follow, so it takes two motorcycle taxis to visit the white city of Popayan.

Thank you Oscar for the help and the city tour!

At that moment, I'm already in Colombia.

But in one trip, there are as many separations as meetings, or as exciting as they are insignificant.