Cuenca to Loja

October 21st  Cuenca to Loja

Began the day with a hearty breakfast and then went into the city to try and post a letter to Germany. When in Guatemala the ATM did not give me the money I  requested, but it was taken out of my account. I have taken it up with Travelex (That's the card I've been using). They would not accept an emailed form as it did not have my signature, and they insisted on an actual copy (so it's not only Latin America that is paper obsessed). In Ecuador the post service is not well used (most people don't even have a postal address - if you want post you have  to pay $25 per annum for a PO box number and have to go and collect it). I found the post office and in no time at all had paid for a stamp and handed it in for delivery. Ordinary mail cost me $10.50, if I wanted it to go recorded delivery it was $30!!! I'll never complain about the costs of a British stamp again. Having done that I was on a roll, I decided to risks having an haircut. They did a very thorough job and all for the princely sum of $4 (£3.20), you can form your own judgements as to the valuefor money, look at the picture below. Don't blame the girl for the face, she was only responsible for the haircut.

Should be alright by the time I reach home- the haircut not the face

I was back at the hotel by 9.30am and packed and on my bike by 10am. The Hotel Casa De Las Rosas was great, full of character and charm, helpful people and really good value. Being right in the city was great this morning and made me realise that there are some advantages to city living. I did notice there were many more European/American looking types around and my sister informs me that Cuenca is becoming a refuge for ex-pats. I can see why, it's cheap and the climate is not too extreme and amazing landscapes beyond the city.

Did my usual circumnavigation of the city before eventually getting out, once out of the city  the traffic soon thinned and it was pleasant riding. The temperature dropped to 13 degrees as I climbed and there was moisture in the air - it felt very much like an English autumnal day. I even passed through mist on one of the mountain passes. One has to adjust to the travel times/mileage equation; today's 130 miles took the best part of 4 hours. One just has to accept that journeys will take that much longer, the roads do not allow you to go any faster. The strange thing is going 50 or 60 MPH seems really fast when you do reach those dizzy heights. It is a different style of riding, making other pressures and demands- namely on your bottom!

By late afternoon I was in Loja and Google took my direct to the door of my Airbnb. It is an apartment and far too big for just one person. Joy of joys there is a washing machine and i emptied my bag of all its contents and washed the lot, while drinking tea. What could be nicer -we take for granted the trappings of modern living until they are taken away. Washing clothes in a hotel bathroom and trying to dry them is no fun, especially when they only appear half clean at the end of the laborious process. On my comfortable settee as I write this blog I have all my favourite music playing in the background. It makes the experience more joyous than uncomfortably sitting up on a soft bed. It also stops me falling asleep!

For my biker friends I realise I have been remiss on the tecky front - so here's a few nerdy biker tit bits. Firstly the Honda Africa Twin is great, rock solid, though the large front wheel makes it a bit twitchy during slow manouveres, especially fully laden like I am. The DCT version is a God send, especially on difficult terrain and the whole bike handles so well over this stuff. My main and perhaps only real criticism of the bike is the seat. It's not the padding as such, but the ergonomics of the seat. It tends to throw your groin forward, causing your clothing to pull tight around that region! The coping mechanism I've perfected, is to periodically stand on the pegs, which feels easy on this machine, and helps relieve the pressure immensely. Initially I blamed my clothing, but having tried every combination of attire, it is definitely the seat. I have a Airhawk gel cushion, but I'm not sure it helps. Tomorrow I'm going to take the Airhawk off and see what difference that makes. It's ridiculous that a big manufacturer like Honda can't get the ergonomics right, my previous bike (also a Honda) was also uncomfortable. Before they send a bike to production they should make the designers ride the bike for seven hour solid and perhaps then, we would have seats that were comfortable rather than just looking pretty. To those of you out there who think I might be being a little woosy, can i tell you I am used to riding a bicycle for seven hours and belief you me, there is very little padding on those things. But strangely enough they are more comfortable. 

Economy wise I think the bike is doing around 55 miles to the gallon, but there is a rider, in this part of the world the highest octane you can get is 92 but more typically 85. The bike is also working hard up the long ascents. I'm quite pleased with it, as a full tank will give me 220 miles and with the jerry can a further 80 or so. Three hundred miles is a pretty good range. I have learned to top up my tank whenever I can - I believe this is really necessary in Peru where I shall be tomorrow afternoon, all being well. 

*FOOTNOTE

the Scottoiler running on gear oil seems to be working well