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quito
arriving in the mariscal district, it could hardly be a more drastic change from the last evening spent around mojanda. bars and discos with booming music and people running to and fro. it took a while...
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cuyabeno wildlife reserve
the trip started with a bus ride to the carcelen terminal, from where a night bus would take me to lago agrio. i could sleep a little and, while still feeling battered, the start into the morning was...
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quito no. 2
arriving again in time for the sunday ciclopaseo, i saw some now familiar faces from last week’s ride, like this daughter-father duo. the girl had an incredible voice which was a real surprise when...
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cotopaxi
it was another cobblestone road, worse than the one leading to the laguna de mojanda, and steeper in parts. i didn’t make it to the park’s entrance and set up camp, from where i had no views of the...
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quilotoa lagoon
starting from the panamericana at lasso, i followed the paved road to sigchos. after being a bit boring for the first ten kilometers, this changed luckily soon. the second part to the lagoon is also...
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around chimborazo
after the quilotoa lagoon it was only a small downhill to zumbahua, where i arrived during the busy saturday market. hats are a must there and the streets were filled with people in their tradional...
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riobamba
the downhill continued and by the time i reached riobamba, it was time to peel off some more layers of clothes. jo, a friend from france whom i had met in indonesia, sent me the contact details of...
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cuenca y las cajas
like in quito, i stayed at ‘el cafecito’ hostal, which has a relaxed atmosphere, superb breakfast and came this time with a glass covered court yard complete with bicycle themed art on the walls. after...
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the pilgrimage to loja
cycling out of cuenca, i met maggie and bryan, a canadian couple cycling south as well. we met again on top of the first climb out of town where i had stopped for lunch. while eating a guy came...
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vilcabamba
having heard a bit about vilcabamba beforehand, i approached the town with mixed feelings. there are a lot of ‘gringos’ staying long-term and half of the businesses are owned by ‘extranjeros’. i...
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dedication to camping
it was a hard time leaving the relaxed vibe of the guesthouse. the climbing was getting harder towards the border, and for the last kilometers, the dirt road with its steep inclination was a real...
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gocta falls
until recently i was cycling through a cold or mild climate, that had changed to decidedly warm since coming into peru and being at an altitude of around thousand meters by now. when i found the...
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Kuelap
The old fortress of the chachapoya, now the name of the district and its capital, derived from the culture of andean people which thrived in this area from the 6th century until they were conquered and...
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cañón del marañón
Just before reaching chachapoyas, there is the turn off to leymebamba, from where the road continues as a narrow strip of asphalt, which almost has the feel of a dirt road. First next to the river...
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cajamarca
On the way from Celendin i stopped at a small village where the market was in full swing on a saturday morning. I had a late breakfast while the candidates of the coming election and their supporters...
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Huayhuash
After arriving in Huaraz, i was starting with paul (here his account of the trek) on a bus at five the next morning. A breakfast break in chiquián and a rather rough ride to llamac later, we were ready...
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Huaraz – Lima – Arequipa
What looks like a bus schedule, is just that. One day i said goodbye to paul and sam and made my way to the bus terminal to catch a night bus to lima. I felt i had to decide in-between exploring the...
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old road to puno
From Arequipa i climbed on the old road to puno towards the altiplano. First with the misti volcano on one side towards the laguna de salinas. I didn’t make it all the way up that day and found a nice...
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Lago Titicaca
The ride through Puno and from there along the lake wasn’t that impressive. A construction site for kilometers on one lane and dust clouds in the face with every passing vehicle wasn’t helping either...
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La Paz
The first view of La Paz is an impressive one. Arriving in el alto, the city is lying in a huge bowl below. Humbert, another cyclist travelling with a guitar, and stephan rocking the casa. While...
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