BACKROADS • JUNE 2018
Page 37
Our hotel this night was run by two Ex-pat Americans from Alabama, by way of Chicago. They epitomized Steve Goodman’s song Banana Republic in every way and manner. Making small talk I asked… ‘Cubs or White Socks?’ I then got a pontification of the evils of professional sports and the inequality of Barbie dolls and actual human females. Yup, yup, yup…. This is why there are so many ex-pat bars in some of these towns. On a better note, we had a great surprise as Court and Sylvain, the owners of Freedom Tours, joined us here for the next few days. Tomorrow we would have a shorter day, as we would ditch the bikes in the afternoon for a canoe to head to our next destination, the headwaters of the Amazon.
Baños to the Ahuano – the beginnings of the Amazon If the last few days had been a thrilling two-wheel adventure this day would get the adrenaline going in a different way. Near Baños, the Rio Pastaza and her gorges have become a mecca for adventure-tourism and, like the last time we were riding in Ecuador, we would get a chance to soar with the condors as Freedom treated us to a zip-line run across the deep gorge with the Pastaza’s rocky rapids waiting below. All but a few took to the skies… but there was a catch. There is always a catch, isn’t there? There was no ride back, but a walk across the Ecuadorian Bridge of Death, consisting of a number of swaying steel cables and various tiny planks,
Baños is a town that refuses to let you sleep in. As the first bit of light clears the mountains the town, seeming to party way into the night, begins to awaken with barking dogs, trucks rolling by and the occasional loud 2stroke scooter with someone heading to work, even on a Sunday. Breakfast and a morning briefing and time to go.