The weather changed drastically and I got greeted by a beautiful sunny morning in the mountains. I was really tempted to stay longer at the magical place and do some hiking around the area but “unfortunately” I had a tight schedule and needed to be back in Lima already the next week.
I took the chance to drive back to the lagoon and apparently this time I was lucky. When reaching the top of the volcano the previously grey wall was gone and the whole beauty of the crater got visible.
The sunshine was magically dancing on the little waves of the water and took me mysteriously into its ban.
I simply would have loved to do a trek around the crater and to soak up all the landscape and atmosphere but again… time is still a precious good even during a long term travel.
Back again on the road I was following the so called Quilotoa loop which brought me along a nice canyon and amazing mountainous landscapes back to the panamericana.
After a visit of the small town of Saquisili and its apparently beautiful morning market (which was in fact a disappointment) I continued to the volcano Cotopaxi which is one of the highlights of Ecuador. When cars have no issues to drive up to the base camp it is unfortunately a problem for motorbikes. Disappointed I was leaving again the foot of the volcano but not without trying to bribe the national park guide…. without success!!!! LOL!!!! I was becoming a gangster trying to make “shortcuts”. Guess the bribe was not high enough to change the mind… next time I will do better… with a 4×4 :p
The second half of my day trip lead me from the Andes down to the Amazon, from the mountains to the jungle, from the cold to the hot and humid. It was incredible to feel the change in the landscape and I could have sweated to be in a different country again. I peeled off my layers of clothes and suddenly started to sweat while driving on the “Amazonia” through the lush ever green rain forrest.
I was planning to stay in a jungle lodge in a town called Archidona which I arrived after approx. driving for 30 minutes deep into the heart of the Amazon. The road was nothing else but a narrow path full of gravel and rocks which made driving with my road tires another challenge which I luckily mastered. Arriving there I found an amazing resort in the middle of nowhere and not only the accommodation was a surprise but also the price of 80 Dollars. I decided to skip the jungle experience (I actually had them already in Asia a lot) and wanted to try if I could still reach Banos.
It remained a wish even though the road was in perfect condition and I highly enjoyed the curvy experience in the jungle. There was simply not enough time left for the day and the while the last sunshine of the day reached the mystical rainforest I found a nice hostel in Puyo where I was staying for the night.
Luckily I did not drive further since shortly thereafter it was literally pouring down cats and dogs. It just did not stop and I was already scared for the next morning.
