The temperatures during the day hovered around 90°F/33°C. I was riding in a valley between two of the Andes ranges. It would start to get rainy and chilly by riding days four and five. As the elevation started to increase before the border, the temperatures started to drop. Then it felt like I rode into a cloud, and the chilling light rain started. Just before the border, at a elevation of almost 10,000 ft, I stopped to see something really cool.
Just outside of the town Ipiales is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Las Lajas. The current church was built between 1916 and 1914, with donations from local churchgoers. From town you walk down many stairs into the canyon. At elevation the walk down wasn’t too bad. I had my rain gear still on over my other gear. It wasn’t warm, but I was sweating. I made it down to the church level and took a few pictures. Then it started to rain and I looked back up to where I had come from. It was to be a steep climb. I was at about 3200 meters and was already sweating and out of breath. Taking off my rain gear and jacket, i deciding I’d rather be wet. One boot in front of the other. I just kept counting to one hundred, then starting over. One finger on my neck feeling for a pulse. Not dead yet, I thought. I finally made it back up. Finding a small cafe I sat down for a warm coffee. I wanted to dry off and recover before getting on the bike and riding back up to the main road.
As the legend has it, a mother and daughter were caught in a storm in this area in 1754. During the storm, the daughter said, ‘The Virgin is calling me’. She pointed to the rock where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen. They always kept quiet about this vision, until the daughter died. The mother returned to this place to pray for her daughter’s soul and the virgin miraculously revived Rosa. On the rock wall at the back of the church, behind the altar, is a image of the Virgin. No one knows where that came from. The church spans the canyon of the Guáitara River. It is a very popular site for Pilgrims and tourists alike.
The border into Ecuador was just a short distance later. Getting my passport stamped leaving Colombia was a quick 5 minute process. I rode through the frontier to the Ecuador checkpoints and asked where to go next. They pointed down the road so I continued on. Next thing I knew I was on a one-way road for about 5 km that led to the next town. It was then that I realized I was in Ecuador, illegally. Finding a cut across, I headed back to the border. Just as I was coming to the border I saw a couple police and stopped my motorcycle. I told them that I had missed the Ecuadorian checkpoint and was in the country illegally. They just laughed and pointed to where I had to go. Getting off the bike and went in and got my passport stamped. Then it got funny. I went to the window to get my motorcycle stamped into Ecuador. Of course the young girl at the window didn’t speak English. We tried to communicate, but to no avail. Then the app Google translate came in to play. We ended up both laughing and another girl, her boss, joined us. We had got to the point where they needed to check the license tag and the bike’s serial numbers. The problem was I had no idea where the bike was by then. I had to retrace my steps to figure out where I had left the motorcycle. We finally got all the paperwork finished. I was again legal. The window of the office had stickers of many travelers on it. I asked if it would be okay to place my 2WANDRRs sticker on the window. The answer was a resounding, ‘Yes’!
I rode into Ibarra and found a little hotel on the outskirts of town. Taking advantage of the rain not falling, I wandered down the street to find a market. I bought a beer, some ham and a small package of cheese. This snack would also end up being my supper for the night. I would eat this gourmet meal with my hot sauce that I carry on the bike.
The next morning I realized I had just passed an overlanders oasis, Finca Sommerwind. On iOverlander it is described as a wonderful place run by a German man. Curious, I rode over for breakfast. It’s a great spot for camping with tiny houses and rooms also available for rent. There is also a great restaurant and real German beers. I had a delicious German style breakfast and sat a chatting with the owner for a bit. Buying a good German Dunkle beer for later, I stuffed it in my tank bag and headed out to explore. I had all day to get to the hotel and pick up Melanie from the airport. She was flying in and we were headed to HU Ecuador south of Quito. She had just had a shitty several days. She ate Italian food every dinner, the only place that would sometimes deliver. She was waiting for me to get to Ecuador and then join me. The last day at her hotel in Colombia, the Italian Restaurant was closed. The girl at the desk was no help at all and didn’t care if she went hungry or not. She was rescued by a young couple from Medellin that spoke English and were also staying there. They also came to her rescue the next day when her UBER driver canceled for her trip to the airport. Thanks, Milema Santamaria and partner.
I had two stops to make. One to a amazing looking lake in the mountains which motorcycles went allowed to visit. That was disappointing. Also the four police checkpoints coming out of the mountains. Not difficult, just a bother. Stop, papers out, check numbers and a friendly goodbye. Don’t know what they were looking for, but it wasn’t a gringo on a bike. The next stop was Mitad del Mundo, the Middle of the World. This is a monument at a place where the equator crosses in Ecuador. I was in and out, just choosing to get some picture and return at a later time.
After checking into the hotel I went to the airport to get Melanie. In the morning we would be headed off to Horizon’s Unlimited, Ecuador. She in an UBER, because of her knee injury, and I on the bike. Hopefully after the event we will get to Cuenca to get an MRI to see what’s up.
Cheers,
2WANDRRs
2WANDRRs 
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