12.06.2017 The day before leaving Baños, Christine, Jules and I walked the town and the outskirts. The cemetery was an interesting layout I've not seen before. It's like a small town with houses for the dead and their families. There are streets and blocks, the buildings looking different, the niches filled with those passed on and empty spots for the remainder. It's like a white city of the dead, a continuation of life where you move into your next home a few blocks up the w

12.08.2017 Walking the main area of Cuenca, I was happy to find a city that wasn't obnoxious, but instead was beautiful and fairly tranquil. The main plaza was filled with people and the large cathedral was one of the most beautiful I've yet been in. It was monstrously large and one of the more impressive from this trip. When I first walked into the back of the cathedral, a strong incense seemed to be in the air... until I realized the foggy mist was, in fact, aerosol spray

12.16.2017 The bike had left a good size oil puddle in the dining room of the hotel the first night, but afterwards didn't leak another drop. Miracles happen, but I wasn't dumb enough to think the oil seal had healed itself. The search for a solution to a very big dilemma began. Michnus told me Kevin Chow, a friend and fellow adventurer on a BMW similar to mine, had had a main seal failure in Quito a few weeks earlier. A local shop there, MotoHell, had done a great job workin

12.21.2017 With the motorcycle broken down and waiting for parts, I had plenty of time for some street photography. Here's a few more images from my wanderings in Cuenca. #Cuenca #Ecuador #Adventure #Travel #Photography #Motorcycle

12.24.2017 In my wanderings and walks to Mojeron Moto to stare forlornly at my bike, I'd run across a little restaurant tucked away on a side street. It turned out to be run by a local who'd worked in Chicago for 10 years, and on his return to Cuenca had opened a US style eatery. The bar portion was run by a Canadian expat lady and they dished up some ribs and barbecue sauce for me. Dang tasty and a nice break from local rice dishes. The upshot was, I got invited to an expat

12.31.2017 In Ecuador, people celebrate New Year's Day in a very original way. At the end of the year, individuals take a set of their clothes and stuff them with newspapers, creating a dummy of themselves, complete with a papier-mâché mask of their likeness. At night or during the day, they burn the doll with friends and family, each of the witnesses jumping over the flames once or more. I had been invited to a combination birthday party and New Years celebration last night.

1.04.2018 After a month of time spent in Cuenca, due to the conflux of the motorcycle breakdown, parts shipped in from the US and the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, I was absolutely spent from the stress, worry and expenses. My timeline was now a month behind to reach Ushuaia before the ice and snow, which meant I would not be able to explore or enjoy many places I'd wanted to. I will admit to considering ending the trip entirely, in moments of depression and frustration,