INDIAN Solo Cycling in ECUADOR, Pole 53

Hello, Salaam, Sat Sri Akal and Ram Ram to everyone.

At the moment, I am in Ecuador, which is our 135th country. From here, I will be travelling from Cuenca to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. The capital is around 400-450 kilometres away, but since it is a mountainous region, it will take quite a bit of time. It will definitely take at least two or three days and may even take four or five days.

Today, I am starting my journey from here. It is 9th June today, and I have finally seen sunshine for the first time after spending three days here. I will probably reach Quito by the 11th or 12th of June.

Now I am mentally prepared to continue my journey because all the stress and disappointment of being robbed is finally behind me. I took proper rest for two or three days and am ready to move on.

Let me tell you about Ecuador’s visa process. Ecuador only offers an e-Visa. To get it, you must have a PCC (Police Clearance Certificate), and it must be apostilled. I contacted the Indian Embassy and got my PCC, but it was not apostilled. Then I spoke to people back in India and requested help from my friend, Somveer Bhai. After speaking with several people, I finally managed to get the Ecuador visa.

The processing time is usually more than 60 days. I also met the Ecuadorian Ambassador in Peru and requested him to make a phone call on my behalf. After his recommendation, I finally received my visa. I had forgotten to explain this in my previous video.

Now, let’s say goodbye to this beautiful city. Honestly, I haven’t seen such a beautiful city in a very long time. Arequipa in Peru was also beautiful, but this city is, in many ways, even more beautiful.

Everything looks empty today. I have mounted the camera in front of me so that I can keep talking to you while riding. Otherwise, it was becoming difficult to interact with you.

There is also a tram system in this city. I have stopped on the way at a shop owned by Rakesh Bhai, who is from India. Some beggars came here, but since he is not here, I will continue my journey. I had thought of introducing him to all of you before leaving.

One thing is very famous here – these hats that you can see everywhere. The lady here is also wearing one. These are called Panama Hats. Why are they called Panama Hats?

Back in 1915-1920, when the Panama Canal was being built, the President of the United States visited the site. Because of the extreme heat there, these hats were gifted to him. After that, they became famous as Panama Hats. However, the hats actually originated here in Ecuador. Their value is incredible – some of these handmade hats sell for between $500 and $1,000.

This entire market is full of handmade products.

Now we will head straight to the highway. I was telling you earlier that trams operate here. Look at this – it feels like being in Europe. Just look at the city.

And now, it looks like rain is coming again. Rain has been a big problem here.

Well, I have now left the city behind and will ride at full speed.

I can see that there are many showrooms of Chinese car companies here. Amazing!

Another interesting thing – this city is known as a “Retirement Paradise”. People from the USA and Canada who retire and receive pensions often come here to spend the rest of their lives.

I am now around 20-25 kilometres away from the city. The highway has been excellent so far. I have now turned towards a place called Babina.

I am going to eat some bananas and then continue. These are cardamom bananas. Ecuador produces a huge amount of bananas and is one of the world’s leading banana-producing countries. Most of the coastal region here is covered with banana plantations.

The weather is strange. It keeps drizzling and then suddenly stops.

After eating the bananas, I will continue because the views are absolutely amazing. I am slowly gaining altitude. Sometimes it rains, and sometimes it stops. I am actually afraid to take out my camera because I have already suffered enough damage. I only have one camera left. I also have a 360 camera, but I cannot really use it.

Today, we have to climb up to around 600 metres. My target for the day is 70 kilometres.

On the way, I met a man who advised me not to continue straight ahead. He told me about a historical site belonging to a local tribe that is worth visiting. It is about 10-15 kilometres away, so I decided to go there.

I am currently climbing a 401-metre ascent, but the views are absolutely stunning. Unlike Peru or Chile, which often felt empty, this place is full of houses and people.

Look at this beautiful valley. The scenery behind me was even more spectacular, but because of the rain, I couldn’t take out my camera.

There are also many ponds here. Soon we will descend from here. I am out of breath because we have already reached an altitude of about 3,400-3,500 metres above sea level.

Cuenca itself is at around 2,500 metres, and now we have climbed much higher. There is a town called Cañar about 20 kilometres ahead. I will visit this place and then continue.

From here, after a few kilometres, there will be a downhill section. I am really enjoying this ride.

Finally, the climb is over. There is quite a lot of traffic because this is the Pan-American Highway.

Soon we will turn off the highway and head towards that historical site. I wanted to show you this place because it is somewhat similar to Machu Picchu. I couldn’t show you Machu Picchu, so at least I can show you this place.

We have now left the highway. Just look at this beautiful house nestled in the mountains.

Oh no, it is going to rain again! The rain has really troubled me. I have already been soaked three times today.

In this region, potato farming is extremely common. They say Peru has more than a hundred varieties of potatoes – more than anywhere else in the world. Corn farming is also very important here.

Now I can see pine trees, which means we have climbed to quite a high altitude.

People here also keep horses, cows and sheep.

A dog suddenly came up behind me and scared me. I was riding fast, so I had to stop.

Every house here has cows. Look, they have tied one up there.

People have built their own ponds. Just look at this house and the view surrounding it. It is located right on the edge of the valley. The place is empty – I wish someone would simply give it to me; I would happily settle here!

The views are unbelievable.

All those people making fancy videos for Instagram would have endless content here.

Almost every house has its own pond. This house has a small pond, that one has a pond, and another one has a pond too. They use these ponds for farming potatoes.

This particular pond looks much larger. I think five or six families built it together.

And look over there – the clouds have descended below us.

My heart is full of joy after seeing such beautiful scenery. It has been an incredible experience.

Come on, my Dhanu, let’s keep going! I have wandered off onto different roads and, while getting lost, I ended up here.

Getting lost on these unknown paths, how wonderful they look! They are so beautiful and dear to my heart. These are truly breathtaking views.

Did you hear me singing a little there?

And since it’s all downhill now, it’s even more enjoyable. All the tiredness from the morning is slowly fading away.

A tiny little dog has come in front of me. Don’t bark, mate! The dogs here do bark a lot. This one is so small that you could put it in your pocket and take it with you.

I also saw a donkey. Donkey, donkey!

Talking about donkeys reminds me of something. This route was once used by people doing the “donkey route” migration. Many people used to travel through here illegally in the past. Nowadays, it has mostly stopped. These days, with all the policies introduced by Mr Trump, things have changed a lot.

I have arrived at a small village. Just as every village in India has a temple, every village here has a church.

These are people from the local tribes. They seem to have come back after selling milk.

Look, there are sheep too! Wow, these sheep are quite big.

I have reached the main road again. Ingapirca is only 3 kilometres away from here, and then there is another place about 2 kilometres ahead, so I still have around 5 kilometres to go. But I think there will be some mountain climbing involved.

I stopped on the way and had some yoghurt. I had packed some parathas and poured yoghurt over them. Rakesh Bhai makes homemade ghee here for sale, so I bought some from him.

Now just imagine this – in a country that many people consider dangerous like Ecuador, I am sitting on the highway eating parathas with yoghurt and homemade ghee. That’s quite an artistic thing to do, isn’t it?

And there stands my bicycle, Dhanu.

I am really enjoying this ride. If there were no safety concerns, this would be an absolutely wonderful country. The valleys are spectacular and the Andes Mountains are so green.

Food is done; now let’s continue.

I have come from that mountain and now I need to climb this one. My destination is only about 4-5 kilometres away. There is a tourist site there that I want to visit, and afterwards I need to descend another 15-20 kilometres on the other side.

I sat here and had my meal.

The sign says, “Ingapirca Archaeological Complex may be closed today.”

I have come from over there. I am at an altitude of around 3,340 metres above sea level, and I am completely exhausted.

Look, even here there are multi-storey covered structures. From here, this is the view. It seems that there is a funeral or cremation ceremony happening because many people are gathered there.

Take the left turn…

And there we are! We have reached Ingapirca, at an elevation of about 3,300 metres above sea level.

This is a historical site of the Inca tribe – you could call it a symbol or a remnant of the Inca civilisation that once lived here.

Wow, look at those paintings!

Turn right… turn left… the road is broken. I was supposed to go there, but now I will have to go around from the other side.

Dhanu, Dhanu, Dhanu…

The streets are made of huge carved stones. This is the main city centre of the Inca settlement. You could call it their Plaza de Armas.

So, we have reached Ingapirca. It is a historical site of the Inca civilisation.

This place remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and today is Monday. So, I will stop somewhere and fly my drone to show it to you from above.

In a way, this place is like a smaller version of Machu Picchu.

There were two tribes here. One was the Inca tribe, and I have forgotten the name of the other one. That tribe existed here before the 1500s, and gradually the Inca tribe took over their territory.

The Incas were very active and hardworking people. They cultivated large parts of the Andes Mountains and also created remarkable architecture.

They worshipped the Sun God and the Moon God, and many historical structures related to their beliefs still exist.

Around the 1600s, the Spanish arrived here and drove them out. Wherever the Incas had built their settlements, the Spanish built churches and gradually converted many of the Inca people to Christianity.

However, even today, many of them still follow their traditional beliefs alongside Christianity. They continue to practise their ancient customs and worship Pachamama, meaning Mother Earth, and the Sun God.

I will go a little further and fly the drone. I don’t think they will allow me to fly it from here.

The structure you can see in the centre is the Temple of the Sun. There is also a small museum nearby.

Normally, the place remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

I managed to fly the “bird” – meaning the drone – only this far. It was not allowed beyond that point, so I stopped.

Now we need to move on.

Initially, I thought I would stop in another town for the night, but I still have around two hours before sunset, which is at around 6 pm. So, I have decided to ride another 30-40 kilometres and reach the next town.

Originally, I planned to stay in the previous town, but since it’s mostly downhill now, I can easily cover another 30-40 kilometres.

Tomorrow, I should reach Riobamba.

So, let’s continue through the lap of these mountains.

Come inside, come inside! Stop barking unnecessarily. The dogs here are quite dangerous.

The clouds have now descended below us, and we are above them. The sky is below me, and I am above it. It feels like singing a song.

What beautiful scenery! You could sit here and admire it for hours.

Slowly, Dhanu, slowly.

What amazing views! I am at an altitude of around 3,400-3,500 metres above sea level.

Sometimes it starts drizzling and then stops. At times, the clouds become so thick that nothing is visible. I can hear someone cutting wood down in the valley below.

The houses here are very nice. So far, I have been quite impressed by the construction and quality of homes in Ecuador.

The image I had of Ecuador being poor, like Bolivia, is completely wrong. It doesn’t seem that poor at all. In fact, people here appear to be quite well-off.

A large number of Ecuadorians live in the United States. If you compare South American countries, Ecuador has one of the highest rates of migration to the US.

Come on, my Dhanu, keep moving joyfully through these mountains.

Oh my goodness! These speed breakers are enormous. They are even bigger than the famous speed breakers in Rohtak!

I have now reached Alausí. This hotel here offers a room for just $5.

I even had to bring all my luggage and bags into the room because I paid $15 for this place.

This is the bathroom, and this is the room.

I have taken a shower, and it is raining outside again. This is the town.

I am going to get something to eat and then have a proper rest.

There is a lot of traffic on this road.

I have reached Alausí today after travelling beyond Cañar.

I have now made some milk and am preparing porridge. I will eat the porridge and then sleep peacefully.

I couldn’t find much in the market, and because the rain became heavier, I came back quickly. I only have some bananas, so I will put them into the porridge. It will make a nice meal.

It is now 7 pm, and I have about an hour to edit the video because I plan to sleep by 10 pm tonight.

Tomorrow, I will leave early and enjoy the journey a little more.

So, that’s how the entire day went.

I am trying my best these days to upload one video every day for all of you.

Look, I have spread all my cycling equipment and luggage around the room.

So, I will end today’s video here.

Until next time, stay happy, stay busy, stay cheerful and stay healthy.

Jai Hind! Jai Bharat! 🇮🇳