Do I really need to go through Peru? Honestly, all I was interested in about this country, if anything, was visiting Machu Picchu. Not that I have not had enough exploring and climbing up countless interesting and beautiful ruins around the world but, let’s face it, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wonder of the World up in the Andes… I could spare some time! Other than that, nah, not so excited about this South American country.
How about visiting some remote Amazonian villages no one has ever been to? At least nobody that I know of. I did not know by then that the Amazon River actually originates in Peru. I had always related it to Brazil; which is one more good reason for me to travel, to learn geography and history through my own senses. Ever fantasized of navigating down the longest river in the world? I know some say it is the Nile, but I have not measured them myself yet. Wouldn’t you like to run into pink dolphins, hungry piranhas, exotic parrots, huge hairy tarantulas or noisy javelinas? To mention some of what we came across in this part of the world. Well, this was my chance!
Our research began by spotting two Peruvian “cities” with unpronounceable, hard to remember names on the map, somewhere between Pantoja and wherever it was the road would begin. Our minds quickly drifted into the possibility of interacting with real locals, diving deep into their culture, sharing ourselves with new Amazonian friends, enjoying nature at it’s fullest and getting to know Peru in a very, very unique way (which we did). What could beat the adrenaline of going down the Amazon River? (I will tell you soon enough). Yep, marvelous idea! A lot more interesting than the mere delight of an amazing 15th century Inca citadel in the middle of the Sacred Peruvian Valley, right?
Although I was thrilled, I feel that not enough investigation was done from my part. Not that you can find reliable online schedules, if any, for transfers down the Peruvian rivers, but I could at least have known in advance how tricky traveling was going to be. Instead of figuring all this out I… got distracted! I wandered around the steep narrow streets of Ecuador’s capital city, rejoicing in it’s fantastic colonial architecture, analyzing some scary religious paintings inside pretty churches, learning about this country’s rich history and appreciating it’s majestic volcanic surroundings… Oops!
Indigenous people must have been terrified by the threat of going to Hell. Those paintings I saw looked intense. In a much more modern version they would simply represent a scene of a normal sex club or party in “weird” Portland, crazy Vegas or maybe even my horny neighbour’s living room on a Saturday night, with the Devil being the host, bar tender or just a popular guest; but back in the 16th and 17th centuries… man did Hell look bad, bad, scary bad.
No wonder Catholicism got so many followers during and after Spanish colonization era in America. Fear does its job. Sorry for not sharing any pictures of those satanic paintings. Do know that it is forbidden, practically sinful, to take pictures inside most churches in Quito and, unfortunately, quite dangerous to take out your cell phones out on the street as well.
I had interesting moments ridding the public bus, called “articulado”, back and forth from Historic Centre to La Floresta, Mariscal, Guyasamin’s Museum, Carolina Park, among other attractions. Cherished days on my own that flew by in between art galleries, street vendors dressed in typical outfits, tasty quimbolitos, dry bolones and, oh…. I must say that, as much as I love Oaxacan and Chapanecan chocolate, Quito has the best hot cacao drinks and ice creams I have ever savoured. So rich and thick! Do try them if you ever visit. Republica del Cacao and Paccari Experience House are both delicious options for chocolate or non-chocolate lovers. Their products are varied, fresh and creative, yum!
Besides exploring the city, I had the fortune of spending precious time holding online therapy sessions. Just like I do on almost all my other travels nowadays, which I consider a blessing, I worked with people from various backgrounds and countries during this trip. Connecting with them touches my heart, adds meaning to my life and keeps me grounded. I listen to their stories, empathize with their pain, celebrate their joy and try to untangle the mystery of their struggles. I do honour the courage they have to acknowledge and validate their truth.
I think attending therapy, among other purposes, means wanting to go forward, deciding to improve your life, trusting there is a better way of embodying and manifesting our light. It is not always easy, nonetheless worth it. I have a bunch of tears rolling down as I write this. My patients say I contribute to their well-being. I hope I do, because on my side, interacting with them has contributed to me getting through bizarre internal and external situations that have involved quite a gamut of emotions, doubts, insights, hits, misses and happy moments of my own. I am grateful to each and every one of these dear people.
The view from the terrace or from the cute tiny balcony on the second floor of the penthouse on Benalcazar Street is phenomenal! I like to sneak out in between each session to feel the cool breeze at 2850 metres above sea level. It overlooks the Historic Centre, with the neo-gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional on one side and the Winged Virgin on the other. It was fun grabbing a taxi up to El Panecillo hill with my chico and two of his friends to visit the site. The Water Museum, which we did next, was not impressive at all. They do say, however, that Quito’s water used to be one of the purest drinkable ones in the country. I would doubt so these days!
Rain begins to fall as I relax out on the terrace. The cloudy mountains sheltering this UNESCO World Heritage jewel are tempting me. I am patiently waiting for a sunny morning to hike up the Rucu Pichincha Volcano and put my very basic climbing skills into practice.
Wasn’t I going to drive into Peru though? Yes. No… Amazon River adventure up ahead, so, I could not drive into the country (almost not out of it either). I had to navigate into it! Instead of riding south from Quito, down to gorgeous Cuenca, to then approach Cusco by either the coast line or through the mountain range, we opted for the river route that would take us straight into the Peruvian jungle.
Luckily for me, my partner did come up with some suspicious advice from one of his friends, who had never been in the area himself. This friend sounded enthusiastic enough for us to take his words as an uncertain point of reference and sketch a plan for the days to come.
After paying a touristy yet amusing visit to the Intinan Site Museum, doing fun experiments of the zero Coriolis effect on parallel 0 and getting our passports stamped at this famous equator spot, we went on our way. We drove east, leaving the impressively high altitude farming behind us, to drop down into Coca, the gate of our rain-forest escapade.
Those particular Ecuadorian landscapes were truly astounding. I am not sure how people manage to live up there, let alone planting crops and harvesting them at four thousand metres or more above sea level. Aren’t we humans extraordinary? I bet people in the Andes have adapted by mixing some llama or alpaca genes with their own. In any case, we were smiling past those beautiful fields, eager to photograph tribes, caimans and more.
Our first goal in Coca, capital of the Orellana province in eastern Ecuador, was to find a boat that would take both of us and our… oh!… Have I mentioned we were on a 2012 Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 all the way from Bogota, Colombia? In fact, Miguel had driven this motorcycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Not in one go, of course, plus it had been stuck in Panama City for nearly three years due to Covid restrictions. Pauses in time did not take away any miles from it. We had ridden together part of Mexico and Guatemala on this same bike years before and he now had the pleasure of having me on the back of his motorcycle once more! Hee, hee, hee! Yep, I am a happy pillion and I love it.
Most motorcyclists would probably disagree with me on this one, but riding on the back is super fun. Except when we drive over unexpected speed bumps or potholes. Even if my chico is pretty good at calling them out for me, some roads are just a big piece of Gruyere cheese. If I am not paying attention to the road in front of us, I might miss the coming potholes and hurt my spine as I fly up in the air to land hard right back on the seat. Ouch!
A passenger on a motorcycle needs to stay fully alert! No more falling asleep like I once did on my first trip to Edinburgh (only for a few minutes on the straight toll road though, the rest was truly curvy, absolutely gorgeous and green. Impossible not keep my brown eyes opened with delight).
I guess driving on sand is also tough on an adventure bike with two up. Specially if I cannot see when it’s time to stand up on the foot pegs, or if there are no handle bars to hold on to on the back (not on this nice blue Yamaha, of course, I am referring to a rental bike we rode in warm sweaty Uzbekistan on miserable tarmac roads. A very different venture).
I do however, tend to forget about all the bumpiness. I live every road trip with great attitude and so far no real damage has occurred. Therefore, I have loved them all. Hopefully it will continue this way. I enjoy the back of the bike! Besides… What would I know about being in control of the bars at the front? Handling the clutch, brakes, gas, keeping the balance and making sure your pillion isn’t standing up at the wrong time while singing or taking picture number thirteen of the same waterfall she spots on the way?
The only time I’ve driven a motorized two wheel transport myself, was back in Cozumel Island a couple of decades ago. It seemed pretty simple til we approached a truck and nearly crashed into it. That was the end of my driving lessons. Well, perhaps I will try it again sometime.
Motorcycling is always a risk, not a small one. My then fellow traveller almost had a heart attack and so did the truck driver. We took the moped right back to the rental place and went snorkeling in turquoise waters instead. Lots of colourful marine life back then. Second largest coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier in Australia!
Almost back at sea level, two hundred and nighty seven kilometres away from Quito, we arrived at El Coca. This small city, also known as Francisco de Orellana, is the door to one of the most bio-diverse places on Earth: Yasuni National Park. For us, two adventurous, excited and thirsty travellers, it was the beginning of our Amazonian journey, plus the precedent to an unheralded Peruvian encounter which I will now begin to write about!