I spent tow nights in Quito with my friend Fabian. He is a passionate biker too, a photographer and he writes travel books of Ecuador and South America. His next project is to travel the same loop through the Guyanas and Amazon as I did, and so we could exchange useful tips for our next days. Also, while I was on the Galapagos Islands, Fabian brought my smashed boxes to a welder who repaired them.

Since Colombia I drive again on the official Panamericana, and now I regularly meet other bikers and cyclist who travel part, or the entire route.  The Ecuadorian roads are mostly in excellent condition, lead through nice landscapes, most of the time at altitudes around 3000 meters. From a bikers point of view this is the best I had so far.

I spent the night in Cuenca, the third biggest town in Ecuador.

During the Inca period Cuenca  was their most important city after Cusco. But when the Conquistadores discovered the city it was all in ruins. This led them to think that the inhabitants burned it down on purpose and that this was actually the famous El Dorado.

Later the Spaniards built a beautiful city here, and the historical center, classified by Unesco, is a real jewel. Besides many other impressive buildings is the new cathedral crowned by three blue domes. The two towers from the main entrance have no domes though and look a bit unachieved. This is due to a calculation error of the architect. If these towers would have been built following his plans, the whole building would have been too heavy for its foundations and would have collapsed…