8 Mar 2002 – 14 Mar 2002
Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador (Us) Panama City, Panama - Bogatar, Columbia - Qutio, Ecuador (Motorcycles)
The modern week-by-week edition
Arrived in South America, but without our motorbikes.
We spent a couple of days in a hostel chilling, meeting people, and making daily trips to customs to see if our bikes were ready to be released. Our bike took the scenic route to Quito, via Bogota.
Goneriden
This week’s route
Road sections use current OpenStreetMap roads · ferry and flight legs are direct guides
Week 19 in the full journey
The preserved 2002 maps provide full-trip context while the modern interactive journey map is developed.
Memorable moment
Quito and customs delays
Having settled nicely into Quito for a few days, it was time now to concentrate on retrieving our bikes from customs. Unfortunately, after a trip to the airport on Friday, it was brought to our attention that our bikes had been delayed in Bogata, Columbia, and they would not be ready to pick up until Wednesday. The previous stories we had heard about delays were becoming obviously apparent.
On Tuesday we met Ricardo Rocco, who has an evident passion for riding; the Ecuadorian businessman could only confirm the fact that our delay was just part of the process. However, the following day he took the time to make sure we had the correct paperwork, including getting us a letter from the Ministry of Tourism in Ecuador stating that we were only transiting with our bikes. Ricardo also took the time to meet us at customs to make sure the ball was rolling.
The next day, Thursday, we learnt that we needed one more signature and the bike again would be ours, but the appropriate signee was at lunch and wasn't returning until 2.00 pm. Once 4.00 pm came around, we were informed that the signee was apparently not coming back today and we would indeed have to go home bikeless once again, only to return tomorrow and try again.
Original Week 19 accountPictures of the week
Quote of the week"Your bikes will be ready to pick up on Saturday" - Copa Cargo Personnel - Panama
"The plan broke down so your bikes will be ready to pick up on Wednesday" - SAR Cargo Personnel - Quito
"Your bikes will be ready to pick up on Thursday" - Customs Agent
"Your bikes will be ready to pick up on Friday" - Customs officer
CompetitionTo see who could watch the most movies in a row in the hostel lounge room.
There was no winner, as this behaviour proved us both to be losers.
HighlightMeeting Ricardo Rocco and having the privilege of sharing his own stories about his motorcycle adventures.
Apart from allowing us to pick his brain for knowledge of highlights around South America, he showed a willingness to help us in any way possible.
Risk activityAfter 19 weeks of riding everywhere, we suddenly had to rely on public transport. Catching the right bus, with its stops advertised in Spanish, was a little overwhelming, but it didn’t prove to be a huge hurdle in the end.Risk factor1/10
LowlightHaving already spent 2 days in customs and looking forward to riding with Ricardo and his friends on Thursday night to a fashion show, we learnt that we could not have our bikes for yet another day.
To rub salt into the wounds, while leaving customs we saw our bikes outside, ready to go. We had the keys and could have almost just taken them, but decided the consequences may have been too severe.
Road tallyThe road tally this week was our trusted riding gear, thrown into a cupboard and completely neglected for a total of 10 days.
Week 19 photo diary
The mosaic follows the numbered sequence in date-and-time order. Select any image for its full-screen view and comment.