Panama & Ecuador Norte

After our last post from the south of Costa Rica, we couldn't have been more satisfied with our experiences in Central America. However, we cannot deny that we are not easily affected mentally and physically. We are still suffering by this extreme heat and the high humidity. We no longer know how dry clothes feel on the skin. This year's El Niño has it so much in itself that sometimes even the monkeys fall dead from the trees.

We are quite battered and decide to take the remaining 600 km to Panama City by bus. On the evening of arrival, we stand in front of an impressive glowing skyline at the south end of North America - what a milestone!

"The Trip to Panama" - Janosch's story about the little bear and the little tiger also applies to us in the coming days. Because just like the two fabulous animals, we also faced some challenges. We both got a very bad cold at first and lay down with a fever in a small holiday apartment. After two weeks, it slowly got better and we finally made it to the famous Panama Canal. With the "Marine Traffic" app, we saw when a really large vessel crosses the 80 km long shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific.

We got to know Panama City well in the coming days.

For almost three weeks we have now been involuntarily in the most humid city in the world. We are still not really healthy and we have long since given up the hope that our long overdue DHL package with our winter sleeping bags will arrive. Since there is no road connection between North and South America, we need a flight. Our next destination was supposed to be Colombia, but we definitely didn't want to sweat the first half close to sea level again. On the second half, unfortunately, a highlight is the Death Road "trampoline de la muerte" closed, which also bent us quite a bit. So we got two bicycle boxes and booked a flight to Quito, the capital of Ecuador.

The first days in Ecuador we recovered from our still stuck cold in a beautiful hostel with many funny hummingbirds in the garden. For the flight, two new winter sleeping bags, a new rain jacket and new tires for the bikes, the holiday fund was just lighter by 2,200 euros. We really like the city of Quito on approx. 2,850 meters of altitude - the climate so high and close to the equator is a dream!

We start again with the bikes in the north of Ecuador in the border city of Tulcán. The Trans Ecuador mountain bike route of Cass Gilbert, we have been looking forward to it for a very long time. A lot of nature, many mountains, no smelly mopeds and trucks and few people. The first day it went steeply uphill to 3,700 meters in altitude, it was cold, it was raining cats and dogs but we were as happy as we have not been for a long time. We definitely feel more at home in these elements. Our new sleeping bags are awesome on the cool nights.

At night it rained so heavily that even a giant earthworm sought shelter under our tent. He was at least 50 cm long. An Andean buzzard has been waiting in the distance for us to leave our campsite.

The next day, our endorphin level continued to rise. We come to the Reserva Ecológica El Ángel. The Páramo landscape (alpine highland steppes of humid tropical-equatorial mountains) covered with its Frailejones was beautiful. It rained all the time and if we didn't balance the wheels through mud, we rode in a mountain stream.

The higher we climbed, the less our brakes worked. They must have drawn some air over the last few months and at almost 4,000 meters of altitude where the air is now expanding in the closed system, it became our doom. Fortunately, we were able to take a bus in the next village to a larger city where we found fresh mineral oil. Syringe and an inlet hose from the pharmacy and we were able to throw the anchor again.

The long descent down to 1,000 meters of altitude was incredibly impressive in terms of scenery. Some slopes are poison green. But we think that the photos don't say how beautiful it was for our eyes.

It goes up to the Cotacachi-Cayapas National Park. It was described as the highlight of the entire tour and although the elevation profile looks scary, it was urged not to skip this section. It was very cloudy the first day. In the beginning, everything was still very overgrown and also easy to ride. We also passed a small coffee plantation.

From the small village of La Merced de Buenos Aires it became more and more steep and from the remaining 30 km to the summit at 3,900 meters of altitude, we pushed at least two thirds.

Arriving above the tree line, there was the reward, the landscape was incredibly impressive. But since it looked like rain, we set up our tent pretty quickly. It also got quite cold.

It rained lightly all night, but in the morning, just in time for sunrise, the sky was cloudless and we were able to marvel at a great play of colors all morning.

After a long descent, we checked into a hostel in the next village of Cotacachi. Unfortunately, we stayed there for a whole week. Felix got a high fever and diarrhea. We basically filter our water and we also use chlorine tablets against viruses, but unfortunately something like that happens.

Since Felix could not leave the room, Michelle took care of the food in the meantime.

After the intestinal restart with antibiotics and probiotics, the route continue to the Cotopaxi. We are also crossing the equator in Ecuador. Michelle had a bad day on this stage, Felix waited for what felt like an eternity in the southern hemisphere, where Michelle was still doggy around in the northern hemisphere.

With 5,897 m, Cotopaxi is the second highest mountain in Ecuador and one of the highest active volcanoes on earth. It was already visible from far away. Most of the time it goes uphill on uneven cobblestones.

Cotopaxi was shrouded in clouds most of the time, but from time to time it showed its impressive glaciers. We liked the landscape in the national park of the same name. We found a campsite with a view.