CYCYLING TRIP COMPLETE! (Kind of)

Well, so after Tena I was going to have one or two more days on the bike, to Baeza and Pappecta respectively. I did not feel that I needed to climb all the way back to Quito (10,000 feet) and there were really big passes on both of these trips anyway.

Now, Tena was fantastic. I wrote about it some already, I think, and as I mentioned it is a huge mecca for white water rafting and kayaking. And there was this local competition on Saturday which was a relay of running, biking, kayaking and tubing. I think the tubing aspect was pretty funny concept, actually. Anyway, it was required that you have at least one girl compete on your team (which is actually why I think they includided the tubing...machismo latinos, if you will). So I knew about this competition, and people had been trying to get me to participate (biking, obviously) all week, and I had steadfastly refused. Biking to Baeza, was the mantra. I needed time to wrap Jake with care, which meant being back early on Sunday at the latest (7 am flight Monday), and clearly needed to bike to Baeza, since this was the orginal plan (Pappellecta was a maybe).

Well, so this guy, Jaime, that I had been hanging out with for a couple days and had been trying to get me on his team for Saturday propositioned that if I would stay for the competition on Saturday, he would bike WITH me to Baeza on Friday, we could return by bus, compete Saturday, and then I could take an early bus on sunday to Quito.

I was already slightly considering not boxing Jake, at this point. Mostly because it seemed like a headache, I thought maybe I would´'t have to, and he is more likely to be damaged in a box. And then also I could go rafting with Jaime the next day (Thurday), which was fun. And a day on the river where I would hopefully not be being beaten by one of the whirlpools was really welcome! So the plan is beginning to look pretty good. Mainly becuase (a) I think it really funny that I could pop into an event in Ecuador and (b) biking with someone definately wasn't an unpleasant alternative. Especially becuase even though I knew it was only 80 km, there was a HUGE pass and it was all really reeally bad dirt and stone road, except whwhere they were constructin cobblestone, which can be worse, I guarantee. Company is nice on hard days is my new conclusion in life!

Well, Friday morning it is POURING rain...and by pouring, I mean torrential. Sheets. Blocks. Incredible amounts. Like the worst rain storm you have ever seen. The upside was that when it rains that hard, usually it doenst rain that long. So our plans to leave at 6ish were foiled, but by 8 things were looking pretty good and we were on the road by 9 or 10.

Now, Jaime didn't realize that I had eaten breakfast, why this would influence if he does, I am still confused. But as I mentioned, it is 80 Km, all on dirt, the first 60 or so uphill. No--the first 10 were flat actually, then the next 50 were uphill. Of course I eat breakfast. So we are going along, going along, sunny day, fantastic. But he is clearly getting tired a bit too fast and early. --I have to add here that he has apparantly won all these kayaking races and championships, etc, and rightfully considers himself in really good condition I am sure, but is a bit put off that I am not feeling tired and am faster.

Breakfast would still be helpful, however. Anyway, so I end up waiting for awhile at one point (my bike most definately gives me an advantage, I am sure as well), near a store, where one could clearly get food, etc. He pulls up--we have I think gone less than 25 Km at this point, even though the last 15 were pretty tough. He is exhausted, this is not boding well. There is not much of a selection, but he declines getting anything from the restaraunt down the road, so with a few crackers and a long rest we are on our way.

A couple other stops, I am still thinking that if we plan on getting there anytime before nightfall, he better eat some breakfast, lunch something. But he thinks he's fine without food so we keep continuing on The day continues on until sometime around 4ish I'd say.

Well, it's pretty steep, and our stops are definatley getting closer together. So Jaime pulls over and gets off his bike in a little flat part in the road, where there is a bus stop-shelter thing, kind of. You can tell he is despartely in need of food-- I am in need of a little something as well (I just don't seem to carry cliff bars with me here!), but am clearly in much better state than him.

We had been told that there was a store not too far away, so thinking that we must be close, I of course offer to go and get some food and bring it back quick. After a bit, Jaime agrees that maybe this is a good plan --he is visably shaking, and getting to be pretty out of it, at this point. So I leave him, (turn back to see him laying down in the road and head up. And up. And up. I am really hoping this store is coming along soon.

Finally (well, not that long, really, but maybe 25 or 30 minutes), I see a house/shack sitting back from the road with a sign that announcing that it sells cheese! Fantastic! Not so fantastic is that it seems deserted. Well, I find the women, who quite honestly is looking at me pretty dubiously as to why I arrived here on a bike, not to mention the fact that I am covered in dirt and sweat. Always a pretty picture, I like to think.

Well, I convince her to sell me just a portion of cheese (it took a lot of convincing that I was not going to buy 2 lbs...I would give you a breakdown of the 25 minutes I ended up being at the store, and the conversations therein, becuase it is pretty entertaining, but this is already getting a bit lengthy), some canned tuna, crackers, and a couple of cokes. This was the best I could do to cover salt, sugar, carbs, protein, etc.

Off I go, back down. Now, a smarter Meghan would not have left her backpack with Jaime, but would have brought it in order to carry the food (This is why I didn{t want to purchase the 2 lbs of cheese). But, apparantly, I am not the smarter Meghan. Since it is really, really rocky, and downhill, I fully need my hands on both brakes, and it doesn't work to hang the bags from my handlebars, so instead, I tie them to my sports bra, one one each side. Though heavy and cumbersome, this works pretty well, but of course the coke is in old school glass bottles so they are clanking against eachother, and due to my positioning they are also clanking against the metal stem. Did I mention lots of rocks?


Ok, so now I attempting to careen down the damn the mountain (big ass hill? I don't know what you call it), with two black bags hanging off my front, making a racket clanging around, and what better to join me then a gang of barking dogs? 5 of them surrounding me. Sweet. A grand parade.

But I made it. I was glad to see that Jaime had moved from being sprawled in the road to the bench, which I thought was probably a good move. He initially thought I brought him back a beer, based on the banging glass, and wasn't overly impressed. But he did prove very receptive to the coke, tuna and cheese.

It was 5:30 by this time, however. Baeza wasn't going to happen, I am afraid. We watched the sun set over the hills from our perch and waited for a passing pickup or bus. A pretty entertaining day, altogether-- he was able to laugh about it as well by the time we were en route home.

Though I did leave my helmet on the bench. Damnit.