23k south of San Ignacio to Peru-Ecuador border: Out of Peru at last


Map
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Statistics for today
Distance 72.82 kms 45.36 miles
Climbed 1,644 meters 5,394 feet
Ride time (hours) 7.25 -
Avg speed 10 kph -
Avg climb 4% -
Max grade 11% -
Statistics for trip to date
Distance 11,499.32 kms 7,145.15 miles
Climbed 125,804 meters 412,743 feet
Ride time (hours) 911.34 -
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Wednesday, June 5th, 2013

It was 10k from the campsite to a small pueblo where I had breakfast and answered a barrage of questions from the restaurant owners' 7 year-old son. Breakfast consisted of fried meat and yuka. From there began an 800 meter climb towards San Ignacio with a healthy dose of mud and construction work. I had to keep stopping to clear the mud out from under the front fender. I made it into San Ignacio around 12:30, did some shopping, then headed to the market for lunch. I had a spirited discussion about racism with the owner of the lunch stand and 2 guests. When I met the Irish cyclist yesterday he said that he understood hardly any Spanish and that when people yelled stuff at him he just smiled and waved... I think a total lack of Spanish is a big advantage in Peru (and Bolivia), if you know what people are saying it's ugly. At any rate I'm almost out of this country and I doubt I will be back.

Another big climb out of San Ignacio but part of it was paved. At the border the exit stamp process was a no-brainer. When I crossed the bridge into Ecuador it was already getting dark, so I asked the Ecuadorian police if I could camp there. They said no problem, I could set up in an unfinished building next to the police station. They stamped me into Ecuador then I spent a while shooting the shit with the policemen. It's a pretty dead border crossing. No one else came through except for a Colombian guy on foot who told the cop a long story about how he had lost his papers. The cop just said "I never saw you" and waved him through... Later on when I made dinner it became a big event. All the police and customs agents came over and watched me, fascinated by the stove.

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The chunk of the ceiling fell in the Ecuadorian immigration office.
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Morning on the river
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"We can live without gold, but not without water. No to mining!"
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The debate team at the San Ignacio market.
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Leaving San Ignacio
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Coffee drying under the watchful eyes of a chicken.
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Camping in an unfinished building next to the Ecuadorian immigration office. My tent only has one support pole so setting it up on cement involves putting down lots of rocks to keep the tent up.