Day 148 – Banos, EC to Loja, EC

Day 148 – Banos, EC to Loja, EC      01/16/11      Mileage: 382

My hotel room overlooked the Sunday local market, so before I hit the road I went over to have a look around. Even though I’ve been to many of these local markets now, I’m still always amazed by the quantity, quality and variety of the fresh produce.

Fresh whole pig…it’s whats for breakfast…

I bought one of those delicious croissant like rolls….the price, 12 cents.

After my walk around the market I packed the bike and split town. It was basically a straight bomb down the Pan American, which I often try to avoid in lieu of for more interesting roads. But much of this section of the Pan American was supposed to be a very scenic and fun to ride, and it was! The only thing slowing me down was the pea soup fog I was in and out of all day long. The following 6 helmet cam shots were taken at 1 minute intervals…

Thick…

Thicker….

Thickest!

So when the fog wasn’t blocking the scenery, here’s what the view from the road looked like….

After pulling into Loja I found a room, for $8, and then went out for some dinner. Being Sunday night, it seemed there was only fast food joints open, so instead I went to the market for some groceries and went back to the room. I also stumbled on an blue law in Ecuador…and that is you can’t buy beer, wine or booze after 4pm on Sunday. I tried to buy a few beers at the market, but got the wave off by the cashier. WTF…are they trying to make sure everyone get’s to work on Monday? Luckily though, I carry a bottle of Jack D for just such an emergency…   😉

Parting Shot: A heavenly day of riding….