I awoke this morning with some trepidation that my covid test results had not arrived. A negative pcr test within 4 days of entering the islands is required. A quick stop at a Walgreens to take the test in Charlotte before going to the airport was the plan. Almost three days and counting and nothing in the inbox. When I finally worked up the courage to look, there it was. Hallelujah! And it was negative as expected, no false positives today please! At the airport, I faced the inquisition while in line to get my tourist card. Negative covid test, check. A document issued by a hotel I’m staying at and stamped by the government, check. Medical trip insurance, check. Return flight ticket, check. Ready to get the tourist card, check. And finally pay the $100 fee for the national park upon arrival, check. I felt like Dorothy going to see the wizard to grant my wish. Jeez, traveling ain’t like it used to be. And I, like many of you, remember just walking to the gate unimpeded and having friends and family meet you at the gate upon arrival. Don’t tell millennials how it was or they will look at you like you’re crazy!

Sorry, got off on a tangent there. I am here on San Cristobel, the first of three of the four inhabited islands that I’ll visit. The airport is close, a $2 taxi ride to town. The other airport I will be flying out of requires a half hour drive, a ferry to a smaller island, and then shuttle to the airport. Well, that is because the airport was built during WWII by the US. The terminal was recently built to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Recycled steel columns from oil drilling platforms in the Amazon were used and it is powered by wind and solar. Sorry again, another tangent.

The waterfront of San Cristobel has an abundance of sea lions. They are everywhere, on the rocks, on the sidewalks, on the beach. You just walk around them. And they make a lot of weird noises. They seem to leave people alone for the most part, which is good since they have lots of sharp teeth, I walked to the nicer beach just outside of town and really fell in love with them as a watched a mother and child frolicking in the water among the rocks. Seriously, I believe they put on a show for us and did some intentional posing for pictures.

Speaking of mother and child, I stumbled upon a fish cookout put on by the fisherman of the island in honor of Mother’s Day. It is annual event where they barbecue tons of pompano, make up a tub of salsa, and throw in some yucca root for a scrumptious dinner that is free to all. It was delicious! I felt like I arrived and immediately became part of the community!

On the way back from the beach, I detoured to check out a brewery that showed up on Google maps. I was pointed to the right place by someone and found two guys in hammocks. “Tienes cerveza?” I shouted. This got their attention and he came over with a sad face and said “No, we’re waiting for the malt to arrive from Quito on the boat.” Wow! I was wondering how stuff got here 600 miles from the mainland. I told him I was a home brewer and we talked awhile, then he showed me his brewing room which unfortunately had no beer in it. I told him he should try making ginger beer, it would be very popular. And the ginger could be grown locally. Then he showed me his ginger plant he was growing and I think a light bulb went off in his head. Anyways, it was fun to meet Brian and the Galapagos Republic Brewing Company.

Guayaquil was founded in 1538 as a native outpost by Spaniard Francisco de Orellano. It was considered the main Spanish shipyard for repairs of the exploring home fleet. 150 years later, the city was attacked and looted by French and English pirates. Many were killed on both sides. Finally, in 1820, citizens with help from the Reserve Guard soldiers overpowered the Royalist Guards and arrested the Spanish authorities to declare independence from Spain.

As I walked up the 440 steps through the Las Penas neighborhood, I thought about this city that will soon celebrate it half a Millenium birthday. At the turn of this century, city planners began renovating and repairing this town solidly perched on a steep hillside. Today, it is a collection of homes, bars, shops and businesses which identify their location by naming the step number where they sit. At the top, is a lighthouse and a sweet little chapel. And, of course, a spectacular view of the surrounding metropolis and river.

The sun made it’s return today, and I was warned that it can be intense. It is. So I made use of the pool here at the condo complex I’m staying at by swimming and reading while lathered with sunscreen. Tomorrow I leave for the Galapagos!

I spent the day in Guayaquil (GWHY-A-KEEL) walking around the downtown taking in the sights, riding a gondola across the river and getting a SIM card for my phone. Most people go with their carrier’s international plan for $5-10/day and don’t realize it’s so easy to go into a cellular store and get a SIM card and 15 or 30 day plan. $15 today for a months service and data! It is mandatory for everyone to wear a mask outside, so had a little face sweating going on with temps in the 80s and humid, overcast. Food is very reasonable at $5-10 for lunch and $10-15 for a nice dinner. Lots of seafood and ceviche. The air BnB I’m in is a tall condo building right on the Guayas river @ $40/night. There’s a huge pool I tried out this evening, and looking forward to some sun tomorrow hopefully. Anyways, just a few thoughts after arriving last night at 11 pm, going through customs and getting settled. It all went well, Ecuador is accepting proof of vaccination to enter. The Galapagos are different, they require a negative covid test within 4 days. I took one at a Walgreens in Charlotte before going to the airport. Hope results are in by Saturday! Should be. Gauging by the busyness of the airports, people are traveling. So tomorrow, I plan on exploring the neighborhoods on the hills… lots of steps and colorful houses.

It is a rainy Saturday here at home in Burnsville and a good time to catch my blog up. I went to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands from May 5-21, and then rode the Katy Trail in Missouri from May 24-June 4. As one might expect the internet connections in Ecuador was not great, so it worked much better to post only to Facebook. Here on 2wheeledwander I will copy those posts, add a little post trip retrospective and upload pictures for those that may not have seen the FB posts. Plus, I get to experience the trip one more time from the comfort of my chair! Enjoy.

I had been talking to my friend Steve about it for a couple of years… “We should do a short weekend tour”. He had been gearing up for it the whole time – buying a touring bike, refining his camping equipment, buying the latest and greatest in GPS navigation equipment. So, it was time.

We decided to do a 3 day, 2 night tour. I had picked out a route starting from home and riding to the French Broad river the first day, then to Hot Springs, then home. It happened to be the beginning of April, and who would have thunk that spring breakers would be filling up every campground around. Not being able to find a campsite, I changed course. Go south below Asheville and start at a friends in Mills River, ride through Hendersonville, past Saluda, and camp at a local campground near the Green River Gorge. The next day we would ride along the Green River for about 15 miles before climbing 1000′ out of the gorge and heading back to Mills River. Needing another night camping, there was a sweet national forest campground in North Mills River… and a site was actually available on the weekend! It has been my experience that America has gone camping crazy during the pandemic and it is very hard, if not impossible, to find a campsite on weekends on short or even long notice.

Originally planning on leaving on Friday morning, we postponed a day because temperatures were forecast to be in the low 20’s that night. So, the next day, after dropping my pup Sherpa off at the kennel, we got an early start driving down to our friend Sunny’s house. Skies were blue and the sun was bright as we suited up and loaded up the bikes to begin. After customary pictures, off we went towards Hendersonville. As can be expected, start of trip glitches arise. My Garmin was wanting to navigate to the start, not to our destination. Switching over to my phone RWGPS app allowed us to make the turns and be on our way. A good portion of the route to Saluda was on a heavily trafficked road, so I was glad that I had discovered the pool noodle. The pool noodle sticks out into traffic about 2 feet, is pink, and is a gentle reminder to motorists to STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!

After a stop in Saluda at a local bike shop to get a derailleur adjustment (Thanks Chris!) we rode along a scenic valley, seeing several other cyclists out for the day. The campground for the night was the Silver Creek Campground, which had many seasonal sites with 5th wheels and some small cabins. The sites were pretty barren, so their solution was to anchor a 15×15 foot piece of astroturf for pitching your tent on. Actually not a bad idea.

The next day we were off by 10 and enjoying a beautiful morning riding along the Green River. Lots of seasonal cabins and campers, the occasional resort and big house. Then the fun ended. We knew we would be climbing out of the gorge and the time had come. Fortunately, the grade was manageable except on the switchbacks where I recorded 38% incline! Passing cars would slow down and the drivers would hang their head out the window and shout “Good job!” At the top, it was a slow grind back through Saluda and Hendersonville to get to the beer. Yes, to the beer. A musician friend just happened to be playing at Mills River Brewery, so there we were! Bikes and beer, they just seem to go together. Our friend Sunny also had planned to be there, as well as a sizeable contingent of Burnsvillians. After partaking in the music, food and drink, Steve and I got back in the saddle for the 8 miles to the campground. For dinner it was another round of Knorr Swiss rice a roni washed down with the remaining Fireball whiskey.

In the morning we rode some quaint country backroads – some twice since we missed a turn off. After arriving at Sunny’s, we headed towards Asheville and stopped for BBQ and ice cream. Good food and sweet reward for a fun little weekend adventure!

My last post was arriving in Lisbon a few days ago and here I am on my last day. First off, there was some drama and anxiety on getting a flight home. The first flight I booked was with Delta to Asheville and included the first leg with KLM airlines to Amsterdam. Well, the next evening I had picked up a $3 bottle of wine (good wine too!) and some cheese and was sharing it with Mark, who I have mentioned in a previous post I think. I get an email from KLM saying the flight is cancelled due to reduction in flights and travel restrictions. Good thing the wine tempered my reaction since if worst comes to worst I thought, I’ll just stay here. Anyhow, I went online and booked another flight that was direct to the US since all flights are cancellable if needed. Getting in touch with Delta on chat was an exercise in patience, but they did confirm the flight was cancelled after telling me it wasn’t. Lots of confusion. This flight with United seems to be a good one, since I got an email this morning saying get on the plane only if you are a US citizen.

On Tuesday I was mission focused to find a box for my bike and the first few attempts did not look good. None to be found. Finally, the box gods smiled upon me and I found one within walking distance. I grabbed it (with lots of bubble wrap included!) and dragged it to the hotel I would be moving to the next day. It was smaller than the one I used coming over, but by God the bike would go in if I had to reduce it to parts!

I had the rest of the day to explore some so I got on the subway thinking it would emerge from underground and I could see some of the city. It didn’t. So I rode the rails for a while underground then ended up on the waterfront a little ways from the main square. Walking back it was another bright sunny day with people out soaking it up. Restaurants were still open so a couple of margueritas on the square were in order. Then back to the hotel for a quiet night.

Yesterday morning I packed up and rode to the hotel knowing it would be the last time on two wheels here in Europe for a while. Bittersweet. I retrieved the box from storage to my room, got 4 big heavy duty trash bags from the hotel to put my panniers in for my checked bag and bought a roll of tape from the papelaria to pull it all together. All supplies were in place for packing… time to enjoy the day. I met Mark on the square where we sat for over an hour talking and having a couple of beers. Good beers. The first non lager national beers I’ve had, an IPA and a Dunkel. Then, we got on the ferry and crossed the river to Barreiro, which looked like a residential/industrial town. I saw a park by the water that was on the trolley route that looked interesting. The park looked out over green beds of algae as it was low tide. There was a little cafe/bar listed on Google a short walk away, so we made a beeline for it.

We both knew that today the President was going to make a speech on the pandemic and possibly declare a state of emergency. So, in a twist of strange coincidence, we ended up at the “End of the World Cafe” having a beer watching the parliament discuss the state of emergency and vote on whether to enact it or not. The owner brought us a dish of boiled salted Lima beans which were a totally delicious bar snack.

Next we headed back to catch the trolley, had to find a bathroom (which they call a “casa de bano” or “house of bathroom”) so we went into a little bar across the street called “casa de bebidas” or “house of drinks”. Just keeping the theme going here. For $3 we got a beer and a triple shot of Portuguese whiskey and of course missed the train. Started walking back, got on a bus and then crossed the river.

Back in Lisbon proper we found a very different place than we had left earlier. Due to the state of emergency the restaurants were covering their windows with brown paper, outdoor seating chairs were being stacked up and all the eBikes were being rounded up and put on trucks. McDonalds was still open with a queue of people waiting to go in and order. As we sat on a bench eating our burgers and fries, it truly felt like wartime and the enemy was at the city limits soon to arrive. Would McDonalds be my last meal?

Mark and I said goodbye and I walked back thru some really tight alleys, getting lost a couple of times. Lisbon seems to be a really safe city, but I wondered. Back in the room, bike disassembly was the first order of business and I was exhilarated that it went smoothly and everything fit fine. Today I pack my stuff in the garbage bags, tape the crap out of it and use my strapping tape to make a nice little handle. It is cloudy, but would like to walk up to the castle on the hill later.

I’ve been watching CNN for the first time and Wow! This shit is scary. We can only hope that something good comes out of all of this in the form of this country finally getting health care for all, realization that small business and working people are what makes the country great and that we are responsible to take care of each other. Internationally, that we are all interconnected and need to also take care of each other, not turn inward towards nationalism and exclusion. Finally, that we realize Mother Nature is a much more powerful force than we are and respect her. This applies to global warming, which makes coronavirus look like a pebble in the road.

So, hoping that I get to the airport, get on the plane, don’t have to mortgage the house in baggage fees, pass the health screenings, am allowed into my country and sleep in my own bed tomorrow night. I’ve been thinking about all the stuff I can get done at home during my 2 week self quarantine. Exciting, or at least predictable and familiar. Look forward to seeing everyone on the street or the trail… at the proper social distance of course. Farewell for now.

Subconsciously, I had been putting off riding to the city center of Lisbon. I decided to go for it yesterday. I am now here at a hotel. The two hostels I contacted which were open suggested to find a hotel since they were not sure if they were going to stay open due to the pandemic.

Many restaurants are closed, people stand outside the pharmacies waiting their turn to enter, notices are posted on stores, the national theater, historic sites saying that they will be closed indefinitely. There are still tourists here, but those I have talked to are rethinking their plans. This hotel is full… go figure. I’ve been waking at night as I do when something is weighing upon my mind. In Sintra, I had the entire hostel to myself after the owner went home and had time to think. I considered flying home then, but my ride yesterday said “Don’t”.

There was a light rain early in the ride and the wind was gusty and cool. Really the first imperfect weather I have had. But it made me realize how alive I feel when on the bike touring. It was not long before the landscape started changing in the outskirts of Lisbon. Large apartment buildings and company headquarters, more business people scurrying about, parks and thankfully cycleways. My GPS did get confused at times, or maybe it was me, but I ended up off route several times. It isn’t easy finding the route again. Maybe it would lose the gps signal from the tall buildings and give me a false alarm or I would pick the wrong street to turn at. The worst that happened was that a guy rolled his window down and told me “You are going the wrong way!” After almost running into me. But there was a long cycle way that followed the big highway for many miles and downtown there was a grand promenade to ride on. Must be spring because the air was filled with a fine mist of seeds that looked like a snowstorm at times and gathered in slippery clumps on the ground. Not sure what it was, but it irritated my eyes.

I walked down to the waterfront in the afternoon and was just blown away by the grand square there looking out over the river. The square was lined by classic buildings with porticos going all around on three sides. The statue in the center was imposing and beautiful, and could be lined up with the giant arch at the entry to the square. I gawked at it all and took picture after picture. On the way back to the hotel, I ran across the elevator built in 1902 to take people to an upper level of the streets. Built like the Eiffel Tower, it was all bolted steel and had a lofty bridge connecting to the street.

The hotel has a bar and I felt like I needed a drink, so I went down and talked with the bartender about the current situation. He suggested a Portuguese liquor which tasted a lot like bourbon. As I sipped it, I met Mark, who is a UK citizen but has worked in Africa most of his life as a mining engineer. He is killing time traveling until April when his rented apartment is available. He has done many bike tours with groups and has been renting the electric bikes found here in the city. We had an interesting talk about American politics and more specifically the idiot in the White House. He is beyond baffled how Trump got elected. People make the similarities with their PM Boris Johnson, but Mark told me that he is a pretty smart guy with a long political resume.

So last night I woke once again and decided to check the flights back to Asheville on Expedia. Well, Delta had flights this weekend for around 400 euros with every other day going for 1000 plus euros. I took it as a sign. Unfortunately, my 3 month trip has turned into a little over 2 weeks. C’est la vie. I thought I could camp my way down to the southern coast, but the reality of possibly getting sick and quarantining in my tent does not look appealing. The pandemic has managed to take all the fun out of traveling.

I have to find a box for my bike, a box for my gear, work out the logistics and be at the airport for a 5:30 am flight home. It HAS been an adventure, and getting home will be one too but of a very different sort. I am very grateful and happy for the experience, and I know I will be back.

I enjoyed a nice stay at the Fisherman’s House hostel with the hospitality and conviviality of Anna, the owner. The young folks there were much fun to be around. Last night we sat around the big table and had drinks and played the card game “Bullshit!”, a simple game and one that regardless of what language one speaks the word is familiar. Last night I met Nabil from Toronto and we had a wonderful dinner together of seafood at a restaurant next to the sea wall. Nabil is in his 50s and is an avid paraglider. He is here to find places to fly, which usually are off of the cliffs overlooking the ocean. I learned a lot from him about the sport, the winds and the landing, the most dangerous part. He carries a parachute, a good backup plan.

I loaded up and was out by 11. Today there were two big hills for a total of 1700 feet climbing. The first was down to a beach and back up again. The second was coming into Sintra, which is built on a mountain. There is a trolley that was next to the road coming up, so at least the grade was not too bad. There were many cyclists out on the road today whizzing by me, out on a Saturday. I stopped for lunch at a small cafe in Fachada and for $6 had two delicious pork chops, French fries and salad. Everything comes with French fries, but catchup is nowhere to be found.

There are several historic sites here, the Sintra National Palace, the Park and National Palace of Pena, the Castela de Moros… all of which are closed! Yes, seems that today the government closed all national historic sites due to the virus. Bummer. I am reading about all the cancellations and craziness back home, so I get it. I even had a little girl today wearing a mask ask me why I was not wearing one. She turned and resumed playing before I could answer, so just something to say to strangers for her.

Antonio here at the Casa Azul hostel is a wonderful host. After showering and getting a little nap in, I walked thru town along a winding promenade past a lush green park on the side of the mountain up to the National Palace. It was a clear sunny day and there are many more tourists here than any other town I’ve been in with the exception of Porto. Truly, this town is very quaint with many small alleys lined with shops winding upward, some quite steep. I plan on staying here another night so I can explore some. Then, I will head towards Lisbon. AirBnBs along the coast above Lisbon are pretty reasonably priced, so looking at renting one for a week to start waiting things out some. Dia a dia, day by day.

Yesterday was another cool sunny day, perfect for cycling to the next surf town. Well, I was told that Ericeira was very quaint and it is. However, surf schools have become a big part of the economy as of late. For 30 euros one can get a 2 hour lesson with all equipment included. I am staying at a youth hostel here called Fisherman’s House where there are several Germans here for the surfing and a Dutch woman on break from university here in Portugal. More backpackers arriving today. The hostel is owned by Anna and was built by her grandmother. Her mother added two floors on top where they lived. She rented the large room on the first floor to a church. When the church moved, she converted the building into a hostel. Anna is wonderful and I am enjoying talking with her and all the other folks staying here.

Being that today is Friday the 13th, and that my new MO is to slow down and enjoy where I am, I am staying another night. The plan is to visit the summer palace for the king in Marfa. It is an ornate baroque structure and it is open! Yes, plans need to include how the pandemic is affecting attractions.

So, back to yesterday and my ride. I am continually amazed at the route that Ride with GPS picks for me. Paved roads will end and a donkey path will appear. This path will take me to the next neighborhood where the paved road resumes. Starting out, there were several small towns of course built on a hill. At the top of one particularly steep hill, I gave the man I met my sign of “steep hill” by panting with my tongue out and holding my hand at a steep angle. He agreed and invited my into his front yard to have a glass of port wine. He had a lovely house overlooking the sea and could see the island of Berlenga on a clear day.

The next high point (no pun intended) of my day was coming to an ancient fort perched on the cliffs. A short path took me to it where I could explore and found the heavy wooden door open. Inside were two rooms flanking an entry hall and on the roof was a stone mount for a cannon.

The next town was Santa Cruz which was more of a modern town with not so many small alleys and cobblestone streets that I have come to love. It was a good place to have lunch at a small cafe and was able to find a small jar of honey to go with my bread and peanut butter. A Sarges beer made it complete.

Moving on, the route seemed to alternate between a descent, a beach and a climb. The grape vines I passed started to have leaves as the climate here is getting warmer. I saw more wind generators as well as old windmills a la Man of La Mancha. Finally, just north of here, there was a lovely beach and luckily a boardwalk going up the incline to a viewpoint with a surfer statue at the top of course.

Ericeira is a very picturesque town on the cliffs overlooking the rocks where the waves crash powerfully. I was mesmerized watching them from a little outdoor bar yesterday. Tomorrow I will go to Sintra, well known for it’s palaces and castles. I stocked up and took a roll of toilet paper from the apartment I stayed at yesterday since they had a big drawer full, so life is good…

Link to my route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32107808

Yesterday I rode 40 miles from one surf town to another. At the hostel in Nazare, I had met Caleb who was just graduated from high school in Alberta Canada and on a open ended backpacking trip for as long as the money held out. We decided the night before to go to the lighthouse overlooking the beach where many international surfing competitions take place. The incline railway was on schedule and took us up to the top of the cliffs. Then it was a walk down to the lighthouse, which of course was closed. However we were very occupied and amazed to just watch the waves below us.

Following an included breakfast of bread, jam, cheese ham and unlimited coffee (yay!) I was packed and off up the hill to the road. The route today took me on many different road and path surfaces. I was paralleling a big highway, which on the maps start with the letters EN and I do try to avoid. There was a long uphill of 560 feet elevation gain with views of the ocean and the video below shows riding at the top. Coming down there was a small town with a small cafe where I stopped and chatted with a fellow from England. I regret not getting a selfie of both of us because he was the most decorated man with piercings and tattoos that I have ever seen. Honest. I guess I felt like he might be offended, but I really thought he was a life long work of art. He had come to Portugal 4 years ago and was living in a motorhome park for 100 euros a month. The park had just been bought out by a French family and everyone had to go so they could build little log cabins to rent to the tourists. He had found another place to go north of Porto but this exemplifies how this area is being developed. Later, that day I rode thru areas with very expensive villas, golf resorts in various stages of construction and new fancy hotels.

Well, at least all this development was balanced by several quiet dirt roads and paths. The first went thru an area of small farms growing grapes and small trees and ended in a residential neighborhood. The next was through the woods and then along the Lago de Obidos. I saw many people out walking this path as the lake seemed to be a recreational area. Leaving the lake, there was another long uphill to get to the high ground where all the developments like to be. There was million euro house after million euro house until I came to a sales office and the road turned into a path thru the woods. Well, the GPS said go down it but I had to ask someone tending the pool under the trellised sidewalk of flowers which let to the fancy clubhouse if the path did go thru. She said yes. This was the undeveloped side of the complex, but lots were marked and it’s fate was sealed. Not too soon thereafter, larger more industrial farms appeared growing vegetables, leeks, onions, etc. Seems to be a worldwide trend.

I was getting closer to my destination of Peniche, which is a little odd shaped peninsula sticking out into the Atlantic. Stopped at Baleal, which is where you want to go to learn to surf. There is a narrow stretch of sand where many surfers were braving the cold water and relatively tame waves. Time to look for accomodations. Technology is unbelievably helpful these days for so many things that before smartphones were incredibly tedious and unreliable. I found a guesthouse that had great reviews and low price, called and spoke with Maria of Paul and Maria Guesthouse. She said they had an apartment available for a little more. Sounds good, be there in a half hour. When I got to where Google took me, couldn’t figure out where it was which is common I am finding. I called and Paul met me and walked me to the apartment. I couldn’t believe what I had fallen into… a complete one bedroom apartment with kitchen, living, bed and bathroom for under $30 a night! And a really soft comfortable bed…

So I decided to stay two nights here and take care of some tax stuff and have an off day. Must say I am enjoying it. There is fort here on the ocean which was a prison before the revolution and lots of restaurants and bars. Also, a ride around the peninsula unloaded will be fun. Next, I plan on going to Santa Cruz, another beach town, and then to Sintra which is very interesting Middle Ages town near a national park with hiking trails. Then, the challenge of Lisbon. Stay tuned.

Link to my route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32094831