May/June 2019 COL & Ecuador Trip & possibly into Peru
Travel Log summary:
Day 1 - MDE to past Popayan, Colombia
Left Medellin on May 30th at approx. 10 AM, drove south for 12 hr and 45 minutes and stopped in a road side hotel just south past Popayan (approx. 45 min past Popayan at about El Bordo). Hotel cost 25 mil. I had to stop as it was almost midnight. Had trouble finding an available room as it was late and raining hard and many of the road side hotels were full.
Total distance covered this day 1 was 632 km. Paid 11 tolls of 104.000 COP. Rained the majority of the way with some major thunderstorms around Palmira. The Route 25 is good most of the way. I felt bad for the stranded motorcyclists having to stop and take shelter from the thunderstorms for hours. It was difficult for me in my car seeing the road with the downpour so can just imagine what it was like for those on a motorcycle yet some braved it, crazy.
One major truck accident, stopped for 40 minutes as they cleared the truck before Cartago on Route 25.
Day 2 - Popayan to San Lorenzo, Ecuador
Woke up at 6 AM in my no-tel 25 mil roadside hotel just south of Popayan and got on the road (Route 25) headed south to Ipialas/Rumichaca. The rain continued during the drive but subsided a bit around Ipiales and through the Rumichaca border crossing.
Drove 296 km from my hotel at Popayan to the Rumichaca border crossing which puts the total drive from my home in Medellin to the border crossing at exactly 928 km.
Paid 3 more tolls of 22.000 COP which brings the total cost of tolls from Medellin to the border crossing at 126.000 COP.
The COL/Ecuador crossing went as smooth, took 12 minutes to get through Colombian immigration and exit stamped and the 18 minutes for Ecuadorian entry stamp BUT 1 hr and 45 minutes to register my car. All in all I was on my way after almost 3 hours at the border.
The road (E35 & E10) to Ibarra is a very good road and when I got to Ibarra I continued west towards the coast on Route E10 and ended up in San Lorenzo, Ecuador at about 9 PM. This day 2 I covered 562 km and took 13 hrs and 5 minutes (car clock).
Of worthy mention is that I got my car stuck when I came around a turn in complete darkness with strong rain on E10 about half way from Ibarra to San Lorenzo, this is a desolate of a road as can be with very little cars/trucks. For historical sake this location was about Alto Tambo on E10 in northern most Ecuador. Dropped off the pavement of 10” to 12” and the car undercarriage became stuck (my poor KIA), and on a desolate road, so it took me about an hour to gather up concrete chunks and rocks to build a makeshift ramp and eventually I got on my way, all the time in a pouring rain with bugs and insects hammering my lights through this whole process.
In Ecuador the tolls are all exactly $1.00 USD and paid 3 tolls from the border to San Lorenzo. Was stopped 3 times by road side police and questioned once with a thorough examination of my passport and auto documents.
In San Lorenzo I found a $15.00 hotel just about the center of this small town. Clean enough and as friendly as you would expect the people to be towards me a gringo. The hotel guy Wilson says that he has NEVER seen a gringo in San Lorenzo, I am the first. The majority of the people are black. If I did not know better I would think that I was back in Quibdo Colombia as all were black.
Day 3 - San Lorenzo to Esmeraldes, Ecuador
After a good night sleep in this $15. USD room I ventured around this small town, everyone was out and about as this was Saturday morning. Took photos at their malecon and in the heart of the town and after noon got on the road and started my visits of all the coastal towns and villages on the western coastline of Ecuador.
Picked up the E15 Via del Pacifico highway and headed south. Stopped at a few coastal towns along the drive south including Playa Las Penas, Playa de Paufi, Mirador San Vicente, Rioverde, and had lunch in Palestina then made my way to Esmeraldes and my hotel ($40.USD) located directly on the malecon. This day drive was about 185 km, good weather at about 30 cel. And the E15 is a solid road.
After checking into my hotel on the malecon I took a long walk all along the malecon and shoreline into the evening where the whole of the malecon at Esmeraldas was filled with families and children enjoying the evening. My impressions of what I observed last night (Saturday night June 1st) with observing the crowds of families on the malecon was inspiring, full of energy, laughter and families enjoying the evening. I was blown away by the atmosphere, complete difference to my expectations after what I have read about Esmeraldas.
I filled up my car with gas ($22.00 USD) and right next to the gas station were some folks washing cars, mainly taxi cabs, so my poor KIA needed to get clean of about 1,300 km of road grime and dirt collected from Medellin to San Lorenzo, Ecuador so $3.00 USD and she looks as new as the day I purchased her over 20.000 km ago (last year October)
Day 4 - Esmeraldas to ________???
It is 10 AM as I sit on the second floor balcony of my hotel located on the malecon of Esmeraldas. A sleepy and quiet Sunday morning after all the activity last evening. I will venture out for a walk as I already had breakfast here at my hotel (Kennedy) this early morning.
I don’t know yet if I will remain another day here or simply continue on my way south to another coastal town and village.
BTW, I have no set schedule for anything so I go and come and stay and travel all on a whim and however the wind may blow. I have a growing inclination to eventually head in Peru but for the being will enjoy the sun and coast of Ecuador.
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