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(Quito - Amazonas - Galapagos - Loja)

Jungle, Galapagos Islands, Volkanoes - faszinating nature

[December 26, 2004] After the arrival in Quito we checked for the bikes first. Manana, Manana is the answer. And remembering Guatemala this could mean weeks. So we decided to use the time and go for the jungle, a dream we all shared. After 9 hours in the bus passing over mountains of 4100 meters we arrived in Lago Agrio, the last city of civilization for thousands of miles of jungle or Silva (as the Indios say).
Here the oil workers come to relax after weeks in the jungle as well as the Indios to trade goods for tools. It´s a mix of cultures and food with the smell of adventure, we liked it very much. The closeness to Columbia made it a little scary and dangerous, Cocaine is the drug that causes problems as well as money flow. We had to pass several Military Checkpoints and drug searches to get here. The next morning we drove with a 4x4 for other 3 hours to continue further with a local longboat for 4 hours deep into the Selva to the camp on the Cuyabena River direction Amazonas.

Everything seems to be green, different types of green let all other colors dillute in it. Only after several hours we start to see also the little bit of other tones like a red flower here, a yellow one there, a monkey with a reddish fur, then another little black one.



The eye starts to get used to focus in now on the differences. It is amazing what one can see then. The same happened with the sounds and the ear. The air is filled like in the Cologne Zoo, only that here no fences exist. The Tucan can only be seen from far away, but at least in freedom. The Kaiman has red eyes at night, the monkeys and birds a more yellow tone. And the snakes pass by noisyless through the water and the grass nearby. There we need the eyes of our guide Diego to point out these rare animals to us aliens. And fishing for Pirahnas gives us the special thrill, if you have ever seen their teeth...

The 5 days pass by quickly and we return back to electricity, cars and nightlive with different sounds and colors, a brutal change again. And the bureacracy at the local customs office. After 2 days, $ 100 and a few nerves less we are happy to receive our bikes mostly intact, only minor damage to paint and plastic. But the more important stuff works fine. And so we can return to our major goal, the Panamericana. We head to the Equator, close by Quito for our Christmas fotos. After a few more days Sander and Dirk head South while I decided to go to the Galapagos Islands and experience nature and wildlife by a sailing boat. Thanks guys for the last 9 weeks, have fun and luck travelling South and Hasta la proxima.

I expected the Galapagos Islands to be much greener with more vegetation, instead I saw some harsh, nacked Islands of volkanic origen. Let´s see and check out the theory of Mr Darwin. And quickly we could see the brutal reality and the cycle of life and death, basic "survival of the fittest" only. Thrilling nature and wildlife, untouched and full reality. Also the snorkeling was excellent, I have never experienced such a closeness to Rays, Sharks, Sealions and the underwater world in total.



The week passes by too quickly, there is so much to see. And it also was due to the good companionship of Ragnar, Hans, Alex and Francesco and the total crew.

Finally on the 20th of December I am back in Quito, really ready to jump on the bike and hit the road South. But I received terrible news from home, my friend Christoph has died in an avalanche while skiing the Arlberg, Austria. I am shocked and cannot continue. We have had so many holidays and skiing adventures to remember in the group, it´s hard to imagine that he is gone now.
We will terribly miss you, my dear friend Christoph.

This terrible evening I spend with Nadine and Cello, the Swiss couple I was travelling with in Mexico and Guatemala. And there were many news to share what somehow distructed me from the horrifying news from home. On the 22nd I continue my journey South in order to clear my mind with the beautiful nature of the Andes with up to 6300 meter high volkanoes and a tough but still challenging vegetation for farming.



But my mind won´t clear, too many pictures run through it. The same on the next evening in Loja, a charming town in the southern Equador Andes. Finally I reach the small bordertown Macara and the crossing proves to be very easy. Let´s continue South on the Panamericana into Peru, but being reminded of the shortness of life in general.

I am thankful for being able to continue my dream.

Yours,
Rasmus