Intro to Ecuador

As part of the strange and wonderful brotherhood of worldwide adventure motorbike riders, we are fortunate to be hosted in Ecuador by The Brosters – the country’s BMW riders club in Quito. These guys have opened their arms, decided to show us all that Ecuador has to offer, and provide hands on support for our time here. More on The Brosters later. 

Near Ibarra is Laguna Yahuarcocha, the Lake of Blood. In 1487, after their defeat of the Caranquis, the Inca king Huayna Capac ordered that all their males over twelve years old were to be killed and 30,000 bodies were dumped into the lake turning it red with their blood. Today it is a pleasant picnic and recreation are that includes – a race track.

The family of one of the Brosters led the effort to build the track in the 1960s and we gained access for a couple of hours. So, let’s put 15 guys on the track on BMW R1200GS bikes that have all their luggage and knobby tyres – what could possibly go wrong? Actually nothing – we had a blast and nobody crashed.

Onwards to Otavalo and Ecuador’s most important craft market. The Otavaleños have been masters of weaving and textiles for centuries and both the Incas and the Spanish exploited them and their skills. They may be respected today but the indigenous people are still at the bottom of the social and economic ladder.