Category: travel
-
![Riding a (small) moto through Peru..[30/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//Screenshot_2015-08-08-21-28-51.png)
Riding a (small) moto through Peru..[30/50]
After leaving Vilcabamba in Ecuador, I rode a blissful 200 kms to the Peruvian border at Macara in the belief that this was the most important land border and thus the easiest to cross. But it turned out to be little more than a grumpy man in a hot shed who insisted on seeing my
-
![Shacked-up in Vilcabamba…[29/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//wpid-mg_4192.jpg)
Shacked-up in Vilcabamba…[29/50]
Vilcabamba, about 200 kilometers from the Peruvian border, was the last town I visited in Ecuador. It is a classic small Ecuadorian town, built on an orderly grid, lined with wobbly, white-washed adobe houses with a shaded town square in the centre (with the ubiquitous Catholic Church bearing down). But what makes Vilcabamba different to
-
![La vida bohemia en Cuenca [28/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//wpid-img_3977.jpg)
La vida bohemia en Cuenca [28/50]
Occasionally when traveling with a bit of time on one’s hands, one stumbles upon a place in which they identify so strongly that they find it difficult to leave . Cuenca in southern Ecuador was such a place for me. With a rich historical landscape suited for flanerie, a vibrant nightlife, small bohemian bars and
-
![Quito: the world’s highest capital? [27/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//wpid-img_38214.jpg)
Quito: the world’s highest capital? [27/50]
I have never been the greatest fan of empirical observations that purport to measure the “world’s highest” or the “world’s biggest” or the “world’s longest”. There is something a little bit hillbilly about seeing the world this way; something a bit Western Australian or Alaskan perhaps (i.e., lots of geography with a sprinkle of culture).
-
![Banos: city of rain [26/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//wpid-img_3804.jpg)
Banos: city of rain [26/50]
A few hours south of Quito is the spectacular mountain town of Banos, nestled under the active volcano, Tungurahua. Volcan Tungurahua tends to errupt frequently, including relatively recently, but the locals always come back, minus a few relatives, limbs and layers of skin. There are many adventures to be had in Banos, mostly focused upon
-
![The Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador [25/50]](https://www.craigbellamy.net/images//wpid-mg_3578.jpg)
The Quilotoa Loop, Ecuador [25/50]
South of Quito, the picturesque capital of Ecuador, and near the mighty volcano Cotopaxi, there is a loop that connects many small indigenous communities via road. Many intrepid travelers walk the loop, or take the bus, but David and I decided to do it on the moto. We spent the first night in Latacunga, a