Day 300 - Tendales, Ecuador

Today we crossed the border into Ecuador without any difficulties. And with that, the climate and landscape changed to tropical-humid.

We drove past endless banana and sugarcane plantations. In certain areas, we also noticed rice fields. Most farm buildings were bamboo huts with thatched roofs on raised platforms.

There were no directional signs in the villages. We needed to stop often and ask for directions to be sure we were on the right track. At Pasaje, we turned right and followed Route #59 toward the mountains. The dirt road was in good condition. It first led over hilly terrain and meandered through valleys as we approached the Cordillera Negra.

Toward evening, we camped at the foot of a mountain by a restaurant with a swimming pool, where we met a French couple, Patrick and Nelly. They are traveling in a 69-VW camper on their way to Patagonia. We ate dinner together at the restaurant. Later, the kitchen staff brought flambéed bananas to our campers for dessert. What a sweet treat!

For the next few days, we planned to follow up on a lead from a traveler in Chile of someone in Cuenca who might be interested in buying our camper.

Stats: Miles 130, Expenses $2.25Read more