Day 302: 2011年5月22日

Quito to Popallacta
31,643km to 31,709km = 66km

今日は出発の日。天気はまぁまぁですね。昨晩遅かったので7時過ぎに起きました。朝飯を食べて荷物の整理を始めます。グリーンベイ・パッカーズのクロックスに別れを告げました・・・。どうやら掃除のおばちゃんがもらってくれるらしいです。


11時に出発の予定でしたが、アダムのリアアクシルのベアリングがガタガタするのを発見したので修理を始めました。流石アダムです、1時間でベアリング交換完了！12時過ぎに出発できました。

ラウル・カーラ宅に行き合流。ラウル先導でポパジャクタ(Popallacta）まで走ります。途中でガソリン休憩したり、海パンを買いにいたり（ラウルが）、昼飯を食べたりして1時半。雲行きが怪しくなってきました。メシを食べ終わったころにはポツポツと。しかしそんなに大した雨じゃないのが幸いです。

くねくね道を越えて行きます。ラウルが「セカンダリー・ロード（2級道路）で行くか？」というので「いいよ！」と言ったらダートでした。久しぶりのダートですね。楽しいけど、タイヤを運んでるので飛ばせません。しかも最後の辺りでデカイ水溜りがあり泥ではまってしまいました…。幸いマークとクレアが後続だったので、マークに押してもらって脱出。

それからまた舗装路に出てしばらく行くとポパジャクタのサインが出ました。わき道にそれてまたダート。2－3キロ走ると今日の目的地温泉リゾートです。

キャンプは1人6ドルですがアダムとクレアが値切って4ドルになりました。やるな！バハ・カリフォルニア以来のキャンプです。あれは10月半ばだったので7ヶ月ぶりのキャンプですか。

温泉は1人7ドル。ちょっと高いですね。色んな温度のプールがあります。一番熱いので41－2℃くらいですかね。4時くらいから7時半くらいまで湯船に浸かってました。こんなに長い間湯船に浸かってたのは初めてですね。雨が降ったり止んだり。温かい湯船に冷たい雨。なかなかオツなものです。晴れていれば雪山が見えるはずなんですがね。それが残念です。

ラウル・カーラは明日仕事があるので5時ごろ帰りました。来月ペルーまでバイクで来るのでペルーのどこかで再会できることを約束して別れました。とっても良い人たちですね。Muchas Gracias mis amigos. Nos Vemos pronto!

7時半にあがると、めちゃくちゃ寒い。テントに戻り、寝袋を出すのを忘れたのに気がついてバイクに戻ると、セキュリティーが「テントサイト代払って」と。明日の朝支払いかと思ってたので払ってなかったんですね。みんなを呼びに行って4ドルづつ払おうとしたら「1人6ドル」と。「でもキャンプサイトのおっさんが4ドルって言ったよ」と言ったら、レジのおばさんは、「明日その人が来たらでいいよ」と言ってくれたのですが、セキュリティーが「今払わないと駄目」と。

そしてホテルのある方に連れて行かれました。ここでホテルのレセプションのオヤジに交渉するも、駄目。6ドルの一点張り。キャンプ場のオヤジに電話すると「6ドルとしか言っていない」と。どうなってるんだ？まぁ、払わないと追い出されるので6ドル払うことにしました。

アダムに「どうなってるんだ？」と訊いたら「たぶんテント1つ6ドルで24ドルと言ったと思うんだけど、クレアは1人4ドルと理解したんだよね」と。なるほど、スペイン語での遣り取りだから全く違った理解をしたかも…。
次回は値切ったらすぐに払わないといけませんね。

夕飯は面倒くさいのでクッキーにティー。ウベはインスタントラーメン。マークとクレアはサンドイッチ。
アダムはストーブが壊れたのか炎上!!　明日キトに戻り新しいストーブを買わなければです。

夕飯後皆テントにもぐりこみました。お休み!!



Day 302: 22 MAY 2011

Quito to Popallacta
31,643km to 31,709km = 66km

The weather was not bad in the morning. We had a late evening but \managed to get up around 7am.
We were planning to leave by 11am, but Adam foud out his rear axile bearing was wabbling. So he started to replace it. But within 1 hour, he completed the job and we could take off around 12 noon. He is a very good rider and also good mechanic!!

We went to Raul and Karla's place, and Raul leaded us the way. We made a fuel stop, a shopping stop, and a lunch stop, then it started to rain. But it wasn't heavy, so no problem at all.

We went through a pass, lots of curves! I liked that. Raul asked us if we wanted to take a secondary road and we said yes. It was a dirt road. It had been a qhile since I road on a dirt and it was fun. But as I was carrying tyres and my tyres were pretty much road tyres, I could not ride fast. Near the end of the dirt road, there was a large puddle and I stuck in mud... Luckily Mark helpded me to get out there.

Then we came back to the main road and continued to Popallacta. Just before arriving Popallacta, we made another turn off to a dirt road. After 2 - 3km of the dirt riding, we arrived at a thermal pool resort.

There was a camp site cost US$6p.p, but Claire and Adam got a discount from a guy for US$4p.p. A good job guys!! It had been long time since I camped last time in Baja California. Some 7months ago. We put up our tents and went for the thermal pool.

The entrance of the thermal pool cost US$7p.p. It was very expensive but there were many pools with different temparature. The hottest pool was around 41-42 degrees. The rain was on and off. Soaking the body in hot bath, the cold rain coming down from above, I certainly enjoyed that.

Raul and Karla had to leave around 5pm as they had to work tomorrow, plus tomorrow is her kid's birthday. They will go to Peru next month, so we promised to catch up in Peru. Muchas gracias para tus hospitalidad, mis amigos!! 

We stayed in the bath till 7:30pm, for 3 1/2 hours! I have never stayed in a bath such a long time. We spent great time there but one thing was missing. If it was clear weather, we could see a snow capped volcano though.

It was really cold after we came out from the hot bath. We went back to the camp site and started to prepare dinner. I realised I forgot to take out my sleeping bag from the top case and went back to the bike. And a security guard said we had to pay for the camp site. Oh well, we thought we could pay in the morning. Anyway, I went to the camp site and got Mark and Uwe to pay for everyone. But the lady at the reception said "US$6p.p".

We explained that the guy at the camp site said US$4p.p. But he went home. The lady said we could pay tomorrow morning when the guy return, but the security guard said we had to pay now or leave. We argued for a bit and he took us to a hotel to talk with another guy.

The guy at the hotel reception, Byron, said we had to pay US$6 to stay tonight. We explained the situation. Byron called his boss but the boss said we had to pay US$6.

He called the guy at the camp site but he said he did not gave us the discount at all... So Byron said we could settle when the guy at the camp site comes back tomorrow morning. Then we returned to our camp site.

But I was called by the security guard again and he said we had to pay now or leave... So we went back to the hotel and talked to Byron. He said we had to pay US$6 each now and if another guy agreed with the said price US$4, he will pay the rest.

I went back to the camp site and discussed with others. We decided to pay US$6 each reluctantly. We learnt a lesson. If we got a better price, we had to pay on the spot. Do not leave it, otherwise we will lose the good deal.

Adam was saying "Maybe the guy was saying US$24 for all of us (US$6 each tent). I heard US"4 but Claire heard US$4." So it could be the lost in translation.

It was late already when returned to the camp site. So I just had cookies and tea. Adam's stove exploded somehow. So if he cannot fix it tomorrow morning, he has to return to Quito to buy one.

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