Tranquil Vilcabamba.

Hostal Izhcayluma is just as we remembered it, very tranquil and top notch service. They have added a yoga studio and have classes every morning at 8am. Free for quests, non-guests are welcome and a small tip for the instructor is all that is asked. 

I did not partake in the yoga as my knee is quite sore from the fall off the bike, plus most of my time is spent trying to fix the bike so we can continue with our tour. 

The radiator is the big issue, it is no longer square and because of that there are a few small tears in the aluminum that I attempt to patch with JB Weld. The time consuming part is that after every application of JB Weld it takes about 4-6hrs to cure. Then I can fill the rad with water and see if I got all the leaks sealed, this process is repeated 5 times over the next 4 days. The humid climate does not speed up the drying process. The other item is the radiator fan, the housing is completely ruined and the best I can do is zip tie it between the frame and the rad and hope it stays put.

This is not exactly what we had in mind when we planned to return to Vilcabamba, but while the rad is curing we take advantage of the spa and get a massage and of course we walk into town and see the sights, not much has changed since last time.

We meet some nice people at the Hostal, George from Toronto who is on a birdwatching holiday amoung other things. Greg, who is staying in Vilca for 4 months and even got his Ecuador pension card in case he decides to stay long term. Sandra and her son Kyle are travelling together from Ontario, this is Kyles first long trip and the experience is a good bonding time for the two of them. Axel from Germany who is travelling by motorcycle, a 750cc Honda Africa Twin. We also chat with the backpacker growd as we sit around the pool together. There are young adults travelling from all over the world.

The days seemed to fly by and it is now time to move on, the big test for my radiator. Of course it failed miserably and within 20 minutes the temperature light is on and my right boot is soaked with coolant, great... another day of limping the bike to the next big center which is Cuenca, 250km away. Once again the high mountains provide both cold air and fantastic scenery. The bike performs well and we arrive into Cuenca without incident, unless you consider riding in the cold rain most of the day “without incident”. Back to the drawing board with the rad, I decide to give a leakstop product a try, and this seems to have sealed the last of the leaks. This is good news because now we can enjoy Cuenca with worrying about the bike. We are not using them, but it is still piece of mind.