Not For Highway Use, Duro Knobby Tire

Chessi and I got out of Cuenca the following day heading  to Vilcabamba.  The road climbed to about 3500m and kept threatening rain but we kept avoiding it.   Nice views and nice empty winding road as it passed through very dusty and remote towns heading south through Ecuador.   These blowtorched pigs in the process of being scraped made for an entertaining stop – the first time I’ve taken photos of people without asking first.

Blowtorch and Scraped Pigs, Before Loja, Ecuador

The road was dramatic as it descended into a desert canyon and then climbed out the other side – we decided to stage a riding photo – without much success.

Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador

Staged Corner, Above Loja, Ecuador

We arrived at Hotel Izhcayluma where we had a double bed room for $12 USD each. The hotel is more of a resort (with bar, pool table, ping-pong table, restaurant) on the hills overlooking Vilcabamba – highly recommended.   The setting in a valley is beautiful with an excellent climate and both Chessi and I wished we had spent less time in Cuenca and Banos and more time there. The town and people aren’t even spoiled by tourism (yet!).

Main Plaza Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador

We left Vilcabamba with the best intentions of reaching the Peru-Ecuador border crossing of Las Balsas and beyond to Chachapoyas, Peru (well I did – Chessi was already skeptical we would make it).  When we left town the road quickly degraded with construction projects delaying our way and then climbing into a cloud forest with the requisite rain, mud, giant holes, waterfalls, and washouts.  We passed a touring group of about 5 bikers (possibly German) on Africa Twin bikes. They looked fatigued as they asked about the rest of the road from where we had come.

Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador

The road descended into a valley and followed the river along dramatically steep sides sun, rain, heat, and humidity.  As I rounded yet another corner to face yet another barking and bike-chasing dog, my back wheel slid out in a deep rut of mud and the dog latched onto my leg and despite wearing thick riding trousers over jeans, punctured the skin on my ankle.  I shook off the dog and furiously yelled at it.  It cowered from Chessi as he rounded the corner behind me.

Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador

We arrived in Zumba to find it another 1 hour to the Peruvian border at Las Balsas on a crap road that the Lonely Planet said was a 10 minute bus ride. When we arrived at 6pm (about 10 hours motorcycle ride from Vilcabamba) at the Las Balsas border the Ecuadorian border people were apparently playing beach volleyball by the river.  Others appeared and asked me for a cigarette and processed out personal and bike exit papers within minutes.  We then drove across a grass covered bridge into Peru where we were greeted by a slick Peruvian Migracion fellow sporting shorts and a t-shirt.  He did our entry for 90 days and asked for $1 USD each – when Chessi asked he said it was for all the children of Peru.   Then we went to Aduana (customs) for the bike import papers.  This was manned by a deaf old codger who we had to dictate the various pieces of information from our licenses and bike papers.  He took 1 hour to do the paper work – which we ended up filling out ourselves.  He told me to sign the back and after I did told me sternly that if I overstayed my visa the bike belonged to Peru – I laughed and he re-iterated it belonged to Peru.

Aduana Idiot, La Balsa, Peru

We spent the night just across the border in a mostly horrid town of Namballe, where the locals stared and talked about us while we were standing in front of them – the recompense may have been the moldy room and beds for $2.50 USD each.  Determinedly, we left town at 7:50am to get to Chachapoyas (a touristy town in the Eastern Andes of Northeast Peru).  The route took about 10 hours – multiple construction sites after Jaen and 4 hours of drill-like stones and mud beforehand from the Peruvian border.  The highlight was the majestic canyon that exists for 1.5 hours driving before Chachapoyas – unfortunately I was too tired and worried about running out of gasoline (we hadn’t changed enough money) to take pictures – will probably retrace our route to Jaen anyway in two days.

Towards Jaen, Amazon River, Peru

Chachapoyas, Peru

Not For Highway Use, Duro Knobby Tire	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador	Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador
Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador	Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador
Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador	Cuenca to Loja, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador
Blowtorch and Scraped Pigs, Before Loja, Ecuador	Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador	Blowtorch and Scraped Pigs, Before Loja, Ecuador	Muddy Boots towards Zumba, Ecuador
	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador	Staged Corner, Above Loja, Ecuador	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador
Staged Corner, Above Loja, Ecuador	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador	Staged Corner, Above Loja, Ecuador	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador
Staged Corner, Above Loja, Ecuador	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador	Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Muddy towards Zumba, Ecuador
Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador	Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador
Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador	Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador
Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador	Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Towards Zumba, Ecuador
Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Zumba, Ecuador	Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Zumba, Ecuador
Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador
Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador	Leaving Vilcabamba for Zumba, Ecuador	Church Above Vilcabamba, Ecuador
Zumba Love!, Ecuador	Zumba, Ecuador	Outside Zumba, Ecuador	Outside Zumba, Ecuador
La Balsa, Ecuador Peru Border	Aduana Idiot, La Balsa, Peru	Outside Nambullo, Peru	Towards Jaen, Amazon River, Peru
Towards Jaen, Amazon River, Peru	Towards Jaen, Amazon River, Peru	Towards Jaen, Amazon River, Peru	Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru
Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru	Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru	Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru	Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru
Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru	Construction, Towards, Chachapoyas, Peru	Chachapoyas, Peru

Cuenca to Vilcabamba, Ecuador to Las Balsas and Chachapoyas, Peru GPX Tracks

FirstGear 4th Gen Kilimanjaro Jacket - Front

Meltingly Hot  (Temperature)

It’s too hot for 20 degrees celcius or more.  It’s comfortable any temperature below that.  If you open the front pockets to ventilate the flaps don’t stay open at any speed and so don’t really do much good in terms of cooling down your chest. When they are open and it rains, you obviously get wet.   The arms also have two vents on the front upper arm that are secured by velcro and a zipper inside (like the front chest flaps).  The air does come through these surprisingly well.   The back has a zipper vent that only seems to do anything if the front or arm vents are blowing air through the jacket.

Keeping You Dry (Water Resistance)

If you close all the flaps, zippers, and buttons the torso of the jacket seems to manage to keep out the moisture even in tropical downpours.  The arms do seem to get wet fairly quickly in most rains.

Wear and Tear (Durability)

I have not fallen on the jacket so I can’t attest to the strength of the material in a crash or the crash pads strength.  Others have commented that the cheap foam in the back protector won’t do much good and I’m inclined to agree.  The shoulder and elbow armour do seem to be more sturdy although I’m not sure they meet standards.   The material of the jacket in general is quite good and is not showing any wear and the buttons and zippers still function as new after 5 months of almost daily wear.

Fit and Fashion

I don’t think it’s the most stylish jacket but it doesn’t look too bad – big in the shoulders and narrow in the waist.  This is probably unavoidable given the shoulder pads and the need for a tapered waist to keep out the cold, moisture, and wind while protecting you if you fall.

Overall

The lack of good venting is my main complaint about the jacket but for a trip across most imaginable climate zones I’m glad I have it.  Something lighter would be much nicer but would require more layers for colder portions of a trip.

I paid about $175 USD to an online US shop and picked it up in the US.

FirstGear 4th Gen Kilimanjaro Jacket - Back

30,000 km update:

The velcro on the breast-pocket is fraying and making it hard to close the zipper.  Some of the decorative black plastic coverings on the pockets and built-in belt have fallen off.