Quito to Sto.Domingo

The ride started around 7am. Alexis and Ernesto rode a couple of KM with me to show me the way out of Quito. Word of advice, it is much better to get a ride in/out of the city. The smog is INSANE at rush hours and the busses are too many and drive like maniacs. The combination of altitude and smog was making me nauseous for a few miles.

Things turn green and you can breathe a lot better once you merge on to E35. The ride had about 7k feet of beautiful and dense greenery, the entire time I was just drooling with the scenery and didn't feel much pain. After a toll the rest of the way was pretty much downhill the entire time, 14k feet of declination. You start in the clouds and end up in the hot and humid jungle, its a truely incredible descent on E20, despite of the semi trucks grazing by.

After 80miles I arrive at Sto.Domingo. I do not recommend it here, there's nothing but traffic and shitty roads. The only reason I came here was to continue on to Manta the next day. I asked around for hotels or a place to stay but nobody had any idea. I managed to find a hotel that was behind a little store (no idea how that works). The place wasn't open or finished but the owner let me stay for 23bucks, I was exhausted so I took it.. Shower, WiFi, cable and a huge pit bull guarding the door, I'm OK with that.