Well, this morning, I got up off my ass, and left the room at 2pm. Why? I had plans to find a lawyer that would help me get my motorcycle out of the Police Parking Lot.

Well when I was first in the police station 18 days ago, a nice lawyer man gave me his card. I graciously accepted it, and put it in my wallet for safe keeping. Later, I ended up with a public defender named Andrea, who though probably doing her job otherwise, hasn’t been of much help to me getting my bike out of the Police Parking Lot.

So, I took it into my own hands, whipped out the card, read the address on the front and walked down street four blocks and arrived. I walked in, stated my case, and told the man behind the counter that I wanted to get my bike out of the parking lot.

“Ok, let me call the lawyer,” said his assistant. So he called the Lawyer, and when the Lawyer answered, handed the phone over to me. I said the same thing I said before, and was told that I needed to have the title of my motorcycle translated into Spanish. Ok. Thank you… Hmm… Where can I do that?

Well, I asked the assistant where I could have the title translated, and he didn’t know, so he called the lawyer again, who told him to meet him at the other office. Ok. “Let’s go,” said the assistant, to which I responded, “Of course.”

So we left the office, locked it up, got in the car of the assistant, and took off to meet the Lawyer at his other office. Well, it would seem that everything is working out thus far! And so it continued in this manner when we arrived at the other office. I piled out of the car and took my place outside the office of the lawyer, who wasn’t present. Well, I’ll wait, I’m accustomed to that.

Well, one thing about being a “Gringo” in this town is that the Lawyers want to help you, or more accurately, they want your business, and that means others can wait. And so, though I was the last person to arrive/wait in line, I was the first to be served. I’ll take what I can get.

The lawyer asked me of my case. What is the status of the case of your traffic accident? I told him that I had NO IDEA. No one calls me, no one tells me anything. Ok. Let me call the Prosecutor, what is your name? So I told him my name, and I referred to myself as the Tall White Gringo that arrived 2.5 weeks ago. That did the trick and the Prosecutor, who is apparently the friend of this lawyer, gave the lawyer permission to help me get my motorcycle out of the lot. Well, this is working nicely!

From the Lawyer, I also learned that my earlier knowledge concerning the maximum time allowed to complete my case is not 30 days as I had first learned, but rather 45 days. Hmmm. That would keep me here inside Ecuador for 4 more weeks at maximum… Hmmm. This bike could be A LOT more important soon.

And so the Lawyer told me that the translated form and the papers necessary to remove my motorcycle would cost $20. I accepted gladly. I handed over my title and passport and license for copying purposes and went with another assistant to have them copied. I got my passport back, but they held onto the title and license. I have another license, but NOT another Title, however I wasn’t worried about it. I didn’t have to stop them from stapling everything together though. (COME ON GUYS! Who STAPLES a TITLE and PLASTIC License… Jeeze.)

And then, I was told to come back in the morning at 10am, and I would be able to collect all the papers necessary to retrieve my motorcycle. Eeeeexcelent.

From there, it was a short walk down the hill back to my Hotel, and on the way, I snagged this picture. It was a nice sunny day, so I can’t blame the guy.



Then, it was back in the hotel, after stopping for my chicken meal, Gatorade, and chips. Yum.

Well, remember that I told you I met some FOREIGN WHITE PEOPLE? I kindly instructed them that I would gladly leave my hotel room for a more interesting night should only they be so kind to ask. Around 7:30, I was beckoned for a , and so it was that I left my room again that day, an uncommon occurrence for me here in Azogues.

I met the girls in the reception area, dropped off my keys, and off we went. They were hungry, so I agreed to get some food with them, as I can always eat more. Lison, the Frenchy, is vegetarian, as we soon found ourselves at a Vegetarian Restaurant eating veggie soup, and a plate of rice/veggies/tofu. Alas, they don’t sell there.

Charlotte from Switzerland is on the left. Lison (Lee-zon) from France is on the right.



After dinner, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, and asked if they had . They had two… We bought them, sat down, and poured the s into glasses.

On a side note, the television shows here, and the movies that play on the T.V. are your standard rated R movies from America. Ergo, Tits and Ass are a common site on T.V., and will even be shown in common family restaurant. As an American, bred and raised as I am, this is not something that is normal per say. For the Europeans, it is exactly that, normal. And so it came to be that I sat drinking with two European girls, watching the sex scene of some poorly dubbed film.



After that, as we had drank the only two s that they restaurant had, we went in search of more. With little effort we found some canned , but the restaurant was closing in 15 minutes. Well, it was agreed that we would take what we can get! Charlotte on the left, Lison on the right.



And that was basically the end of the night, as the shops were all closed, and the bars had long since shut. Plans have been made to meet again tomorrow, as all three of us are our only friends, and it would seem that we all enjoy talking, and having a good time.

I’d also note, that we generally converse in Spanish, as Lison speaks much better Spanish than she does English, and while Charlotte speaks better English than her Spanish, we all just communicate as best we can. And when the two girls feel like clarifying a confused moment, they converse in their native language of French. Charlotte lives in the South East part of Switzerland where French is her first language. So between French, Spanish, and English, we’ve got these bases covered!


Alright! Hey Dad! Yea you! Padre! You know that Big Church up on the Hill that you keep telling me I should go visit? Well, I always told you I knew where it was, but I never really looked into it in all reality. So I didn’t know how far away it was from where I am staying, or what it looked like, or anything of the sort. However, tonight, as I was walking into my hotel, while saying goodbye to my new friends, I saw THIS, up on the hill side. How I ever missed it any of the other times I have returned to the hotel after dark, I’ll never know. But there you have it; a picture of the Big Church up on the Hill. Love ya Padre!



Time to hit the sack now, as it’s 2:40am, and I have to be at the Lawyers at 10am to get my paperwork and hopefully retrieve my motorcycle! Then it’s on to repairing the beautiful son-of-a-bitch!

Onward!

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Good to see you back again Alex.

Good to see you back again Alex.

Since I made new friends the other day, things have been a bit more interesting in my life. First of all, I have friend. Second of all, they call me. Third of all, they invite me to hang out… Damn. I’m feeling lucky!

Ok, Charlotte and Lison volunteer at an orphanage, and they have time after “work” to do whatever they want. They are not necessary to the operation of the orphanage, but they do make a big difference around there. After work, they get the hell out of there.

Friday afternoon, sometime around 5pm, I was invited to Cuenca, the nearest big city (half a million people about 20-30 minutes away) with the two of them and their coworker Gabby. I of course said yes, and in 10 minutes, I was crammed in the back seat of a 2 door car, and we were on our way.

I had already eaten, but the girls wanted to go for some pizza. Well, pizza around here is a big deal, and we ended up at a Papa John’s….

I look like a scrawny son-of-a-bitch don’t I?



On the way back to Azoques, I had the privilege of the front seat as we had dropped off Gabby’s friend that lives in Cuenca. I couldn’t be sure, but something might have been going on in the back seat…



Nah…. Maybe? … Nah…. But…



Well, the next day was the same deal. Except this time, two French guys were in on the deal, and we hopped in a cab to take the trip to Cuenca. They had met Charlotte when she had been in Banos the week before. They came to visit and help out at the Orphanage. Meet Antony, and Nicola, from top to bottom.



First stop was to a bar in the touristy section of town near where the French guys had a room in a hostel. First up was a , and then it was time for a photo.



After that, the girls were still hungry. I had already eaten but I never say more to more food.



One thing I noticed nearly immediately since hanging out with other people, is how much LESS money I’m spending while I’m here in Azoques. I’m averaging less than $25/day, and $15 of that is going to my hotel room each night (as I’m living in style over here). I’m at half my “daily budget” and it’s been good!

Until these girls walked down the street speaking French, I hadn’t had a in over 3 weeks. In Azoques, a meal is $2-$4. In Cuenca, they are $5-$10. In Azoques, a is $0.65-$1.25. In Cuenca, they are $1.75-$3… I like Azoques!

So, after dinner, it was off to a dance club/bar called Mojito, that didn’t serve Mojitos. I’m a tall gringo that likes dancing with his tall gringo girlfriend. I don’t dance particularly well, but she doesn’t care, because she likes dancing with me... Suffice it to say, I don’t dance much, but I like being around people that do.

And so it went like this. Say “whaaaaat?”



And another reason I don’t dance much… Hahahaha. Those people don’t even come up to my chin!



After standing, and watching people dance around me, and smiling at every smaller person that stood staring up at me while dancing a little as best I know how, Lison began to feel less then o.k.; and after a quick chat with Charlotte, we decided to hail a cab. The French guys took off to find a new club as they were staying in Cuenca that night, and 30 minutes later the three of us were back in Azoques, and I was in my bed trying to make Skype calls that wouldn’t work.

That was yesterday, and today passed with little to comment about.

Tomorrow will be a new day. The lawyer has asked me to return to the office at 2pm, where according to him, I should be able to lay my hands on the papers that will allow me to retrieve my motorcycle….

AWESOME.

Now it just remains to pan out!

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Ok guy and gals...

Are you ready for this?

I've got some news...

1st item of Good News:

I went to the lawyer today, and inside of 5 minutes, we were headed across the street to talk to the people that needed talking to, to decide the process to follow in consideration of getting my bike out of the Police Station.

So up the elevator we go. 6 floors up. Talk to the man, he says he doesn't have the papers, but he has the phone number of the man that will translate my documents. (Title and Drivers License).

So Mr. Lawyer Man called Mr. Translator Man.

Turns out that Mr. Translator Man was nearby and would arrive shortly to help me with the process. The cost of the translation would be no more than $20 said Mr. Lawyer Man.

Well, as it would turn out, it would be free. The man arrived, and we walked across the street again, to talk to the people that needed talking to. The final decision, was to come back tomorrow. On the way back down from the 6th floor, the nice guy told me (in English) that seeing that I had so many problems with the bike, the accident and the amount of time that I have been waiting, that he would not charge me for the translation. It was his way of adding a little "piece" to my adventure. In a sense, he contributed to the fund!

Perfect. Now, I will wait for the man to translate my documents, which he will give to the Lawyer when he is finished. I will then tell the lawyer to collect my papers from the office across the street, and I will be able to go to the Police station and get my motorcycle!

Summary of #1. I can get my motorcycle soon!

2nd item of Good News:

The Prosecutor is friends with the lawyer I have solicited to help me acquire my motorcycle. They have talked since the last time I saw the lawyer, and there is good news. The Police ruled that I am not at fault, and that I am free and clear. I expected this outcome, but it is still a success!!!

3rd item of questionable status:

The first audience that I had with the Prosecutor, my attorney, the other party, their attorney and the judge, was the day after my accident.

The second audience that I will have, that will finish the case is 45 days after the date of the accident.

I have been here 23 days. That is 22 days from now. That is November 14th.

Options:

I know have two options as I see it.

Option #1: I get my bike repaired, and hang out around Ecuador for the next 3 weeks, exploring the country and spending time in new places such as the coast, Banos, Octovalo, etc. I go to Guayaquil to update my visa. I go to the audience on the scheduled day, and then leave the country.

Option #2: I get my bike repaired, and get the hell out of town, skipping the audience with the judge/lawyer. Making my way to Peru and simply forgetting that I was ever here. Will I be able to come back? Would there be irreparable consequences? Would I really be causing myself problems? I don't know.

Result:

As I see it, and from what I think is the right thing to do, I will stay here in Azoques, Ecuador, using it as my home base. The hotel has an excellent well lit, underground garage that I will use to fix my bike. I will wait for the audience with the judge/prosecutor etc. I will use the time to repair my motorcycle, repack my bags, send useless things home, and reorganize my thoughts. I will explore the surrounding area, and enjoy my time like I have been for a while now.


And that my friends, is what you can plan to expect for the next three weeks unless something changes! Nevertheless, I will have my camera, I have adventures, and I will have fun!

So, of course...

Onward!

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Getting the bike at 8am!!!!! Photos and such to come!

The all important folder full of papers that will allow me personal and permanent access to my bike.




---Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Alex....that's good news.....finally moving in a positive direction.....wishing the best

Hickery

__________________
http://motorcycletherapy.blogspot.ca/

Two days ago, Monday, October 17th was probably one of my more active days here in Azoques, Ecuador.

First off, I work up at 8am! Holy crap, that is like 1-2 hours earlier than normal! I nearly always stay awake past midnight, and have no reason not to sleep 8 hours, thus you get the point.

Well, you guys have already seen the corner store that I go to all the time. The owners of the store seem to be quite involved with a local preschool/1st grade school. After frequenting the store over the past 2 weeks, the older woman (I don’t know her name), asked me if I would like to go to the school in Monday morning, and visit the children, and speak English with them. I said, “Bueno, por supuesto!” (Great, for sure!)

And so, Monday morning, at 9am on the dot, I was showered and dressed and at the shop. The older lady was there, and presto, we got in a cab and took off for the school. Pretty soon thereafter, and we were there.



To the right of the picture above, you can see the door into the school yard. This place looks NICE. Much nicer than previous volunteer experiences I have taken part in. On the inside, these kids were learning and playing in style. They have a TRAMPOLINE.



Mickey Mouse says Welcome!



When I first entered the school, I was of course the center of attention, and the teachers/administrators all welcomed me. They were all women as well. The classroom of choice for me that morning was the Preschoolers. Along with them at the school is a small first grade class as well. In the first grade class of which I have no photo, there were about 8 students. In the preschool class, there were 14 or more.



When I arrived, they were all finger painting. After finger painting come a snack and RECESS. But before that, the teacher called the students 2-3 at a time to the bathroom, where regardless of sex, the kids dropped their pants, hiked up their skirts, and went pee. In front of each other, with little else to do but laugh and point at each other when they other couldn’t get his pants back up, or her skirt back down. What a riot!

When it is time to get up from finger painting, and head down the hall, down the stairs and outside for RECESS, these little kiddos knww the drill! They all sing a little song that ends each verse with “sshhhh”, and get ready to be quite all the way downstairs.



When the kids had all filed out of the classroom I snapped a photo of their “Digs”.



Backpacks lined up on the wall on the hooks, each of the kids with a hat was permitted to retrieve it before recess.



Before recess, each of these kids needs a bowl of rice and a glass of juice! FEED TIME!



And then, it was RECESS TIME! These kids bolted out of the door in under a few seconds, and were headed straight for their favorite toys. Be it the teeter-totter, the jungle gym, the sand box, slides, the swings, or the TRAMPOLINE!



Behind a fenced section of the playground, is a set of smaller toys, where the youngest of the children play. They are all about 3 or 4, and loved the swings the most from what I could see. The kids in the safety seats (child swings) couldn’t really swing themselves, and kept calling out “Vuelo! Vuelo!” (I fly, I fly). So, of course, I gave them a push.

The girl on the left kept calling out, “Dame tu mano!” (Give me your hand!) to her swing neighbor who willingly obliged, and I made them fly.



This little boy got his fair share of pushes, as he was my favorite. He never called out for help swinging, and always smiled and laughed when I gave him a good push.



See what I mean?



This kid was having a damn good time the whole time! The most relaxed kid in the entire school, hands down.



This girl liked to tell me all about her friends, and her dog, and her cat, and her mom, and her dad, and her…. You get it J



Right when you enter into the front gate of the school, and look to the left, you would see the set of safety swings. Behind the swings, are more swings, and a mini slide, and spring loaded chairs to bounce/rock on.



On the right side, after entering the gate, is a sand pit, walk a bit, and on your right is a large slide platform. Walk a little more, and the trampoline is now on your right side. Walk a little more, and you’ve made it to the teeter-totter and the Mickey Mouse sign, and entrance to the school on your left.

Beyond all that, and you have an expanse for some of the wild children to run free.



And then you have this kid; who, when I found him, was sitting DIRECTLY on top of a massive pile of mini little ants. They were swarming over this kid like he was part of the landscape, and he didn’t give a damn. He sat and played with them as they crawled over his legs, stomach, back, arms, and hands.

I made his stand up, so I could brush the ants off him. I asked him if he wanted to jump in the trampoline, “No.” Do you want to swing on the swing? “No.” Do you want to play in the sand? “No.” Do you like the ants? “Yes.” Do you want to play with the ants? “Yes.” Well. Shit. Ok.



Later, I found Ant Boy trying to steal a bunch of flower blossoms from another boy who had just proudly proclaimed that they were for his Mama. Ant Boy had a hand around group of stalks, and wasn’t letting go. I asked Mama’s Boy if we could share the flowers. “No.” So I took Ant Boy’s hand off the flowers, never let it go, and told him we could go pick more flowers for his Mama. Waaaaay more. And so he picked.



After that, for a while, my only job was to harass the children, in loud voices. “AAAAAAAHHHH! BOOOOO! BLABABABABA!” To which the children responded by running hell bent for cover, screaming, “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!”

I got a few of the preschool boys, and tossed them in the air with my good right arm, and pushed them over, and kicked them around, and tickled them, and picked them back up off the ground to “RAAAAAAAWR!” at them, as they ran away “Eeeeeeeeeeeh” ‘ing.

After a while, I settled down and hit up the sand box. One of the smarter 4 year old preschoolers requested my help to dig a big hole. “Why,” I asked him. “To get to the wet sand. To build a castle.” He said. Damn kid, yea, I’ll help you.



After that, it was round up time, and the kids all piled into single file line to go back inside. In no time at all, we were back in the class room, and I was watching little kids draw lines on paper, mimicking a spiders’ string, hanging below its web.



Then it was time to brush their teeth! Two at a time, the kids brushed their teeth, while the rest of the class, having just got back from recess, half sat, half ran around the room waiting.



After the communal brushing of the teeth, I was informed that the bus that would take me home had arrived. I was permitted the front seat next to the driver while 6 or 8 of the little children were in the back with a teacher. On the way out of the gated school, I snagged one last photo of the play ground.



To give you an example of the types of families that send their children to this school, I took this photo of the home of the first student we dropped off. His maid collected him at the door.



And after dropping off all the children in similar styled homes, it was time to drop me off. And upon parting ways, I captured the yellow school bus!



I was dropped directly at the corner of the street where my favorite corner store is, and walked over to meet the nice older woman. She had invited me to lunch with her sister and her mother. I was hungry, having only eaten a banana and apple that morning, and was more than happy to accept.

I made the right decision. It was the best lunch I have had the entire time I have been in this city!

A bowl of AWESOME bean soup, a platter of choclo (think oversized corn), an avocado, a plate of rice, a slice of pineapple, and a plate with mixed veggies, and pan fried Pork. SO GOOD!



And that my friends, was Monday morning.

For the rest of the afternoon I did a lot of reading. I read a lot lately. However, before all the shops closed down, I hit up the streets for my nightly meal of chicken/rice/fries/beans. Also, I needed to make an ATM run as I had run out of money finally, and hadn’t paid for the past 4 nights at the hotel. On the way back from the ATM/bank, I saw one of the 50 or so “panaderias” (bread store) in town. This one however had slices of cake for sale for $1. YES! And so I bought one.

Around the block was my new favorite fruit stand, and this time they had peaches, and strawberries. Oh damn… I take 3 of those peaches, and 3 of those plums, and 2 of those apples, and 2 of those bananas, and oh yes, a bag of those strawberries. Right… $3.

Off to the Polleria (chicken restaurant) pick up my meal, hit the corner store that’s open late, buy chips, Gatorade, Coke. Total up amount, less than $10 for everything listed above.

Back to the hotel, veg out, eat food, Skype call Kristi, go to bed.

Tuesday was the same as any other normal day. Wake up late. Eat fruit and rolls left over from Monday night grocery run, go out late for food, come back and veg out. Remember at 12:30am local time, while Skype calling Kristi that it is my sister Lorraine’s 27th birthday. Hang up on Kristi and call Lorraine. Blither blather for a while, tell her I love her. Call Kristi again. Go to bed.

And that brings us to today, Wednesday, October 19th. Much more of the same happened until about 3:30. I got off my ass, determined to go to a lawyers’ office, and get my bike paperwork completed so I could remove it from the Police Lot. No big deal, I had the card of a Lawyer that solicited his services to me when I was at the Police Station over 2 weeks ago.

On the way there, I brought my bike paperwork, my passport, extra money, and my bike keys. First stop, a farmacia (pharmacy) on the way there. No sour gummy worms to be found, so I settled on a 250ml coke. Back out the door, and WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?

Seriously, WHAT am I looking at? What is that I hear?

Low and behold, two WHITE European girls, speaking French are walking down the street. I don’t waste a second thought, and step in behind them. The taller girl (turns out she’s Swiss) looks at me like I’m God on earth, while the shorter girl (turns out she’s French) looks at Swiss girl in complete bewilderment.

It turns out that the Swiss girl (Charlotte) has been in Azoques for 5 weeks volunteering at an Orphanage, while French girl arrived last night. French girl (Lison) doesn’t realize (As the Swiss girl and I do) that there are NO OTHER white skinned people (for lack of better terminology) in all of Azoques, hence her bewildered look at Swiss girl who is currently looking at me like I am God on earth.

After the moments of shock, it is decided that I would follow them for a , as they were headed to a bar/restaurant. I’m left speechless at this point. I haven’t spoken English except for on the phone with my parents, Kristi, and friends.

I now have new friends in Azoques! Charlotte is in between studying psychology and 23yrs/old, and Lison is fresh of high school and 18yrs/old. Charlotte is here till December’ish, and Lison is here till March. I’m here for 7-10 more days. So, it’ll be BEER:30 sometime in the next few days, and I’ll take the customary “MEET THESE PEOPLE” shots when I have the chance. I left my camera at the hotel prior to meeting them.

Needless to say, I never made it to the Lawyer, or the Police parking. I’ll do that in the morning. And then, I’ll see if I can help out at the Orphanage these girls are helping at. The kids are 3 months to 11yrs/old. I’m sure I can help somewhere!

It’s time for bed now, so take it easy everyone! Keep it real!

Until next time!


--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

A long time here in Ecuador


Or at least, it has been exactly one week from the day I started the process, and nearly 4 weeks in total since I arrived where I am now.

On Wednesday, October 25th, the Lawyers assistant told me to come back in the morning at 8am, and so I did.

I got up earlier than usual, didn’t sleep enough, and instead of meeting anyone, I found this.



I stood in the morning sunshine on the corner for 15 minutes, just in case, and eventually made my way back towards my hotel to sleep more. I was friggin tired.

On the way back, I saw this Honda XL 185s. There wasn’t anything too special about it.



Out of curiosity, I like to check the odometers on bikes that I see. This little bike had 85,062 kilometers showing! 52,866 miles, NICE!



Back at the hotel, I forced myself to sleep a bit more. Around 11:30am, I was back at the lawyer’s office. The outside door was unlocked, but the door to his office was closed. No one was home. Around here, when a door is closed, and its business ours, you just sit and wait for them to come back. They come back nearly all the time. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes until I say the Lawyer walking up the hill. He saw me, waved, got closer, shook my hand (I shake about 20 hands a day when I’m with this guy), opened his office, grabbed my papers, and off we went to get my previously translated title, notarized.


With some sleight of hand action, I snagged the Notary Lawyers photo. Little work happened, but what did “go down” was what needed to happen. When asked the price, I was charged $30, and the first real feel I have paid since I started my “release of motorcycle” campaign. (Not including heinous amounts of photocopying at $0.03/pg)





The result? A very official looking folder with 13 pieces of paper inside that I have had copied for $0.39 a time, at least 5 times. EVERYONE wants a copy. Luckily every corner has a copy shop. Why these guys don’t buy their own copier for, I don’t know. They’d save an hour a day.




The fancy stamps, stickers, and signatures of the Notary Lawyer. (Side note: All lawyers are referred to as Doctor here. As in, “Hola Doctor”, shake a hand, etc. And if you’re my lawyer, you call the pretty lawyer women, “Doctorita”, hahaha. They do have a “doctorate” right?)





From the the Notaries Office, it was off to Biblian, to talk to the prosecutor, and judge that are in charge of my case. My Lawyer seemed to have something up his sleeve, and I didn’t really understand his technical lawyer talk either. I can shoot the shit in Spanish mind you, just not legal terminology.

So off we went. We arrived, and we chatted, and we talked some more, and we chatted a bit more. I shook about 15 hands, I said, “Buenas” at least as many times, and I sat in a chair. Lawyer man shot the shit with the second Prosecutor (who I met and shook hands with just then), and explained my case.

“He’s has an accident. He’s been here for over 3 weeks. His friends are traveling ahead of him. He’s alone. He needs his bike. Can we get his bike? And while we’re at it, how about we move his hearing up to say, tomorrow, or Friday”

Prosecutor Number 2, “Where are you coming from? USA? Holy shit! How long? Seven months? Holy Shit! All on a bike? Yes. Holy shit! Where are you going? Argentina. Holy shit! What kind of bike is it? Suzuki DR650. How much was it? About $5,500 when I left. That’s ALL!? I have a Honda CRF450 that I bought, it was $8000. I ride motocross. How long have you been here in Azogues? Almost 4 weeks? Damn! Are you traveling solo? You are now, but you have friends 2 days ahead of you? SHIT! Let me call the other prosecutor. Let me talk to the Judge. I have free time on Friday morning. You’ll get your bike tomorrow, and be free to go Friday, and catch your friends on Monday. Done.”

HOLY SHIT. WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

Did I mention that this guy rides motocross, is much younger than the other prosecutor, and was wearing a sporty (clean and never ridden in) Shift motorcycle jacket?

And so he called the other prosecutor and got his permission to take my case. Then he walked across the hall with my Lawyer and I in tow. We shook hands, etc. Prosecutor Number 2 states his case to the Judge.
“Senor, this guy is traveling from the USA, he’s been here for almost 4 weeks, and his friends are only days ahead of him. He needs to leave. We have free time on Friday. Can we get him into an audience? 2:30pm? We have 8:30am free. Ok. 8:30am, Friday the 28th. Done.”

HOLY SHIT. WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

Back in the car, and headed to the lawyers office, the Lawyer Man tries to explain what’s up. All I understand is that I’ll be getting my bike the next day, and having a court hearing the day after. I don’t understand the legal parts. So we talk about what I do for a living. I tell him that I drove trailers in Alaska, in the snow and ice 20 degrees below zero. He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Like the Discovery Channel?” he asks. “Yea, like that.” I say.

(Disclaimer: I spent 6 months in Juneau AK, where the lowest temperature I saw there was only 15* F (-7.5*C). Then I spent one week in Fairbanks, lowest temperature I saw while on the job was still only -20*F (-25*C). TOM spent 2 months there in Fairbanks, 25 days of which never went above 0*F (-15*C) and he saw multiple days on the job at -40*F (-40*C).)

Back at the office, Lawyer Man showed me what was up.



The Criminal Warrnts Judge can replace or repeal a precautionary measure ordered before or dictate nonetheless of having previously denied if:





a) Current new facts so warrant;

b) The obtaining of new evidence or substantiating facts give justified rights or not those upon the deprivation of liberty. (Just CAN’T Translate this)


Well. I got the point, and he elaborated. He had been informed that the police investigation of the accident proved my innocence, and that I was not guilty of any wrong doing in the traffic accident case. He would present such evidence, and the case would be closed. I would no longer be required to stay in the country any longer as had been the case earlier. And with that, he told me to come back the next day at 8am, to go get my motorcycle….


--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Well hot damn! I’m getting my bike back, AND my court hearing has been moved up more than 2 weeks! Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Well, that enticed me to go get some chicken, and head back to my hotel. Not too long after I had been there, I received a Skype chat message from Charlotte. It said, “We’re going to a music gig (classical) at the church. Do you want to go?”

Of course I wanted to go, and I said exactly that. I stuffed face on my chicken, surfed the web, and was ready to rock and roll an hour later when Charlotte and Lison showed up in the back seat of Gabby’s car. Sweet. We even had a ride.

Minutes later we were parked in front of Iglesia de San Francisco, and I was snapping photos. Check it out Padre!



The view over the city is pretty good from up here too. Awesome.



The inside of the church is just as impressive as the outside as well. Stone pillars, painting, sculptures, wall hangings, and a very impressive back drop behind the pulpit.



We took our seats around the mid section on the left hand side. Here’s my view from the bench.



Say hello girls! From left to right are, Gabby, Charlotte and Lison.



We arrived about 15 minutes early, but by 7:05pm, things were underway, and we were being serenaded by a fantastic singer with the Cuenca Philharmonic Symphony behind her. Awesome.



Oh yea. I forgot. To my left, were two robed priests, standing, and enjoying the music while I was seated in my shorts and flip-flops. What a ridiculous presentation I made. If I had thought ahead of time, I would have at least put on my socks and sandals, and worn my only pair of pants. At least on second glance I saw that one priest wore traditional style sandals… That counts right?



I wasn’t the only one out of place thought. This dog was having a great time.



After the first set, the singing woman stepped down, and everyone gave a standing ovation.



What came next though was my favorite. This guy ripped into the Yamaha Grand Piano like it was a play toy. He shredded the keys like than Jimmy Hendrix shredded a guitar. It was awesome. And then, THEN, he whipped out his accordion, and gave the originals an example! YES! As you might be able to tell, I very much enjoyed it.



Well, the second set ended with a call for an encore, and so it was. The symphony played a second song, and the Pianist/Accordionist ripped it up again. I spent about an hour uploading a mini video of the guy, cause it was bitchin.

http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/a...t=MVI_8242.mp4




After dinner, the girls were hungry, and so we hopped in the car and Gabby took us to a café that was open. Three of us ordered a beef plate, while Lison ordered fried fish. (Seems she’s pescatarian*, i.e. doesn’t eat meat other than fish.) Three of us had a glass of Strawberry juice as well ($0.75). It was the first time I had beef since I left Bogota, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!



With dinner over, it was time to go to bed. These are working girls, and they had work in the morning. Not me! I had a motorcycle to pick up in the morning!

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

I met the Lawyer at his office at 8am, as he requested. I was early, and he arrived in his Mitsubishi Montero. I hopped in, and first step was to drive to Biblian, to see Prosecutor Number Two.

The Prosecutor has gone about his business and accomplished everything that he has said he would, and to top it off, he had a stack of papers that needed to be copied. Perfect.

Down the street we go with a stack of 10 or more pages that have been added to the 13 or so pages that were in my original folder. We find the copying place, make the copies, pay the lady (I always pay for the copies) and go back to the Prosecutors office to hand them over. We keep a signed piece of paper, say thank you, confirm the appointment for Friday at 8:30am, and then head back to town.

I suppose I should mention that Biblian is a small town that is 3 miles from Azogues. It’s more like a suburb to me.

Back in town, it was off to take a look at the bike, to make sure it was there… Excellent. Please notice my severely displaced hand guards, broken head light, and front brake line hanging on the front cowling.



When my right hand guard got twisted upward, the make shit bolt that holds my “Advmonster” LED light (LED Auxiliary Lights - ADVrider) to my “Highway Dirt Bike” (HDB) hand guards, (www.highwaydirtbikes.com/HDB_Shop/) impacted the banjo bolt on my front brake master cylinder, and ripped it right out of its home. DAMN.



My left side auxiliary LED light lens cracked. Shit. That means water.



When you run into large object on the highway, unprepared, bikes get bent out of shape! My pro-taper 1 1/8th bars have stood the test of time. Shoot, this time, even the left hand guard got bent a little. Can you believe that? HDB Guards don’t just, “bend.”



Oh yea… My right side pannier and lid. Happy Trail, I like your pannier racks, and I like your mounting pucks. They kick ass. But I just don’t think I can handle Aluminum boxes. Not yours at least.



I saw another bike in the corner, a Yamaha 125. It had 80,505 kilometers on it. 50,034 miles, NICE.



Well, that was good enough for me. The bike is still there. No worries. On the other hand, someone else had something to worry about, as a funeral procession was taking place on the avenue outside the police impound lot. :/



Well, after confirming the status of the bike, it was off to the Jefetura de Policia’s office (A police boss man). Before that though, I needed 2 copies of my passport. Oh, and the Jefetura’s office is closed. So, instead, Mr. Lawyer Man took me to a motorcycle shop that he recommended because the Police motorcyclists use it. He took my there, I told the man what was up, and he just said, it was no problem, and that I should come back in an hour and a half. So, after more hand shaking, we went back to the Police Boss Man’s office. He was open.

First though, it’s a cigarette break.



At the office, I was asked to pay $1.50 for each day that my motorcycle remained in the Police Parking Lot. My lawyer made a valiant effort to mitigate the fee (27 days multiplied by $1.50 = $40.50), but it was to no avail as we’d have to come back tomorrow as the systems that allowed it weren’t on the same computer. So, I paid the man. So far, I’m up to $70.50.

From there, it was all straight forward. We got a signed piece of paper that said I had paid, and headed back for the bike. I couldn’t start my bike, because the kill switch was jammed closed, so I couldn’t ride it to the motorcycle shop. Mr. Lawyer Man had an audience in 30 minutes, and wasn’t about to miss it. In 3 minutes, he had a truck lined up to haul me and the bike a mile or so to the shop.

The three of us heaved my bike into the back of a short-bed, dual-cab pickup truck, and with a single length of rope, the driver tied it in. I hoped in the cab of the truck, and off we went. It turned out that the driver spoke pretty good English, and understood me even better. He had lived in the United States for 11 years, and the child in the back seat was even American.

Only a few minutes and three dollars later and I was dropped off at the Motorcycle shop. Que bien.



Inside of 4 minutes, the shop owner had placed a new front brake master cylinder in my hand. How much? $18.00…. I’ll take it.



After installing that, adding brake fluid and bleeding the brakes, it was onto the head light. First step was removal.



Second step was convincing the helper that was now assisting me to retrofit the high-output 60watt halogen bulb from my old busted headlight into the new one. I wasn’t too fond of the idea of riding with a 30watt halogen bulb in my new $10 headlight assembly. He agreed it was better, and we installed it.



Say goodbye to the busted head light! Adios you pile of crap!



Next step was to address my broken clutch adjustment screw.



And then after that, to deal with the burnt our break light that hasn’t functioned since the first week of Mexico. That turned out to be a BITCH, as the light bulb had rust/welded to the insertion slot, and removing it turned out to be impossible.



Marvel at the rebar turned tire iron that measures about 3.25 feet long.



Watch the shop assistant saw off some tabs on the edge of my new rear light bulb socket to replace the old one that was chopped out.



By now, its 2pm and according to the boss man, seen below on the far left of the table, it is time for lunch. The guys are getting hungry as well. I am invited, and so I go along. I hadn’t eat yet, and I was damn hungry as well. Meet the guys that fixed up my bike!



While we were sitting there at lunch, I asked the shop owner how much the meals cost. He replied that they were $1.50/each. We’re talking about a bowl of bean and noodle soup (that I think is really damn good), and a plate of rice, vegetables, and meat, accompanied by a glass of fruit juice. I almost laughed because it was so cheap.

Right before we left, he got up to pay the bill for himself and the shop workers. He was probably going to pay mine as well. However, I beat him to it, and when he set down a $10 bill, I snatched it out of the waitresses hand from behind the counter, slapped it back on the counter in his direction, and handed over my own money. $7.50 for 5 meals. Call it a donation to THEIR fund. The owner said thank you to me no less than 3 times. He meant it too.

Back at the shop after lunch, I was hard at work tweaking things, and making sure everything was good to go. The front turn signals were addressed and I had new L.E.D lights on in a flash ($8.00 a pair).

After that, I locked the hand guards back into place, adjusted the lever positions, tightened the mirror, and shortened the screws holding my Auxiliary Light brackets. Putting the front cowling on was a slight chore as the new headlight unit is slightly larger. Adjusting the inside diameter of the cowling proved simply enough by using a hack saw blade to remove a few flanges, and VIOLA, I’m functional again.



Next on the list was to take care of the Chain. I had replaced the chain in Bogota before I left, and used a 525 o-ring master link to do it. However, the master link was such a bitch getting it on, and not of the right fit apparently as the chain formed a kink at the master link and wouldn’t flex at that point. It was the right size as per the package AND stamping on the link (DID 525), but if just didn’t fit.

Getting it off proved to be easier with a 4” dye grinder, and it was replaced with a 530 master link as a 525 was not available. To make it fit, one of the o-rings on the chain was ground down, as the 530 link was JUST too short to make it fully to the other side. I’m not worried about it. I’ll last.

Next, was creating a buffer zone between my left hand aux light and water. I unscrewed the outer bevel that holds the glass plate in place and removed the plate as the release of pressure allowed it to fall into 3 pieces. I then placed 3 layers of clear plastic bag over the exposed LEDs, and screwed the bevel back in place, forming the plastic into a 3 level waterproof barrier. I then wrapped electrical tape around the light to prevent seepage from the not fully screwed down bezel. Until I can find someone to cut me a perfect circle out of glass, this will have to do.

And now, the only things left on the bike to worry about are the right side mirror that was shattered, and finding a replacement windshield, as I broke mine when I body slammed it. I’m willing to bet that finding a new mirror will be the least of my worries, and a windshield will show up in due time.

Last but not least, I pay the man.... Total?... $40.00....



Then, for the first time in 27 days, I got on my motorcycle, and rode it back to the hotel, wearing flip flops, shorts, and a long sleeve shirt. I didn’t even have a helmet or sunglasses. That’ll be the last time that happens.

I stopped off on the way back to the hotel to ask a welding shop if they could fix my side bag. They suggested another shop, and that was that. I’ll go their tomorrow after the hearing.

Now, I just have to mentally prepare myself to leave this place. Saturday will mark 4 weeks that I have been here. I am thinking Monday, the 31st, Halloween, will mark my date of departure, and my subsequent entrance into Peru…

Hot damn boys and girls!

ONWARD!!!

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Excellent news! Well done.

Congratulations for having your bike back.
I wish you a safe trip and lots of fun.

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Because I was ANGRY.

I left Azoques yesterday, and today I am on the border with Peru.

They impounded my bike this afternoon at the border because I was 24 days over my alloted visa time of 10 days. When I entered Ecuador, the system was down, so everyone was entered manually and given ten days. 2 days later I had accident.

I got a letter from the Judge from where I was, explaining the case, but apparently it was only good for immigration (i.e. my and my passport) but not valid for Aduanas.(i.e, custom and the bike). So, they made me leave my bike there, and I have to WAIT UNTIL MONDAY because of the ****ing holidays. On monday, the man that can make the necessary paper will arrive. All the Aduaneros (customs guys), wanted to help, but WOULD NOT budge.

This is the first time I have been angry in 7 months.

So now I have 4 days to chillax.

Today, I got sunburnt, had a flat tire, and realized that I am without my electric ($100) pump (which had my patch kit with it) because it never made it back to me after my accident. Either did EITHER of my pairs of gloves ($100 and $125). Some cop got the BEST gloves on the market. Summer and winter gloves.

So I got help from a local, took the wheel off the back of the bike, and left the bike on the road. Got driven about 5 miles, had the shit patched, got back on the bike, and was having a great time, and then this..........

Life is always full of adventures no?


I uploaded all the pictures I´ve not posted yet, and will go back to my hotel ($6/night) and write out the report. I´ve got this internet cafe computer silently downloading movies for me...

Did someone yell out ONWARD!? Right. Not just yet amigos.

--Alex

__________________
NJ, NR, NBTTN

Alex...that sucks........stay cool. Its all part of the great adventure you are living. You endured 40 days ..... a few more will likely turn up more exciting times. This is what keeps your followers glued to your Blog....its pacted with the unexpected with its twists and turns.
Best Wishes...

Hickery

__________________
http://motorcycletherapy.blogspot.ca/