We tried to get an early start this morning, but got delayed by an attempt at a last minute stop at the Mall De Rio - we are still not sure what time it opens, but its after 9:30.

From Cuenca we headed east towards a little town called Limon via another one of those narrow twisting dirt mountain roads that you must think we are in love with. But it was interesting, starting in the dry landscape around Cuenca the road climbs into the Sierra mountains to a summit of around 12,000 ft and then descends to below 2000 ft at Limon. This is beginning to be Amazon basin land and the climate reflects that. Much warmer and definitely more humid, and as a consequence very different vegetation from what we have seen since leaving the north of Colombia.

From Limon we took the start of the Orient Road north to Mendez, this road will take us all the way north to Quito level but will travel east of the mountains and on the edge of the jungle. It seems from what we can tell that it has been built partly for tourism but mainly for oil exploration and exploitation in the Eastern jungle of Ecuador.

From Limon to Mendez the road was an odd mix of brand new pavement, and almost unmaintained dirt segments. There was a lot of evidence of ongoing construction, from large new earth moving machines, to men with shovels and cement mixers building the road side culverts.