Today we rode through what I would easily consider one of the best motorcycle rides I have ever done.
What made it uniquely special was the huge, very steep, beautiful, snowy mountains rising from way below the road to way into the clouds ... on both sides of the road ... combined with incredibly tight, nonstop, and with perfect pavement curves ... for hundreds of kilometers.
Moments like this, when spectacular nature sips into your soul because of its magnificence, when the motorcycle becomes a seamless extension of your body and not a separate thing, and when all of this moves through space at lean angles that carve each tight turn in perfect balance, effortlessly, as it was meant to do ...
Could this be what people call transcendence or heightened awareness? Whatever this was, it will leave a mark in my soul forever.
After this, events throughout the day seemed more meaningful.
At our next fuel stop, I met Maribel. An 11 year old girl that was selling candy. A 7th grader that loved school and dreamt of traveling also, She was curious about our worlds and asked a lot of questions about our different countries. Her uncle and other family members had left for the United States and she missed them. An old soul with a spark of goodness.
In Cuenca, I met a hungry man at the main plaza that asked me for a carrot cake I had just bought. We talked for a while. Another connection today that felt more intense.
Cuenca is a beautiful colonial town that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Great old architecture, churches, government buildings, stores, coffee shops, restaurants. We went to a rooftop cafe that was on top of a store (5th floor) with great views of the main plaza and the of the whole town for some juice and a snack.
Tomorrow we will reach the border with Peru.
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