[chevre=cool] So, I have saved a Norwegian tourist. Nothing more was to be done in Banos. Together with Eric and Martina we left towards Oriente, Ecuador’s Amazonas province. Our goal was off-roading in the jungle, but after some 100km on bumpy roads we had to cancel this plan. My Land-Cruiser’s suspension made strange noises and via Walkie-Talkie we asked Erik to stop his Land-Rover. A brief inspection showed that the suspension stoppers were completely gone on the right side and only partly present on the left side. This was not really a strange thing after some 50k traveling on tough roads told us Erik, but maintenance was needed.
With about 20km/h and an old lady who could not carry her bananas anymore on the back board of the car, we made it back to the last village.
The Easter days we spent with maintenance work since also the Landy needed some work done (they always do…). I was very glad for Erik’s help and advice since neither David nor me are great mechanics.
After all the work was done we had to celebrate! We found the lovely hotel “La Loma”, a perfect hide-away for travelers situated in Shell. Go there if you wanna spoil yourself for a day or two! The dinner was Swiss-style and great, our wine was Argentinean and tasty and the consecutive cigar was long enough for both Erik and me. The next day Martina had to see the doctor due to a potential dengue fever and our Land-Rover driving friends decided to stay a day longer in the fabulous Swiss hotel. We said good-bye and made way towards Ambato where my friends Enrique and Xavico were awaiting us. 
I have met both of them in Liard-Spring up North in Canada when they were driving from Ecuador to Alaska on their motor-cycles. They then were running out of food and I gladly helped them out with some cans of mine. We talked till late night and the two invited me to show up once I would make to South-America.
So I did! And to make it clear up-front: Better hosts you won’t fine. We walked into Enrique’s office (the only address I had) shortly after lunch, and being boss and owner, he simply called it a day and off we were for beers and early dinner. We met Xavico and his quite beautiful girl-friend later in the evening – with them we met about 10 very good-looking girls, at least 2 of them were Enrique’s girl-friends. What a great evening! I could not have it enjoyed it more! However, while I was having fun with my friends and their beautiful entourage, David was sitting quietly at our table smoking more cigarettes than ever. The last days he had seemed quite depressed and only talked about one topic: his Estefania. I could hardly understand his behavior: I mean, what more can a man want? Traveling through beautiful South-America, having a nice girl-friend waiting for you in Mexico, sitting at a table with more beautiful girls than you can talk with and having great hosts reading every wish from your eyes… But no, David was clearly not a happy man.
However, my mind was somewhere else and I enjoyed dancing and partying!
The next day we had a tasty lunch in Xavico’s family’s hotel and spent the rest of day with Enrique doing some shopping for the car. The evening was another great party and once again David did not join in. He told me that he missed his girl-friend very much and that he felt physical pain not being with her. Well, I understood that as some late coming adolescent love-sickness and thought it would be over once we would be traveling again.
But no, the next morning David told me that he would be off that very day and that he could not wait longer to see his girl-friend.
This was quite a disappointment, since so far our traveling had been fun. However, after what I had seen and heard the last two weeks (and after the many cigarette breaks I had to endure), I knew that it was not worth to discuss any further and after a last breakfast at Xavico’s hotel our ways parted and I hurried towards Lima, Peru, where I should pick up Manuel, a good friend from my laboring days back home in Switzerland.
However, the days in Ecuador with Enrique and Xavico have been super-chevre and I only can recommend everybody to make some good Ecuadorian friends!