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My first full day in Ecuador started off sunny. I went up and the weather went down. As I entered endless fields of frailejones, the clouds rolled in and I was enveloped in a storm of rain and hail. I rode through the El Angel reserve and when I arrived at the ranger station, they fed me lunch and gave me a bed to sleep in. The next morning I woke up for a glorious sunrise and incredible vistas of far-off volcanoes towering over the land. Ecuador, so far you do not disappoint.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 1, 2017 at 4:17pm PDT

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I've been waiting for this guy to show its face. #otovalo #ecuador #imbabura

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 2, 2017 at 3:11pm PDT

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It was Day of the Deceased in Ecuador today. To mark the occasion, people visit the graves of their loved ones and place flowers and cards at it. The cemetery in Ibarra was just down the road from my hostel so I went and took in the experience. I was fascinated by the cemetery and the way the graves are stacked up in rows. I was also saddened by the row of smaller graves higher up, I assume for children week who died too young.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 2, 2017 at 6:54pm PDT

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A few of the things you can buy at the incredible Saturday market in Otavalo, Ecuador: 1. Puppies 2. Rabbits 3. Hammocks 4. Creepy dolls 5. Bad ass knives 6. Cute hats 7. Spices 8. Wooden carvings of Jesus (and turtles) 9. Llama dolls 10. Beautiful wool sweaters.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 4, 2017 at 6:06pm PDT

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I expected to see a big sign when I crossed the equator today – instead all there was was a little red mark at the side of the road. So instead of an equator selfie, here's a picture from Fuya Fuya, a 4,279 metre peak I climbed yesterday after cycling to Laguna de Mojanda from Otavao. After, I camped by the lake and enjoyed a fire with some Frenchies while watching the moon rise. Today I put in a big day to make it to the Casa De Ciclista in Tumbaco, just outside Quito, where I'm going to leave it while I make an impromptu trip to the Galapagos!

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 6, 2017 at 5:25pm PST

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Swimming with sea lions… #galapagos

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 11, 2017 at 9:11pm PST

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Animals of the #Galapagos: 1. Land iguanas 2. Red crabs 3. Pelicans and sharks 4. Giant tortoises 5. Flamingos 6. Sea lions 7. Blue-footed boobies 8. Lizards 9. Marine iguanas 10. Penguins. Not pictured but also seen: marine turtles, white-tipped sharks, sting rays, eagle rays and many more fish and birds.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 14, 2017 at 10:01am PST

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I wasn't entirely sold on the #Galapagos until today, probably because the weather has been mostly cool and gray. But today the sun came out and I got to hang out on a secluded beach with more sea lions than people and it was wonderful.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 15, 2017 at 4:19pm PST

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From the Galapagos to 4,700 metres in 48 hours. Probably not what the doctor recommends but it worked. This was from the summit of Pichincha, which was accessed via the teleferico in Quito. After a couple of days in Quito, I've reunited with my bike at the casa de ciclista in Tumbaco and plan to soon be off to Cotopaxi volcano and stage two of my journey.

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 18, 2017 at 7:06pm PST

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Tomorrow I'm finally going to ride my bike again and start making some distance from the equator. The other day a group of us went up to Mitad del Mundo birth of Quito, which straddles the invisible line and where there are not one, but two equator museums. We took a tour of the first one, but only took a photo outside the other one – which isn't even on the equator! After all, how many equator facts are there, really?

A post shared by Alex (@alexcooperexplores) on Nov 21, 2017 at 2:27pm PST