‘Long Way Up’ Recap: ‘Ecuador’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the eighth episode of ‘Long Way Up’.
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Thus far, our discussions revolving around the AppleTV+ series, Long Way Up, have focused heavily on the ups and the downs that come with taking a road trip, and understandably so. For Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s long journey north, has featured both wonderful and frustrating moments. The kind that have seen them deal with bumps and bruises and disappointment when things go off the rails, in between great moments of beauty and joy. But what’s truly made this voyage so fascinating is that for the most part, this series has really only featured the good or the bad at any given time. Something that helps to remind us of the fact that when the universe sends rough or joyous stuff our way, it does it in spades. But all of that changed during this week’s episode. For ‘Ecuador’ is a story that took the time to explore how sometimes in life, good moments and bad moments can simply trade places on a moment’s notice, and how we respond to that is paramount.

But before we talk about some of the sour stuff, let’s celebrate the more wondrous moments that took place in this tale, such as how Ewan’s celebrity standing led to some big-time moments for fans of his work. Because a great many people recognized him in this particular leg of the journey, which prompted Ewan to offer nothing but kindness and gratitude to his fans since he took plenty of time to provide them with selfies and a smile and well, while this might not exactly relate to the wonder of the road trip; this is the kind of thing that informs of you Ewan McGregor’s character. Because he had every opportunity to be dismissive or curt, in order to keep the timetable. But instead, he took hours out of his day to make fans happy and that’s just cool, and it was equally as incredible to see Ewan take a moment and reflect upon that kind of experience, since we rarely get any insight as to what celebrities think about moments such as that.

However, while it was quite awesome to see how gracious Ewan is with his fanbase, there were also some incredible sights to be seen in Ecuador. For the landscape out here was simply gorgeous and lush and beautiful and in order to keep it that way, we came to learn that there are people who are going the extra mile to preserve the jungles in this majestic part of the world. For Ewan and Charley spent a little time with a unique man named Jerry. Who left big city living in NYC to do something a little more fulfilling, and he moved down to Ecuador and started a commune/organization to replant trees in parts of the forest that have been torn down and this was just amazing. Because you don’t often hear stories like this, where someone gave up a simpler life in order to give back to the planet and communities, they don’t know that well. But Jerry is doing just that and making progress since the trees he and his team are planting, are growing and thriving. 

But sadly, that’s where the truly joyous moments in this tale came to a close. For as Ewan and Charley prepared to make their way to an airport that would transport the bikes and some of the crew out of a dangerous stretch of land, the problems in question, befell the journey. Because a glitchy software update rendered Ewan’s bike useless, since it wouldn’t allow for him to start the thing up. Which meant his trusty ride had to be put on the back of a truck until they reached their next destination, so the folks at Harley Davidson could repair it, and to complicate matters further, getting to their next destination ended up being quite the challenge. Because fog delayed their plane and concerns from the pilots left everything askew and when we leave our dynamic duo in this tale, they’re unsure if they’re going to make it to the boat that will heft them and their gear north, on time. 

If anything, this episode really is that perfect exploration of how life can quickly change our fortunes on a moment’s notice. Because the team really was cooking along in this tale, to the point where we even got to see the producers enjoy the majesty of Ecuador. But while it stinks that Ewan and Charley are once again dealing with strife, it’s important to note, that they handle it in stride here. Because they know they’re eventually going to overcome these problems and continue along north and that’s inspiring to say the least. Since following in their footsteps could do all of us some wonders, the next time life throws a monkey wrench in our daily plans and well, in the end, this was just another incredible episode. One that once again showed us wonders untold, and where to get a seriously stylish handmade hat, and now that this leg of the journey has come to a close, it’s back to playing the waiting game with this series once again, as we count down the minutes until next week’s adventure. Until then.

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