Long Way Up – Apple TV+ Episode 8 Recap & Review

Ecuador

There’s a little over 9000 miles to Los Angeles as episode 8 of Long Way Up begins. The group split up with the cars going through Esmeraldas Port and across to Panama while Charley and Ewan head up to Darien Gap.

Before they part ways though, the group settle down to eat some Ecuadorian food. Only, this tranquility doesn’t last long as a flurry of fans arrive asking for autographs.

Ewan sticks it out though and eventually the duo head back on the road. While they enjoy the sights, the group with the cars beat Ewan and Charley to the equator but comment how there hasn’t been a lot to see along the way.

Ewan and Charley however are in higher spirits. First up is an incredible shop that weaves hats by hand. After that, they push on for the Jama-Coaque reserve, a place suffering greatly from deforestation. 98% of the land has been stripped bare for cattle and it really is a shocking statistic. The pair stay for the night, soaking in the jungle sounds which happens to be Ewan’s highlight of the entire trip.

That trip though quickly takes a precarious turn. Charley and Ewan find themselves facing needle-thin rain, icy cold winds and difficult road conditions the following day. If that wasn’t bad enough, they even start going through a landslide zone.

It’s touch and go for sure but the duo make it incident-free to Tulcan. Well, almost incident-free anyway. Ewan’s bike is not charging and the software is locking up. Unfortunately, they’ve got no choice but to shut the bike down until they make it up to Panama to take a closer look.

That doesn’t stop them enjoying the sights of Ecuador though. The pair visit one of the most incredible churches you’re likely to ever see (next to the Vatican of course!) Nestled between two rock faces, Las Lajas is a mini paradise.

Only, that paradise soon turns awry as Ewan and Charley find themselves on another difficult stretch of road. This one is susceptible to landslides too and they’ve had reports that it’s still pretty bad.

The boys make it past though – with Ewan following his own bike on the truck, before making it down to Pasto for a connecting flight up to Buenovista. Only, this unpredictable trip takes another turn for the worst as the plane is stuck thanks to fog.

With an hour to go until the boat departs, Ewan and Charley load up the bikes as the fog clears their side, awaiting anxiously whether they can  press on or not.

The Episode Review

Following on from last week, Long Way Up delivers another exciting episode as the boys tackle some precarious road conditions. On top of that, we also get to see more of the beauty South America holds. Las Lajas is an incredible place and must certainly be up there with one of the best churches in the world.

As the episode closes out though we’re left with one big question; will the boys make it in time to catch the boat? We’ll have to wait and see!