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Peru: Unfinished Business - Two 200cc Chinese Motos
Intro: “Peru: Unfinished Business”
Words by Naomi (naotweed) | Photography by Alberto (MotoLara) Holy cow, it is 2015!? When did that happen?? Where has my youth gone!?? Oh well, I guess this story begins back in the good ol’ days of 2011, when Alberto and I had the privilege of riding our F800GS bikes from Canada to Argentina, however unfortunately for us things went a bit pear shaped once we arrived in Peru. We got some gas, rode into the mountains, yada yada, had to get the engines replaced on both F8GSs. Please lets not re-hash that whole ordeal here, there is plenty of discussion in our RR thread. What I do want to touch on is that while we had an amazing trip overall back in the days of 2010/2011 we always felt a bit cheated by our Peru riding experience. This is what led us to discussing, planning, and ultimately doing this ride: Peru: Unfinished Business. The basic plan was to ride our newly purchased Keeway 200s, can you feel the power?, as hard as we dare into the Peruvian Sierra covering all the places we were unable to ride the first time around but had planned visit. However we only had 6 weeks of vacation from work so riding ALL the places seemed unrealistic, so we settled for the following mission statement “ride as many awesome roads as we can”. Team Introductions: Chasqui, Inca's word for the messenger who ran through the mountains of the Inca Empire http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psb8ldkkyf.jpg Meet Chasqui, Alberto's 200ccs of terror. Can be seen lacking power on uphills at elevations of 2000+ metres above sea level and getting knee down in corners. Best known for being able to climb any hill in first gear. The indomitable Keeway TX200 packed for adventure http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9jgpga3e.jpg Apu, the Incas word for the spirit of the mountains http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psk2kgzisj.jpg Introducing Apu, Naomi's 200cc companion for Chasqui. Can be seen bouncing along behind Chasqui and best know for bolts going missing. Apu enjoying the sunset http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pskb52bcqr.jpg Our stuff: http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psseprq64k.jpg Naomi 1) Neck protection with cooling properties 2) Camping pots 3) Hydration pack 4) Solar charger to keep the toys powered 5) Riding gloves 6) Communication system http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psko6sbern.jpg Alberto 1) Powder to keep the skin happy 2) Rok Straps to keep our luggage in place 3) Miracle glue 4) Hard Drive for backing up media 5) Communication device for emergencies…. just in case http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pseeersrpj.jpg A few teaser photos to wet your whistle. http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psggzpcjqr.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psrlkihqqs.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psvftl9wll.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pscbnvrms0.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psk3didlu8.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psihzs6axu.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pscpbu9lzv.jpg http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2l2ajpq9.jpg I hope you enjoy our videos for the trip, there will be an Episode for each day. This is the teaser video of the whole trip. We’d love it if you subscribed to our YouTube channel and left your feedback in the comments section. We really want to hear what you think. Thank you! |
Trip Prep
So we had a plan, well sort of, maybe we should look at a map or something... What we did have was return tickets from Edmonton to Lima and two Keeway motorcycles stored in Huanchaco, Peru. You’ve got to start somewhere. The first step we took along this journey was to look at a map together. This was done back in Canada not at the side of the road in Peru by the way. We both had some ideas of places we wanted to go, so we loosely planned out some routes in google earth and google maps. The next step was packing. Oh boy, I naively underestimated this step in the process. We barely got all our stuff into two checked bags each, accompanied by some seriously bloated carry-on items, but we made it work. We usually travel light and agile, but that was definitely not the case for this trip.
Leaving work for warmer, MUCH warmer, lands https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8807/1...42c0bcf1_b.jpg March 19th began like any other day. We woke up early, not exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed. We had spent the previous evening re-jigging our packing to make sure we came in on weight. Air Canada aren’t the type of airline to be generous with these sorts of things. Shower, breakfast, shuttle to the airport. Meanwhile at our hotel... https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7787/1...36d47f53_b.jpg Check in at the Air Canada counter was fairly painless. The bag check gentleman was a bit old and grumpy, but we were playing by the rules so there was nothing he could do to stop us. Security was a cinch and we were officially on our way. Our route was a flight from Edmonton to Toronto then onwards to Lima straight from Toronto. We had about 3 hours in the airport in Toronto, which we used to refuel, and relax. The joy of waiting at airports in between flight connections! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7785/1...771618b4_b.jpg 'Chicken' for in-flight supper, YAY! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8757/1...c0bf4650_b.jpg Almost there! work > Edmonton > Toronto > Lima > Huanchaco https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7768/1...55f9abb5_b.jpg I was able to sleep somewhat on the plane, Alberto was not. The Air Canada staff was friendly, keeping us hydrated throughout the 8hrs or so flight. Going through customs and retrieving our luggage was really easy in Lima. Soon enough we were navigating the shark infested waters of taxis and tours at the arrivals gate. Having just woken up it was a bit of a shock to the system at ~1:00am. Thankfully Alberto's friend Rodrigo came to pick us up at the airport. And a good thing too since all our stuff pretty much filled his Jeep Cherokee. We spent the night, or what was left of it anyway, at Grandma's house. It's pretty humid here in Lima, welcome back to Peru. With La Abuelita in Lima. She's a big fan of María y Jesús https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7750/1...69a65cab_b.jpg We only had the one day in the capital and we had a bit of a list of things that needed to get done. I enjoy riding in taxis in Lima though. It is fascinating. Somehow there are few accidents (at least I have yet to be in one in a taxi) and the horn language is entertaining in short doses. I also like the freedom to look around while sitting in the back of the taxi, unlike the constant focus that is required while riding a motorcycle in those streets. We were able to quickly get the things on our list checked off. The bus to take us to Trujillo left Lima at 10:30pm. The person doing security at the bus station was pretty cool. He quickly checked my items by squeezing one of my carry-on bags. "Helmet?" he asked, "Yes" I replied. He then squeezed my very full backpack. "Equipment?" "Yes" I replied. He smiled and asked if I was doing motocross, since I had never heard that word before and didn't understand I smiled and nodded. Alberto later told me he was talking about Motocross. He looked very excited about my motocrossing in Trujillo, which started to get me excited as well. Bus ride to Trujillo https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8828/1...6ed2128f_b.jpg We arrived in Huanchaco Beach refreshed and ready for hard day of work. The bus arrived at 8am. The goal was to hit the road as soon as possible. We were able to spend some time visiting with Alberto's family, but more or less we were down to business right away. It was a bit of a relief to have finally reached our destination. It was rather stressful managing our 4 massive bags and 4 carry-on items. Once settled we got busy with our long list of todos: washing the bikes, installing our farkles, unpacking and organizing our stuff etc... Boy are these Giant Loop’s a nice piece of kit. They packed up nice and small in the luggage and installed onto the bikes without a fuss. They were key to our plan to pack all our stuff onto these Keeways. Bikes were covered in WD40 to prevent rust during storage https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7736/1...8e9eb15f_b.jpg It wasn't just Naomi doing the cleaning...:D https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7779/1...8a136d74_b.jpg Lunch with la familia https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7781/1...b683bdf8_b.jpg Installing some farkles https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8782/1...2e48e286_b.jpg This one is done!:thumbup1: #GiantLoop https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7751/1...50dd96be_b.jpg The bikes had some troubles starting but they eventually came to life, though after all was said and done one still had a dodgy battery. Alberto definitely got a workout starting them, as he was running up and down the road trying to bump start them. We worked long into the night, and by the time we went to bed we were both exhausted. Day two was essentially a repeat of day 1. We both were still working hard on trip prep. Or at least that was what we thought. When Alberto went into Trujillo to run some errands he noticed his bike was running like a piece of crap. Not exactly the news I wanted to hear. Sativa is the family's dog and a great guardian!https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8818/1...23e20275_b.jpg Other than that though things were coming together slowly but surely. We took both bikes into Trujillo, to a bike shop, to see about sorting Alberto's bike and getting the oil changed. I followed Alberto through the city and I could hear his bike backfiring like crazy. This was my first time riding my bike and the first impressions are good. The front wheel feels a little flimsy but overall the power and handling seem fine. Finding neutral requires a PhD in mechanics, but what is a bike without character. Oh and Aberto took my battery, so my bike needs to be kickstarted because the battery can't power the electric start. This leaves me extremely nervous during idling situations at intersections. What is an international adventure without a little excitement? Back at the mechanics they greeted us and quickly brought Chasqui in to get worked on. I'm not exactly sure what happened but he fixed the crappy bike syndrome. It took him a while and he was working hard to get things just right. From what I understood of the conversation the mechanic seemed very knowledgeable. He also had two helpers, one of which was friendly and chatty. After sorting Alberto’s bike they quickly changed our oil, adjusted our chains and even fixed up my front rack. These guys were slick. I joked to Alberto that if these guys had rebuilt our BMWs 3 years ago we wouldn't have had any problems. When all was said and done we had working bikes and we were very grateful. It was dark by the time we left the mechanic shop. Filtering and trying to follow Alberto at night through the city was a bit tricky but I made it okay. Another day in the books. Ceviche: delicious local dish! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7738/1...fca80ac3_b.jpg Sunset in Huanchaco, from the top floor.https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8809/1...17446144_b.jpg 20 minutes later...https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8890/1...4ca04d19_b.jpg With the bulk of the packing done the previous day we spent today finishing up our packing and bike mods. We finished everything up by mid afternoon so we took some time to relax and visit. Everything was on the bikes ready to go bright and early for the next day. Braaaaaaap! Next stop, somewhere awesome. Episode 1 Video |
Day 1 (150km): Charting a path for adventure
Ring, ring... ugh is that the alarm already? Let’s snooze a little more haha. Adventure can wait a bit longer can’t it? We eventually got up at 6:30ish. We grabbed a delicious breakfast of mango and avocado, que rico!, to fuel us for the day. Since everything was packed we just needed to suit up and hit the road. Some goodbyes to the family and some strange looks from people walking down the street and we were officially off! We were charting a direct course for the mountains. Woohoo!
Hasta la vista! https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7751/1...003fa7fc_b.jpg We grabbed some gas before leaving Trujillo, never pass up an opportunity for gas, and I learned that you can't stay sitting on the bike while they pump gas. They thought I was a flight risk. Driving along the Panamerican highway it made me wish I had a more powerful bike to pass all the stinky trucks, but once we ditched the highway the open road was all ours. We left the hustle and bustle of Trujillo and were free to cruise along at 60kph with little interference or worry. We were pretty much maxing out our combined 26 horsepower at that pace. haha! We passed through the sugar cane fields and the unfortunate smell of burning garbage. This was a familiar road, as we had ridden it before on the F8GSs, but this time instead of going to Santiago de Chuco, we turned at Otuzco. Leaving the flat coast into the mountains! https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7777/1...db4a7b09_b.jpg Finally rolling :scooter: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8797/1...5cbe9285_b.jpg As we climbed into the mountains the landscape changed from dry sand and sugar cane fields to lush green hillsides covered in eucalyptus. I love the way the air smells when riding through eucalyptus. One of my favourite things in Peru. I am always fascinated by the local people I can see from the road: a worker in a field raising his shovel as we passed, an old lady carrying wood on her back or the lady spinning wool. I’ll stick those in the memory bank. Near the Coast: Green valleys & brown mountains https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8862/1...68601f42_b.jpg Smooth pavement... for now... https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8812/1...c1ed861f_b.jpg From Naomi's saddle :mchappy: https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8838/1...f389471f_b.jpg Further up: Green valleys & Green mountains https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8789/1...458c3178_b.jpg Hi there! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8845/1...55b49faf_b.jpg Where does it go? https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8875/1...f7deb5e0_b.jpg Surprise surprise, we encountered a few navigational challenges trying to get on track in Otuzco. There was no roads on our GPS showing the route we wanted to take but we weren’t going to let that stop us. We stopped for gas and tried to get pointed in the right direction. The hand gestures waved to the mountains so off we went following the combis and buses. We figured they were going somewhere if not the right way. It didn't matter either way because we were having fun. The road was a bit rough; the Keeways were getting a full workout. They handled the road no problem though and I commented to Alberto several times that I was happily riding like a genuine Peruvian. The roads were fun, despite being bumpy in most places. Life from a Keeway seemed pretty good. Up and down the road went, as roads tend to do in Peru. We managed to escape a nearby thunder shower that was in the mountains to our Southeast, only to be consumed by fog once we submitted our mountains and had started our descent down the other side. The fog reduced us down to first gear as it was very slow going with the limited visibility. Also having all the moisture collect on my goggles made clear vision difficult. We seemed to be the only ones on the road though, so that made things easier. We left the fog as we descended only to find rain. Luckily for us the rain was pretty light so it didn't really bother us too much. The deeper we got into the mystery route the less traffic we saw. We were getting some very strange stares when Alberto had his hi-viz rain suit on. The people came from far and wide to see the sight. In Peru there is a dirt road on -almost- every mountain https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8782/1...bf1c46e9_b.jpg Local campesinos (farmers) https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7794/1...4dcd1765_b.jpg La Libertad highlands are just awesome! https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7769/1...32a4e883_b.jpg Our Keeways starting to get dirty https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8808/1...b6830746_b.jpg Yep! looking good all muddy https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8889/1...3a49761d_b.jpg Andean casa https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7765/1...fde09733_b.jpg Typical house setting https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8845/1...4d03771b_b.jpg As the magic number of 3pm rolled around we started our search for a place to camp. We were still only 2/3 down the valley so on either side of the road the terrain was too steep to camp. We figured that our best option was down by the river so we continued to follow the road down. At some point Alberto noticed that my exhaust was broken, like hanging off broken. Looks like we lost a bolt. We ziptied it back in place but my bike had a much deeper exhaust note now because there was some gaps in the line. Perfect, makes it sound even more like an authentic Peruvian moto I thought. The unfortunate thing was that the exhaust appeared to have knocked my rear brake nut off so my brakes were leaking and I had no rear brake. Since my rear brake is my best brake (the front is crap) I was a bit sad to discover this. The engine braking will have to do the heavy lifting from now on I guess. A steady diet of Aloe Vera keeps these cows skinny https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8840/1...3bbd8b82_b.jpg Cactus leaf https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8773/1...0b4ac96d_b.jpg Looking west towards the coast https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8835/1...3dcb73c4_b.jpg Very pretty country side up here https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7728/1...ceca0173_b.jpg We were able to find a flattish spot to camp once the road leveled off at the valley bottom. Just as we parked it started to rain, so we quickly got the tent up and hid inside. The rain continued off and on and the mosquitoes deterred us from being outside. All in all a pretty good first day. Welcome back to Peru. There goes Naomi https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7760/1...94fa047c_b.jpg Hey! Wait for me! https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7732/1...2b53187c_b.jpg Taking a break https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8826/1...6259e0d6_b.jpg It might rain.... https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8892/1...b0356930_b.jpg Mountains hiding in the distance https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8836/1...4468f985_b.jpg Welcome to Charat! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8804/1...af4b8aa3_b.jpg Time to look for a place to setup camp https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8772/1...696d174e_b.jpg Episode 02 Video |
The picture of the river crossing - leads me to a deeper scan of the thread :-)
Great Pictures and Report - hope to read soon more here :thumbup1: Surfy |
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Cheers, Alberto |
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Day 2 (82km): By moto or donkey only
So the rain that was off and on earlier in the evening turned into full downpour overnight. The tent held up well, good location choosing for once, and all that remained was some early morning fog when we got up. When I tried to make breakfast I discovered that the bottle we had so proudly purchased in Lima didn't quite work with our MSR stove. D’OH! We couldn't keep a seal, so there was no fresh breakfast this morning and we will have to try to figure that one out soon. We scavenged a breakfast from some our snacks stash.
Our campsite - Looking East https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7777/1...7f0c652c_b.jpg The day was already pretty warm by the time we set off, and both Alberto and myself worked up a sweat kick starting my bike to life. This is going to be a fun morning ritual. The road continued to follow the river down the valley, but at a distance well above the water. The terrain was still green and we were enjoying the ride with Chasqui and Apu. No traffic, nice views and an okay riding temperature. We encountered some muddy sections, most likely from the torrential rain the previous evening, but they were no match for our little engines that could. We were hardly fast and furious though, still riding in first gear the whole time. Making sure we don't lose any more bolts, or at least trying! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7772/1...433130a2_b.jpg Apu feels at home! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7780/1...fe07719a_b.jpg A wonderful day to explore the Andes http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pszipntqvl.jpg Beautiful landscapes all around https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8845/1...307c2b80_b.jpg Pachamama or Mother Earth is simply amazing https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8769/1...c595a3a1_b.jpg It wasn't long before we reached a truck parked in the road and noticed a dynamite prepping station at the side of the road. The explosives were completely unsupervised by the way. So we parked the bikes and Alberto went to find out what the deal was. There was a medium sized excavator repairing the road just up ahead and luckily they would let us pass without a wait. It's always good to be a moto. We got lucky there, because it was a LONG way back to find a detour. Phew. There was a bit more rough sections of road, nothing too crazy, I would classify it as intermediate level riding. Just enough to keep you focused. It was a nice day with amazing views of the valley. The bikes were handling everything really well, and so far my exhaust was keeping it together. We did notice another bolt missing at the intake, so it was leaking a bit and I could smell the exhaust. Not exactly ideal. Leaving the dodgy weather behind... https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7784/1...2ebd89a2_b.jpg Dynamite on the side of the road https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7738/1...2d577b8e_b.jpg Road work https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7740/1...1c568ff9_b.jpg Typical Andes road https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7734/1...769c4a1a_b.jpg Hey Naomi! wait for me! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7736/1...42831960_b.jpg We were happily cruising along, enjoy the remote road and peacefulness, when we noticed a loader working up ahead. When we got closer we could clearly see that the road was blocked by a landslide. Oh crap. We were in too deep, no turning back now, this could be a long wait. We drove further down the road where we were greeted by a rocky river. I could see that the loader was quickly clearing us a path so things were looking good on that front. The only issue I could see at this point was that the road was single lane and the Loader filled the road. Alberto, of course, dove into the deep end without hesitation. He crossed the river and scooted to the side of the road trying to let the loader pass him. The road was literally just the width of the loader. I watched the operator park his tire within centimeters of the edge of the road and somehow Alberto squeezed through on the inside. Oh god, not it's my turn. I waited for the loader to do his thing. He parked in the river, which in truth was the widest section of the road, but it was a bit tricky for me to navigate downstream of his machine. I gave it my best shot but I stalled it a few times on the slippery rocks, which was a hassle because I had to kickstart Apu back to life. On the plus side I was developing quite the knack for kickstarting. Alberto came to my rescue, which was good because I wasn't going to make it on my own. The line through the river left for me by the loader was too tricky for me to drive through. His bucket was in the way; I had to angle my handle bars severely to get through. So Alberto propped the bike up as I got past the bucket and then he just pushed me out of the water. Exciting times. After that whole ordeal we decided to take a break, just a few 100 metres up the road. No margin for error... https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7761/1...c0fec77c_b.jpg Waiting for the landslide to get -somewhat- cleaned https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8820/1...fc66d5e7_b.jpg Is it us or the road is getting narrower? https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8832/1...08a066f0_b.jpg We had a few snacks, and it looked liked the equipment operators had swapped out. The guy who was driving the loader was now walking along the road in our direction. When he reached us he stopped for a chat. He asked us where we were going and asked to see our map. He showed us some spots on the map and said that the road narrowed a bit before the next town but that after that it was smooth sailing. Good to know. He also asked if we had been able to try the fruit from the area. We told him that we were planning to buy some in the next town. He's said that we wouldn't be able to and then opened his bag and gave us two avocados (two different types no less). Awesome! We gave him a Canada sticker and thanked him. He wished us a good trip and continued walking back to wherever he was going. The road ahead was fine. It did start to narrow, and there was more greenery growing on the road but everything seemed fine to us. And then, to our surprise the road turned into single track. Just like that! When the man said narrow, he meant narrow! Anyone planning to take this route on a big adventure bike had better put their game face on for this section because it just got real! Thankfully we were on small bikes so it wasn't too bad. There was only one steep section that caused us real trouble. We had to push Chasqui up, which completely exhausted us. It was hot and we were sweating like crazy. Before taking Apu up we modified the hole that was giving us trouble a bit to make it smoother. That way Alberto could keep the momentum to make it up the steep hill. It worked and he was able to drive Apu up no problems. With both bikes safely at the top we needed another break. This was getting to be hard work. We thought we could see the town, so we hoped the end of this tricky single track section must be almost over. Just one last push through the tricky bits. With a lot of focus, and some skillful avoidance of a man on a donkey we popped out the other side, smiles on our sweaty faces. That was interesting. Yep, the road is now a sing track https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7799/1...4c552985_b.jpg The town wasn't much of a town, so we didn’t stop. The people outside gave us some VERY strange looks when we emerged from the bushes. At the first sign of road side water we decided to stop. It was hot, and we were tired. It was a muddy little river but we didn't care. It was refreshing to us. We chomped down those avocados, and between the boost in nutrition and cold water we gained a new lease on life. The road zig zagged through houses, turkeys and pigs running across the road. Again lots of strange looks from locals riding motos and people standing outside their houses. When we reached the end of the rural area of Tambo? the road got nice again and the view of the valley opened up. The terrain was getting drier, with more cacti on the hills than lush trees and bushes. It was a nice road that snaked along the edge of the mountain, and for the most part followed the river Huancay at a nice steady elevation. Naomi going through town https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8764/1...91f0404f_b.jpg Alberto has some tricks to deal with the rising temperatures https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8851/1...8256d06c_b.jpg Those are some seriously steep switchbacks https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7736/1...a4dd6ab1_b.jpg https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7752/1...0b1e55cb_b.jpg Green Andes mountains https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8857/1...64789ef0_b.jpg Following the Huancay river https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7788/1...08dca36f_b.jpg Peru is full of surprising roads https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8761/1...6c7d3d86_b.jpg Weeeeeee https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8806/1...cc5713be_b.jpg Cacti forest https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8857/1...061680aa_b.jpg The riding was very fun and we were finally able to get the bikes into 3rd gear. It had been quite a while since the bikes had seen even second gear and now we were cruising in 3rd. Weeeeeee! As the elevation dropped the heat increased. At its high we reached 36 degrees Celsius, a little bit too much for our taste. Dust and sweat always feel so great at the end of the day. When the road eventually connected to the bottom of the valley it was dry, dusty and there was garbage everywhere. The road conditions deteriorated and it became hard work riding. It reminded me of the Cañón del Pato. We were both exhausted and Alberto was ready to stop for the day. While I didn’t disagree, it was really hot and dusty so I was wanted to push on further in hopes of finding a better environment to camp overnight. We compromised and stopped for a snack at a corner store. That seemed to give him the extra push needed to make it to the paved main road that would take us to Cascas. Mini-Cañón del Pato https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7740/1...c3ff0d43_b.jpg Once on pavement it felt like we were flying, even though we were still doing under 70kph. It was nice to get off the bumpy road though. For the last little while we were riding on washboard and dust and it was becoming a killer. We quickly made it to Cascas where we stopped for gas and to ask where we could find a mechanic for motos. We got directions and I embarrassingly couldn't start my bike after the tank had been filled. I could smell the gas, as if the engine was flooded by my kickstarting techniques, and here I thought I was getting so good at it. The lady who pumped our gas was even quick to give starting the bike a try. Thankfully the town of Cascas is on a hill so Alberto just free wheeled out of the gas station and bumped it on the road. Easy peasy. It wasn't even a block to the mechanic. Luckily he had time and was going to sort my bike today. He fixed the back brake, exhaust, installed a new battery and adjusted the chains of both bikes. It was over 1.5hrs of work and it only cost us $10. Way better than dealing with it ourselves at some remote camping location, so money well spent. The only downside was that it was getting dark by the time he finished so we decided to grab a hotel in Cascas for the night. The mechanic, Victor, recommended a place to stay and it ticked all the boxes. Sorted. The town of Cascas, now lets get some local wine https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8803/1...71410986_b.jpg [/B] Moto shop https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7783/1...152577ef_b.jpg [/B] Time to get some corrective maintenance done! https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7732/1...a22731ac_b.jpg [/B] Apu happy to be looked at https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8822/1...eec2666a_b.jpg [/B] Alberto went all over town trying to find a new battery for me bike. After searching nearby didn’t turn up anything one of the guys who worked at the shop took Alberto on his bike! Alberto rode around town pillion with this guy, hilarious! When we were searching for the hotel I was left alone in the Plaza de Armas. I was approached by one brave kid, of the many standing and staring, and though I could only understand bits and pieces of what he was saying (everyone seemed to speak very fast and I was wearing earplugs) he showed me this cool game he was playing: trompo. Once he had broken the ice some more kids came over and asked questions about the bike etc. They thought I was in the Dakar, what a compliment. Once we had a safe place to sleep sorted, we grabbed some chicken at a popular restaurant for dinner. This town is filled with friendly people, quite remarkably so. A sure sign we are heading into the Sierra I suppose. It could also be because this town is famous for its wine, so maybe that helps keep everyone happy. Another thing we noticed while we were out searching for dinner was that this is definitely a moto town. We saw tons of bikes ripping around the town two or three up. It was a day filled with everything from the rewarding riding to the unbearable desert heat. With experiment number one in the books (we didn’t know if the road would connect through) it should be smooth sailing for a few days following Garmin and actual roads on my map. Good night from Cascas! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8834/1...d4309f23_b.jpg Episode 03 Part1 Video Episode 03 Part2 Video |
Day 3 (106km): The cultural experience for two please
It was somewhat of a lazy morning, as mornings are when staying at a hotel. So many luxuries to leave behind (toilet, power, etc...). It was getting surprisingly warm (I guess it should stop being a surprise?) before we left, so we were in a bit of a hurry to hit the road. And here I thought we were continuing out of town on the same highway we came in on. Haha not even close. We drove the steep streets leaving Cascas and ended up on a dirt track. I thought we were lost since we had come into town on such a fancy highway but Alberto told me everything was in order.
Bikes were safe overnight! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/297/18...64b82457_b.jpg New roads to explore! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/512/18...a6aa3d8f_b.jpg No matter, the road was pretty nice and the scenery was even better. We were climbing again and we had reached eucalyptus elevation. How sweet it is. The road was pretty quiet, though we passed the occasional house or grape farm as we climbed up the mountainside. When we reached the top the view of the valley below was amazing. Also the temperature was much better for riding. Double win! Some views! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8886/1...62cd54f4_b.jpg Prickly Pear flower https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/434/18...61fb2e78_b.jpg Great day of riding! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/342/18...7379e70c_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/293/18...b0bbe901_b.jpg Awesome views all around https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8833/1...33482f27_b.jpg Near the top https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/501/18...3a51a019_b.jpg As we crossed the side of the mountain the road narrowed considerably due to the terrain limitations. It was a fantastic stretch of road, complete with a neat little tunnel perfect for a photo-op. The drop off on the left hand side was quite spectacular, though I didn't let my gaze linger too long. A very enjoyable and unique stretch of road, and thankfully we didn't encounter any other traffic. It wasn't long after that we reached Contumazá. The narrow section https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8842/1...83e11fdf_b.jpg Some more 'average' views https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/443/18...078b42c1_b.jpg This was a really fun road https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8874/1...57282e6e_b.jpg Very cool rock tunnel https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8861/1...c73f1a5d_b.jpg When we arrived in the town we stopped at the first store we saw to buy some snacks. We walked out of there with a bag of fruit (peaches, bananas, oranges, mandarins) and an avocado. We eat at least one avocado a day in Peru. It is glorious. We headed with our fresh goods to the Plaza de Armas to enjoy a mid-day snack. While we were stopped on our lunchbreak Alberto saw a stray donkey with a propane tank graze on some grass as he passed through on his daily route. Sometimes you see the strangest things. https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/532/18...00686239_b.jpg The town of Contumazá https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8883/1...e216abc5_b.jpg Having a bite at the Plaza in Contumazá https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8868/1...2c73b5ff_b.jpg unsupervised donkey-propane delivery… https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8847/1...3604187e_b.jpg The road to Chilete was wider, it could easily accommodate two lanes of traffic. It was also smoother, indicating that someone maintained it, so we expected to see more traffic. We passed a Rhino money truck (camion blindado) coming the other way, so it must have been the major route in the area. Either way once again the riding was truly amazing. Too many switchbacks to count as we descended down the other side of the mountain with 360 degree views. We only encountered one maniac driver, and Alberto gave him a taste of his own medicine. We also saw quite a bit of exotic wildlife, we almost thought we had got lost and ended up in the Amazonas. Lots of bright colored birds, and I saw a tarantula crossing the road. It was a far departure from the lifeless dust-scapes of yesterday. 33 kms of glorious views https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/500/18...82b95f63_b.jpg Some wicked rock formations https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/372/18...d788fc56_b.jpg Some weather coming... https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/493/18...99771822_b.jpg Heading down again... awesome! https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8881/1...dcc4886e_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/561/18...5f530ed7_b.jpg The further down we went the drier it got. It was trying to rain but it was only a few drops here and there and it was so hot we didn't mind it. By the time we reached Chilete there was no rain and the terrain was dry as a bone. We quickly gassed up the bikes and headed for the hills via the signs to San Pedro. What a surprise that turned out to be. The rain continued to drop, but still not very hard so it wasn't a nuisance. The road however was a paved treat! It was curve after curve and we were carving it up, albeit at a gentle pace of 60kph. Still we felt fast and the twisties at any speed put a smile on the face. Up up up we went getting closer and closer to the black rain clouds. At this point we were hoping to avoid the rain and camp for the night but spots to camp were hard to come by. Besides it was hard to keep an eye out for good camp spots because the road was so much fun. Paved road up to San Pablo - Kuntur Wasi https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8888/1...498df580_b.jpg A bit of rain coming down https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8894/1...aae97b4b_b.jpg When we saw the sign for Kuntur Wasi we thought we might be able to camp. The museum was closed, so we were unable to ask permission regarding camping, so we kept following the road only to discover that it led to people’s houses and nowhere campable. Did we miss the ruins somehow? We parked and considered our options. We climbed up the hill a bit to see if we could see any ruins but no, we saw nothing. Then a gentleman came walking past and offered to show us the way to the ruins, 15min he said. We couldn't say no. So there we were hiking up the side of a mountain, at 2,500m+ elevation in full riding gear. The old man was leaving us in his dust, and there was no dust. Needless to say we were both exhausted and we could barely keep up. The man set us on our way about halfway up, he could clearly tell that we were slowing him down, which was good for us because we could take more breaks haha. He continued along the foot path to his house. We eventually made it to the top of the hill, a little delirious from the exertion. There was a little hut where we paid our entrance fee (5 soles) and a nicer pathway leading up from the Museum (that must be the official way). We were able to leave our jackets with the guy at the hut, which allowed us to regain our breath somewhat. We toured the ruins, which were quite nice. Alberto said that as a child he always heard people talking about Kuntur Wasi. The setting was phenomenal and I can only imagine what the temple would have been like in its time. We got some tips from the guy manning the hut, Vasquez, on where to camp: the museum or the high school. He said we could camp at the ruins but it was hike in only. Thankfully the hike down was easier and took a third of the time. Just as we reached the bikes the rain started up again. Finally found Kuntur Wasi! :feelgood https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/362/18...34af23f6_b.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/428/18...0a9168e4_b.jpg With some of the temple's rock sculptures https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/460/18...7e74028c_b.jpg We checked in at the museum first, and while the police man (the only person on the property) was very friendly he could not let us camp there. He had an adorable dog named Blanca that we said hello to. She was super friendly and loved to be pet. Next stop was the school. They let us camp in their soccer field and gave us access to their bathroom overnight. The rain was coming down now, and we weren't going to find somewhere else so while we typically like to be remote with our campsites we were thankful that the school let us use their facilities. Our campsite! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/390/18...562aa9d0_b.jpg The sun is setting down... one more great day in the books! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/403/18...7d27057a_b.jpg Late soccer practice https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8887/1...98264cd4_b.jpg Good night fellas! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/398/18...ab097af8_b.jpg It rained off and on during the evening, but mostly off. The man who guided us on our hike said that the rainy season had just come a few weeks ago and that January and February had been dry. We were trying to strategically plan our trip at the end of the rainy season, so his comment wasn’t inspiring. Another funny observation is that two of the people we asked about camping locations tried to deter us due to rain. To which we smiled and said that rain was not a problem for us. People are so friendly in the mountains. Episode 04 Video Episode 04 Extra Video |
Thanks for those amazing pictures.
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Thanks for the feedback. We love sharing our adventures and pictures are one of the best ways to help capture the ride. :thumbup1:
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Nice photos! I am thinking of buying a similar bike, with the same engine (Honda CG-style pushrod engine, 200cc.) According to you numbers, they did about 4l/100km? Were you satisfied with them?
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We never really tracked the fuel mileage on them, but the range was pretty decent for the riding we were doing. We also carried a extra Litre each which we had to use a few times. I'd say that 4L/100km is a reasonable estimate. :mchappy:
The bikes performed great for the riding we were doing, didn't hold us back in anyway. Made things easier in a lot of ways. |
Day 4 (166km): Bananas to pampas
Overnight there was some loud dog barking, but no real problems to speak of. All in all it was a pretty solid camping spot. The rain stopped early on, so the tent sort of dried out before packing. At who knows what time, but it was still dark out, the cleaning lady and her son came to clean the bathrooms at the school. We knew they were there because they were blasting chicha/huayno music. And when I say blasting, it was like 250 decibels loud. Oh boy, that is a hell of a way to wake up. Even I could not sleep through that noise. So bright (the pitch black sort of bright) and early we got packed and hit the road.
Roadside beauty http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...4-683x1024.jpg Plenty of fun roads https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/546/19...9d45ac3a_b.jpg Morning Fog https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/374/18...f94ab6b6_b.jpg oops! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/430/18...23806665_b.jpg Love the Andean flowers along the road https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/341/19...b9815b17_b.jpg The road to San Miguel switch-backed downwards from San Pedro but then leveled out as we sweeped across the side of the valley. We were happily cruising at banana elevation, with views filled with waterfalls and hot sunshine on our backs. The road was nice, curvy and stuff, but it was in rougher shape than the tasty treat we were riding yesterday afternoon. Still fun, but not quite worthy of bringing a sport bike. I think turning around at Kuntur Wasi would satisfy the Sunday blast crowd. We saw a bunch of school kids walking to school, some waved, some stared with expressionless faces, some seemed to be shy. We saw women washing their hair in the drainage ditches, which were full no doubt from all the rain. The road was an average Peruvian road, the entire way seemed to be populated. Even though we weren't in specific towns we wouldn't go too far without passing a house or seeing traffic or pedestrians. Now that's some farming skills! http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...9-1024x683.jpg Unexpected waterfall https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/508/18...d063327b_b.jpg When we reached San Miguel we stopped and asked for directions for the market. We found it easy enough, or should I say Alberto found it easy enough and I followed him. I watched the bikes as Alberto bought some food for breakfast. He returned with two avocados, a pomegranate, a mamey (local fruit), two bananas and some cheese. It was the breakfast of champions. While we were eating by our bikes a passing gentleman commented that Alberto's helmet was nice. He just went right up to the bike and picked it up, asking how much it cost. Alberto told him $100USD, and the guy repeated "it's a very nice helmet". Another person stopped to talk to us as we were finishing our breakfast. During the conversation we took the opportunity to confirm which way to leave town. He gave us directions and told us to be careful because the drivers on the road are crazy. Haha, no kidding. Naomi looking good! http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...0-1024x683.jpg Very pretty countryside https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/276/19...c1d5cbae_b.jpg more cool roads https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3723/1...9153e829_b.jpg Typical adobe houses of the Campesinos https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/551/19...062db411_b.jpg Can't help it but to glance at the views constantly https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3791/1...12bf11c3_b.jpg Without GPS or good verbal directions you'd probably miss the turn off for Llapa. It is just a simple dirt track heading north into the next valley. The sun was still shining and the road was pretty nice, in some ways in better shape than the paved road we had ridden earlier in the morning. We did encounter some crazy drivers but for the most part people were tranquilo or riding horses so they didn’t pose much of a threat. Again the area was populated, similar to "the countryside" with farm houses every couple of 100m. I said to Alberto what a nice life it would be, relatively speaking. Having a nice farm in such a beautiful location, staying busy all day growing yummy food. I would make chicha (purple corn juice) every day. One house even had an epic view of a waterfall. I could maybe get used to using an outhouse. I guess we must have got distracted by the fun roads and happy scenery because we missed our turn just after Llapa. Luckily Alberto noticed our mistake pretty quickly and we only had to backtrack about 7min. The reason we had missed our turn was because the road barely resembled a road. It was a bit steep and rough but Chasqui and Apu had no problems. We love these little bikes. Local ladies http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...9-1024x649.jpg Roadside pig and its owner https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/513/19...c57574a8_b.jpg Campesinos and skinny vacas (cows) https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/455/18...cf2aee73_b.jpg Teen girl walking the family's sheep https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/470/19...0a7c6985_b.jpg Just average views ... https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3917/1...95ea8a1c_b.jpg Always taking a break to enjoy the scenery https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/366/19...4cb188ca_b.jpg Going through town https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/385/19...c195deb2_b.jpg As we left the happy valley and started to climb the next valley it got clouder and subsequently colder. Alberto, as always, was boiling but I was starting to get a wee bit chilly. We continued to pass houses but the the higher we got the less houses we saw and the more remote everything started to feel. Once we started to see pampas grass at the side of the road we realized we'd made a step change. We were now up in the high elevations. This particular area appeared to be a dairy producing region because all the buildings we passed had milk containers, donkeys carrying milk containers, trucks carrying milk containers and even people carrying milk containers. I think we maxed out at around 3700m. It was windy up there and I was past getting pretty cold, I was cold! I like the scenery this high up, pampas grass and tiny little pine trees. It is so stark and peaceful. If it wasn't just 10am it would have been nice to camp. High Pampas http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...5-1024x683.jpg Above 4,000 m https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/545/19...4000a01a_b.jpg Campesinos working their field http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...7-683x1024.jpg Change of scenery https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3717/1...331b237a_b.jpg The bikes were feeling a tiny bit more sluggish but were handling the altitude quite well. No real effective difference for us and our riding. When we reached the pavement we decided to take a rest. I was just trying to get warm while Alberto treated himself to a yummy snack. It looked like rain was ahead, but for the time being we decided to risk it. When we set off again I lead us in the wrong direction, but luckily again Alberto caught the mistake early on so were we able to get back on track pretty fast. The section of road we had to do twice was actually pretty fun so it wasn't all bad. As we got back on track the rain was starting to sprinkle a bit. It was still really cold and windy so we stopped in a somewhat sheltered location so that I could layer up. Oh boy, what a difference that made. Silly to not have done it earlier but I kept thinking we would end up somewhere warm. It seemed apparent now that we were going to start climbing again so it was only going to get colder. Time to have a snack! http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...2-1024x683.jpg One good looking pair https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/412/18...f5508ffd_b.jpg Broom Brooomm!! http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...1-1024x768.jpg The road we had marked off to take to Bambamarca started off very sketchy. Lots of rocky and washed out sections. What have we got ourselves into? We definitely got some strange looks from a few people we passed on horseback. Especially since now Alberto was wearing his rain suit, which is hi-viz of course. The road conditions never really improved, it was a technical ride the whole way and the rain got harder. Sadly the views were partially covered by fog, but on a sunny day I imagine this route would be quite spectacular. If you are planning on bringing your large adventure bike let it be known that this was an intermediate route. I certainly would have been a lot more stressed on my F8GS. The highest elevation we reached was over 4000m. On one steep rocky climb we both had the Keeways maxed out in first gear and the poor bikes were just barely making it up. A bit steeper grade or rougher terrain and it would have been touch and go. Still, we haven't really adjusted the carbs or anything and the bikes are performing quite well at altitude. Still nice riding https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/410/19...a8b5d24e_b.jpg Naomi looks cold http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...8-1024x683.jpg We kept hoping when we crossed over into the next valley we would be able to outrun the rain, but every time we popped over a crest we saw the rain clouds still there. So we got rained on. We were still having fun though navigating the tricky steep rocky sections. We unfortunately had got off course from the track we laid out on the GPS and didn't really see how to rejoin it. The GPS road and real life were not telling the same story. We followed one road for about 10 min only to find it terminate at a school yard. A man came out of his house to talk to us. He asked Alberto "what is your situation?". To which he explained we were tourists, not that that would be all that reassuring to the man because what would tourists being doing here. He was very helpful and told us that we had to go back to the 4 way and take a right to get to Bambamarca. The rain was becoming very persistent at this point and backtracking isn’t a mood lifter. Riding in rain gear is just not fun, it just feels icky. Not to mention reduced visibility putting a negative stamp on the situation. We were off the Garmin track at this point so we just followed the road and hoped for the best since I don't think either one of us could have endured a significant backtrack. As it turned out we ended up at some sort of quarry, concerned we had definitely taken a wrong turn, only to see that the main road, (3N) was just up ahead. So we followed the road through the industrial zone, worried it wouldn’t run through and soon met up with the paved highway. Salvation! B] Trying to find our way to Bambamarca http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...6-1024x683.jpg So the plan was to cruise in the direction of Bambamarca hoping the rain would stop and we could find somewhere to camp. Hualgayoc was the first town on the road and apparently also where the pavement stopped. It seemed as though this area had recently been hammered by landslides. It was hard to tell if we were indeed on the right road, but thanks to reassurance from Garmin it seemed we were. What followed was an interesting 60min of riding. Some sections were deep red mud, others were just puddles or soupy mud lying over the hard road beneath. Other sections were very narrow and were tricky to negotiate with traffic coming the other way. Needless to say things got very messy. Pretty much the entire route to Bambamarca it was raining and the road was in a state of flooded, muddy mess. We have never before encountered such a mess on what appeared to be a main road. It would have been extremely stressful on a heavier bike but with ours, while we did slip and slide at times, it was mostly easy to keep things under control. Slow and steady we just made our way through the mess. It was exhausting though, and as we were approaching our destination we agreed that we would not bother with camping and planned to get a dry hotel instead. At some point during the endless rain and mud the mind and body give up on camping and showers become the subject of fantasies. We were wet, tired and I was very cold. Though I am not quite at the point where I am keen to wash my hair in a drainage ditch I remembered what I saw the locals doing earlier and suggested to Alberto that we stop to try and clean our boots and pants in the ditch. Because we were a complete mess and it was going to be a disaster getting a hotel. So we parked up next to the drainage ditch and then hopped in sloshing our boots around and wiping the mud off our pants. It worked really well actually, and while we were still soaking wet at least we weren't muddy as well. A system that never fails is to get directions to the plaza. There is usually a hotel nearby. Alberto was able to find a really nice hotel just a block from the plaza, all I could think about was getting this wet gear off and drinking tea. We secured the hotel room and unpacked. Alberto did a good job of cleaning our stuff so it wouldn't make too much of a mess in our room. We felt bad though since our muddy footprints were all over the hotel. After some hot showers we set out into the night looking for dinner. A yummy pollo a la braza was in our sights, and we had some fresh chicha morada, which was hot so it was kind of like tea. Dinner was delicious. When we got back to the room we pretty much both flaked out we were so tired. Bambamarca https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/406/19...aeefb5e2_b.jpg Video Episode 05 |
Day 5 (0km): Under the weather
It doesn't seem to matter where we are, the country or the city, there always seems to be a rooster nearby to let us know when morning comes. As it turns out Alberto had a case of pollo a la brasa revenge last night, vomiting and having an overall shitty time, so he was feeling quite less than 100% when we woke up this morning. I went out to get him some water so he could hydrate. It was about 6:30 in the morning and most of the shops were still closed up. It was a pretty quiet scene. I did see some street vendors selling breakfast stuff though and made a note to return to investigate further.
Freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...0-1024x687.jpg When I returned with his water I told him they were selling fresh orange juice in the plaza. He was very tired and felt weak all over but he thought that some fresh air and orange juice were worth the effort. So we walked to get some fresh orange juice, which was very yummy. A new day is born https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/398/18...05948729_b.jpg Alberto catching up on backing up photos and videos https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/533/18...eccdcf1e_b.jpg Some cool local rides https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/536/19...b0c08af4_b.jpg Busy city streets https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/323/19...0f882655_b.jpg Old casona https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/357/19...27cd8d35_b.jpg Fruit ANYONE? (megaphone) https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3829/1...230c9451_b.jpg Teenagers going for a ride https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/422/19...e2980d3f_b.jpg Andean hombre https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/392/19...73882b99_b.jpg This truck must have taken the same road we did yesterday https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/538/19...206a2550_b.jpg Men chilling at the Plaza https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3832/1...4daf5046_b.jpg When we returned to the room Alberto wanted to sleep some more, so he did while I sat around in the hotel room. He pretty much slept all morning, so it was clear that we were not going anywhere today. We paid for another night in the hotel and then went for a walk in the afternoon. We went back to the plaza. It was lunch time and all the school kids were out and about. We bought some fruit from the vendors, some more mamey in particular. Yummy fruit http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...2-1024x683.jpg Shoe store. Street display https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/557/19...e117eacb_b.jpg Yamaha AG200 are tough bike https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/309/19...4093d043_b.jpg Friendly lady selling locally-made cheese = yum https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/376/19...764136b2_b.jpg Stores take over the streets https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3669/1...2c3b752f_b.jpg Busy day at the Plaza in Bambamarca https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3864/1...d576da63_b.jpg Shoe shinning session https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/504/19...080a822e_b.jpg We wandered around for a while checking out stores and talking to people. A group of young school boys addressed me in English, asking "where are you from?". I told them I was from Canada, to which there was some giggling and I told you so gestures. Then they asked me my name, which I told them and then asked them their name. Two guys responded while the others were too shy. I enjoy talking to kids and helping them practice their english. 'Hello miss' said the school kids. Naomi blushed http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...6-1024x620.jpg</dt></dl> We spent the rest of the day back at the hotel relaxing, and giving Alberto time to recover. He made me commit to not going out for any more chicken while we are in Peru. Darn, one of my favourites. Local Bambamarquino http://www.motolara.com/wp-content/u...3-1024x649.jpg Bambamarca's main Plaza https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/544/18...99e89e8c_b.jpg Supermoto stylin' https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/448/19...069473c0_b.jpg Even children like looking out at what's going on at the Plaza https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/378/18...9ef0f800_b.jpg Candies for sale https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/266/19...ea4c2708_b.jpg Lunch street stand https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/369/19...2e70ce4a_b.jpg Buzzing place! https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/360/19...af303c49_b.jpg Safety? what safety! https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3941/1...0f5be57d_b.jpg Episode 06 Video |
Day 6 (80km): Calm down, this is no time to blow your fuse
Again our rooster neighbor was kind enough to wake us up this morning. The day looked cloudy at first but once we hit the road the sky was blue and the sun was shining. We needed gas before leaving the city so that was the first stop once we hit the road. While at the gas station station we met a nice man who thought we were riding KTMs, what a compliment. Alberto chatted to him while we got our gas pumped. Before we left, the gas station attendant gave us some cloths to wipe our helmets. What a nice guy.
Perfect conditions to start the day http://farm1.staticflickr.com/361/19...b23fe2e0_b.jpg Fertile farmlands http://farm1.staticflickr.com/378/19...f3db9a48_b.jpg Some really neat rock faces https://farm1.staticflickr.com/556/1...19199326_b.jpg We got a little lost trying to leave town, but after asking for directions a few times we were set straight. It was sort of a surreal moment because we only drove down the road 20min and poof, there was no Bambamarca in view. You wouldn't even know it. It had just disappeared over the hill. The road was surprisingly busy and it was very scenic. So we let people pass and took our time taking photos and stuff. Alberto’s GoPro mount broke (rough terrain) and the camera when bouncing along the road. I had to quickly park my bike and rescue the camera from the traffic. Surprisingly there was very little damage, and no functional damage. It was just a normal day when Alberto told me (as we were descending a rocky hill) that his bike died. He tried hill starting it, but each time he got it going it would stall out again. Crap. We were able to pull over at a flat shady spot and proceeded to start the troubleshooting. Naomi coming out of the canyon https://farm1.staticflickr.com/340/1...fa5bc42c_b.jpg GoPro photo time https://farm1.staticflickr.com/462/1...743912a1_b.jpg A very scenic road indeed https://farm1.staticflickr.com/278/1...627a171b_b.jpg Since there was no sign of life from his battery we started there. Once we opened everything up we were able to confirm that the battery was indeed fine. This was good news, except that now it seemed like we had an electrical problem and didn't know what was the culprit. The road in the morning had been rocky and rough so we thought that a cable had come loose. We started with the easy stuff, but didn't see anything out of place. We took off the instrument panel to check the connections. Everything was fine, and we still couldn't start the bike. The rest of the connections led up under the seat. We decided that we had two options. Bust open the bike and continue to look for the obvious or flag down a truck to take the bike back to Bambamarca. After thinking it over we were going to give it one more go. To get to the seat we had to first take everything off the bike.A nuisance I know, but we didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Once we got under the seat we discovered a blown fuse. There was a spare, and when we popped in the new one and the bike was alive again. Oh man, what a relief. We were back in business. We packed everything up and hit the road. Only one Peruvian truck driver stopped to ask us if we needed help and by that point we had identified the fuse as the issue. Troubleshooting https://farm1.staticflickr.com/307/1...fe4f6070_b.jpg The section of road ahead was really neat. The road dropped down into a canyon, following the river Llaucano. There was waterfalls on one side, and overhanging rock on other side. It was spectacular and then Alberto's bike quit again. You have got to be kidding me! Thankfully Alberto had positioned the fuse for easy access so we didn't need to go through the ordeal of getting under the seat. When he checked it, yes it was blow again. He had a bunch of spares of a different type of fuse but no more of the same model for Chasqui. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He bumped it up to 15amps and modified the housing to accommodate the different fuse. There was no going back now. The bike started again and we were cautiously optimistic about being back in business. It was 1:30 in the afternoon at this point and we had not even made it an hour down the road from Bambamarca. Broken down again?! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/492/1...7ca6fe35_b.jpg Well... not a bad place to break down https://farm1.staticflickr.com/459/1...d7173ace_b.jpg Nevertheless we continued along the planned route. It was a stunning road for scenery. The road itself was rough in places but it was worth it. We got turned around trying to get to Paccha, as the road was out, but luckily there was a detour that didn't really get us too off track. The other road headed up into the mountains, so we left the river behind and set off into the unknown. Great scenery! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/279/1...b66770db_b.jpg Naomi looks happy https://farm1.staticflickr.com/463/1...05c720fa_b.jpg To our surprise, the road was pretty populated. We climbed up to about 3000m and then the clouds got darker and the temperature was colder. The rain was spitting but it was never enough to convince us to suit up in rain gear. We drove through many towns that were not on my map, and came to intersections with town names that weren't on my map. We had no idea where we were, relatively speaking. A combination of asking directions and following Garmin seemed to work out. We made it somewhere I guess. The road leading to the summit https://farm1.staticflickr.com/273/1...ac9f3727_b.jpg ?c? nice bike! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/1...8d6a3d1a_b.jpg Naomi riding ahead https://farm1.staticflickr.com/356/1...24542942_b.jpg Only once during the day did the road get remote to the point where there was no people. The road led up over the mountains. It was windy and dark clouds loomed. The scenery was stark but beautiful. It was kind of nice to feel like we were in the middle of nowhere. We considered stopping to camp but the cold and potential rain convinced me to keep chugging along until we could see into the next valley. We were in luck, the next valley had some blue sky so we decided to push on. Higher lands were windy and cold https://farm1.staticflickr.com/392/1...96e13642_b.jpg Above 3,500 m https://farm1.staticflickr.com/324/1...c327ce73_b.jpg We were back in farm land. The animal of choice definitely seems to be pigs in Peru. At every house there is at least one hanging out. Alberto commented that these pigs seem to sleep more than a dog, because they are almost always sleeping when we drive past. We also passed a troublesome horse who had his leash carelessly across the road. Given my track record with horses we passed by him very cautiously. We eventually caught up to the sunshine we had seen from across the valley and started to look for a place to camp. This proved to be harder than anticipated because as far as we could see was farms. When we could see Tacabamba we knew we had to make a move. Naomi dealing with the switchbacks https://farm1.staticflickr.com/372/1...c6306c18_b.jpg It's sunny down in the valley! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/262/1...ea088090_b.jpg More beautiful farmlands https://farm1.staticflickr.com/485/1...2957f8d6_b.jpg Incredible roadside views https://farm1.staticflickr.com/373/1...dd7efb47_b.jpg There was a cell tower up on a hill that looked like it had potential. We went to check it out only to find out the road dead-ended at a house. We tried to ask if we could just camp there but no one was home. So back to the main road we went. There was some women at the house back at the road. Alberto went to ask them about possible camping locations. I'm not exactly sure how he asked the question but what followed was quite something. The two ladies he was speaking to were very animated. I was too far away to understand what they were saying but I could see that they were giving him a serious talking to. The town of Tacamamba down at the bottom https://farm1.staticflickr.com/377/1...c8040a2b_b.jpg Crop fields https://farm1.staticflickr.com/534/1...1e6e9825_b.jpg Peruvian Purple Corn https://farm1.staticflickr.com/483/1...0a7cdceb_b.jpg Afterwards he filled me in. We weren't on the right road to the tower for starters. The path to the tower was a lot sketchier. When Alberto sounded hesitant to go up the path the lady told him that she rode her bike up there every day. That he must not be a good rider in dirt if he can't make it. It was hilarious to watch the ladies telling him off even without being able to hear. I told him we should go for it, since this looked like our only chance. The path was indeed sketchy in parts but we made it most of the way. We didn't make it all the way to the tower but it didn’t matter. We stopped once we reached a suitable place to camp. Not a single minute of bad nor boring views https://farm1.staticflickr.com/532/1...e13b1833_b.jpg Securing a place to camp https://farm1.staticflickr.com/259/1...5424d9a7_b.jpg Before setting up the tent Alberto talked to a man walking by with his donkey. He said it would be fine if we put our tent there. Then the ladies walked by on their way to their house. They told us off for not going all the way to the tower. Haha. I wish I had it on video tape. Those two were spunky. Then we got another visitor, a man wearing a security vest. He was concerned about mining companies opening a mine in the area. Once we told him we were tourists the mood lightened and he told us it would be okay to camp. We were on his father’s land apparently so it was comforting to get the green light. Apu feels at home https://farm1.staticflickr.com/523/1...a39db10e_b.jpg This is why we love camping in Peru https://farm1.staticflickr.com/402/1...83e8792a_b.jpg It was pretty close to being dark by the time we got the tent set up. It was an amazing spot though, and breakfast tomorrow with a view is going to be good. Once again it was an exhausting day. It was touch and go there at the side of the road with the fuse issue. When the sun was long gone Alberto went star gazing. What a treat it was, plus the added bonus of fireflies. It was a pretty special spot. VIDEO: Episode 07 GPS Elevation Change Day 06 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psa0ttmngl.png |
Day 7 (69km): The eyebrow of the jungle
Our camping spot was even more spectacular in the morning so were really took our time to appreciate it. It was a Christmas miracle as Alberto had fixed our fuel bottle using some teflón tape. We were back in business and treated ourselves to a traditional camping breakfast of quinoa and tea. Hot breakfast again was a treat.
Waking up and seeing Apu and Chasqui :) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/354/1...13e3fb76_k.jpg Our camping spot = priceless https://farm1.staticflickr.com/382/1...d63d4d55_k.jpg Sun warmth :) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/308/1...fa900bb3_k.jpg Alberto did some minor repairs to the bikes, and we also walked up to check out the view from the tower we didn't bother driving to last night. The view was indeed spectacular. To get there we had to pass through a farmer’s field and his guard dog was doing an excellent job of letting us know that we were not welcome. Tacabamba https://farm1.staticflickr.com/270/1...622fbd85_k.jpg Once the sun came out in full force it started to heat up rather quick. As we were packing up the bikes we got a few more visitors. Our lady friend from the previous day came over to say goodbye. She told us that her neighbors had asked about us. They were suspicious that we were mining prospectors and that she should have got rid of us. She assured them that we were nice people and were only visitors to the area. Either way Alberto and I decided to come up with cover stories for our occupations in case it came up in conversation again. We decided to be teachers. He is a Spanish teacher and I am a Math teacher. Also a gentleman with his children stopped by to collect his cow. He came over to chat, but his kids seemed too shy to even respond to our hellos. Like most people we encountered at that camping spot, he was surprised that we spent the night outside instead of going into town to find a place to stay. Packing in undies https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/...12c1f58b_k.jpg Shy children looking at us from far https://farm1.staticflickr.com/538/1...390007c1_k.jpg Leaving the camping spot was a little tricky. There was a narrow steep section, and when I tried to navigate it I drove my crash bar into the bank and it almost bumped me over and down the hill. It was a butt clenching moment, that I somehow managed to save and then Alberto came to rescue me, because my foot didn't touch the ground on the non bank side. The rest of the road wasn't too bad, some mud and some rocks. Worth it for the camping spot for sure. It was a hot day, and only got hotter as we descended down to the town. We needed our chains adjusted so we stopped at a moto taxi repair shop. He said he would adjust our chains but we needed to wait an hour. That wasn't going to work. Alberto asked if he could pay to use his tools instead. That was okay, so Alberto adjusted the chains and in the end the guy didn't ask for any money. A man on a bike at the shop, who we were asking directions, offered to show us the way out of town. He did say though that the road was a dead-end, but we chose to ignore that little detail. We don’t believe in dead-ends. Unfortunately in the haste to be led out of town Alberto forgot some of his tools at the shop. I guess we ended up paying the guy in the end. Cowgirl https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/...06c2d624_k.jpg Alberto working on the chains https://farm1.staticflickr.com/512/1...74d6ffb8_k.jpg We were en route to San Luis de Lucma, and thankfully in the direction of blue skies. The road was rocky, but overall a fine road for a fine day. We had a nice view of the valley and the mountains on the other side. Surprisingly Alberto had a crash when he lost the front in some rocks. It came out of nowhere, and he ended up stuck under his bike. He said he saw the gas dripping from the tank and had a movie moment thinking "this is where it ends". Luckily I was right behind him and between me lifting and him pushing with his free foot we got him out from under his bike and the drama of the dripping fuel. No serious damage was done but the crash bar was bent a bit and restricted access to the shifter. His boots and gloves, both Alpinestars, did a good job protecting him. We took a post crash break to stop and smell the roses. Time to take a moment, eat some snacks and relax. I enjoyed the scenery and Alberto nursed his bruises. Naomi riding ahead https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/...5720f825_k.jpg The first town we reached was Anguia, which had a cute little plaza. We always ask for directions at the plaza, which is nice because we get to see lots of Plazas. The road was pretty smooth sailing as we were off our GPS route and the road we were physically on didn't show up on our GPS. We were just going on faith. In the end though, Lucma came into view. The road was rocky, and at some point narrowed considerably, to the point where a truck couldn't pass or at least it didn’t seem that way. Traffic miracles do happen in Peru though... Amazing how steep crop fields can be https://farm1.staticflickr.com/420/1...1732a2e4_h.jpg Incredible road and views https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/...9e3f0ddf_k.jpg Another incredibly steep road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/424/1...286c364c_h.jpg Countless small villages perched on almost every mountain https://farm1.staticflickr.com/317/1...4199a333_k.jpg No room for day-dreaming https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/...f0d4a761_k.jpg The road never led us through Lucma, we just came down and followed the river, Rio Curtervo, with the town off to the right. We were able to stop at a river crossing to freshen up because at this point it was hot hot hot! Bananas were growing at the side of the road, that is how hot it was. The road led us along the river, eventually crossing the river and joining what Garmin showed as a main road. The road we took was a bit off the beaten path and not for the faint of heart. There was definitely some tricky sections. And refill our bladers https://farm1.staticflickr.com/359/1...564776fc_k.jpg The main road had traffic, and was kind of dusty. The views across the other side of the valley were stunning though. And for the first time this trip, I think, we saw a mountain without a road on it. A virgin mountain! It was only a short distance to Sócota where we re-upped on directions at the plaza/church. Did I mention it's hot! Amazing views of the road ahead https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/...80b00ace_k.jpg I like what I see https://farm1.staticflickr.com/482/1...37e681c2_k.jpg La iglesia @ Socota https://farm1.staticflickr.com/343/1...d269e102_k.jpg The road to San Andrea de Cutervo was crazy bumpy and rocky. It looked like it had been washed out on many occasions. It was tough work and required all our focus. Also the road was now heading in the direction of some unfriendly looking clouds. The road slowly climbed along the valley, and then when it crossed over to the next valley there was a distinct change is vegetation. Alberto called it 'ceja de selva', the eyebrow of the jungle. It definitely looked jungle-like, and I ran over a my first snake of the trip. Oh boy snakes creep me out, just running it over made my skin crawl. Small landslide https://farm1.staticflickr.com/358/1...8eefd0fc_k.jpg Some rain may be waiting for us https://farm1.staticflickr.com/478/1...e8cd0cf6_k.jpg Fun road! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/407/1...afe7abca_k.jpg A storm is coming https://farm1.staticflickr.com/374/1...1d370ee8_k.jpg We could see the town below, and we could also see and hear the thunder shower that was currently visiting the town. We were exhausted from the rough road and didn't want to camp in the rain so we were trying our best to find a place to camp in the dry. This was a difficult task since the road was basically cut into the side of the hill and didn't really offer anything in access off of it, not to mention the farms that were all over the place. This was going to be a challenge. The rain was getting closer and we were running out of options. By chance there was a spot that became available, and the rain had not got us yet. It wasn't perfect, but it was going to have to do. We set up camp, and luckily the storm passed through in the opposite direction. The sun came out and we were able to have dinner in the sunshine. Camping! yay! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/532/1...72c16b81_k.jpg The view from our campsite https://farm1.staticflickr.com/510/1...5b5f4efd_k.jpg Supper time! yum yum https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/1...e3afe5d0_k.jpg A passing gentleman walked through our camp so we were able to inquire about if it was okay to be there. He was wearing a Daddy Yankee t-shirt and wellies and carried a large axe. We knew he could be trusted, haha. He said it wasn't an issue, and again was concerned that we were mining people. Good thing we have cover stories now. Once he saw that we were who we were he was happy and wished us well. It was a nice peaceful camping spot that treated us well. Inside our casita https://farm1.staticflickr.com/535/1...dd8ab514_k.jpg Another EPIC day bites the dust! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/341/1...105a8a70_k.jpg Day 07 GPS Elevation Change http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psrjn4tc9n.png VIDEO: Episode 08 |
Day 8 (133km): Chinese tank technology
We had a master plan for the morning. We wanted to get up early and hit the road before the sun crested the mountains and unleashed its wrath on us. Seemed reasonable enough. We did in fact get up early but the sun hit us earlier than we had anticipated. I felt like I needed 70 SPF sunscreen it was so powerful. What we also discovered in the morning is that we were camped next to a mini gravel source. There were at least 3 guys working the pile by the time we left. They had their shovels and their sizer. Quite the set-up.
It was hot but when we were riding it was okay. It was clear skies ahead, so we figured we were in for a hot one today. The town of San Andrés de Cutervo was very quiet on a Monday morning. Just a few weird looks from the people that were in the plaza as we passed through. We were told by one of the gravel miners that the road to Santo Tomás was pretty rough but that after that it was nicer. Andean Lady in San Andrés https://farm1.staticflickr.com/437/1...152dd279_b.jpg Clear skies to start the day https://farm1.staticflickr.com/400/2...fcc78bf0_h.jpg Found this natural water fountain along the road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/380/2...0f38dbb4_h.jpg Naomi @ La Iglesia de San Andrés https://farm1.staticflickr.com/478/2...1c09728c_h.jpg The road was pretty bumpy and rocky but our Keeways rode like tanks. Stick them in first gear and they just chug through almost anything. That is how they got their nickname, Chinese Tank technology. As the road wound it's way closer to the Cutervo National Park the vegetation changed drastically. It was noticeably more jungle like than anything else we had seen so far. It was an interesting change. Lots of leafy plants and trees all over the mountain side. We didn't see any exotic wildlife, just the usual: pigs, cows and horses/donkeys. We saw another small rock mine. There were sorting piles of the different product sizes at the side of the road, and then to complete the picture a donkey walking down the road with a cargo bucket on each side full of rocks. It must have been at least 200kgs of rock. Good on you donkey! Shooting some videos with the boom-pro https://farm1.staticflickr.com/495/2...601eab15_h.jpg Roadside waterfall https://farm1.staticflickr.com/562/1...ac6b8219_h.jpg Putting Gore-Tex to the test! :hmmmmm https://farm1.staticflickr.com/483/1...2dad6d7d_h.jpg A nice quiet main plaza of a small village https://farm1.staticflickr.com/523/2...3e6fb652_h.jpg It was supposed to take us 2 hours to get to Santo Tomás, and we rolled through town at the 70 min mark. So it was a pretty accurate estimate from the directions we got but since we were moving faster than normal traffic I'm guessing it would take a lot longer in a four wheeled vehicle. There were a lot of ruts to avoid, which was pretty easy for us, cause there was usually one clean line through the mess. It was strange to be riding through jungle at +2000m. Alberto exclaimed, banana trees at 2500m! Lots of little creeks crossing the road and the odd waterfall. It was all very exotic. Very different vegetation around here https://farm1.staticflickr.com/404/2...f0d2833e_h.jpg Taking a short break. Time to rehydrate https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/...cfb91a89_h.jpg Alberto's setup... almost like an heli-helmet :norton https://farm1.staticflickr.com/376/2...da247890_h.jpg Eyes on the road ahead https://farm1.staticflickr.com/435/2...10690bcf_h.jpg When we reached Santo Tomás I was expecting us to lose elevation and follow the river. This didn't really happen, the road stayed at the top of the mountains somehow and in disagreement with the topo on my map. There was more traffic on the road by this point as well. When closer to the coast this tends to happen. My bike ran out of gas, so I had to switch it to reserve. Alberto's went another 15km before needing to be put on reserve. It still seemed like a long way to a gas station so we crossed our fingers. This is a tricky one: find Naomi (Hint: she's on the road) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/2...489d51e9_h.jpg This was a super boring road... NOT! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/443/1...5023887f_h.jpg The terrain was a lot drier now, but there was a breeze keeping the temps bearable. It was hot though, like 30 degrees, and if it was this hot up here Alberto warned me that it was only going to get hotter lower down. I was optimistic and thought he was crazy to suggest 40 degrees was possible. We had a little bet going. The road went through some small towns and then, all of a sudden decided it was going to descend. We lost like 1500m in less than 20 min. Holy cow, it was hot now. 39 degrees of dry death. And then just like that our road led us onto the paved highway to Chachapoyas. We were still on reserve and luckily we only had to go 100m down the road and there was a Petro-Peru all by itself. No town, nothing. It like it was there just for us. We couldn't have planned it any better. It was killer hot though, and we needed a plan. I'd read somewhere that people had camped at the Hot Springs near Chamaya so we decided to head there, and if we saw a better place to camp before that we would. The only thing saving us was the breeze created by our 70kph driving speed. We quickly made it to the hot springs, there was a sign and there was a guy. He said it would be fine if we camped so we happily stopped. We didn't want to mess around in this heat. Heading down into the heat! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/481/1...ca5381b1_h.jpg Drier and dustier... https://farm1.staticflickr.com/450/1...7c642a83_h.jpg Riverside camping https://farm1.staticflickr.com/530/1...4d9d8ea0_h.jpg Having a bite in the heat... dogs, cats and chickens as company https://farm1.staticflickr.com/492/2...90204fcb_h.jpg This little fella' kept running around looking for food under our table :D https://farm1.staticflickr.com/445/2...4c30e9ea_h.jpg Some nice views too! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/364/2...6afa07e7_h.jpg Prediction: early morning wake up call... https://farm1.staticflickr.com/519/2...5d8dec15_h.jpg It was too hot to put the tent up right away so we sat around in the shade and re-hydrated. It only took a few hours for the sun to go behind the mountain. Even though the sun had partially set it had still not dropped below 30 degrees, but it was certainly better than before. We set up the tent and I started to make dinner. It was dusk when I started dinner and all was good. Then the first wave of mosquitos came. They were bothering Alberto but not me. I only had my hands and head exposed so it wasn't really an issue. Then the second wave of vicious mosquitoes came out. Alberto warned me that there was a new kind out and about, but dinner was not done. They were vicious. I had to finish dinner sweating my butt off wearing my riding jacket and even then they managed to bite me over 30 times through my clothes. It was madness. Across the river photo series https://farm1.staticflickr.com/423/1...d36a4513_h.jpg Closer https://farm1.staticflickr.com/276/2...02f4b867_h.jpg closer... men working the fields https://farm1.staticflickr.com/373/2...786ddffd_h.jpg The heat and humidity was killer... our little friend had no need for feathers! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/404/2...59db695a_h.jpg Sunset in the jungle https://farm1.staticflickr.com/437/1...ba9be991_h.jpg Nighty night https://farm1.staticflickr.com/442/2...71603428_h.jpg We had opted not to put the fly on our tent since it was still stinking hot out when we went to bed. We ate our dinner inside and tried to focus on lowering our body temperatures. It was way too hot. We were both wearing the minimum amount of clothes acceptable and we were still uncomfortably hot. The temperature never dropped so we slept like that until around 12:30am when Alberto saw some lightening in the distance. That is one thing about not putting up the fly, you can see the stars. It's really nice, but... So there we were in the middle of the night hammering down the fly hoping the mosquitos had gone. Day 08: GPS Elevation Change Data http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psyys4zfbg.png VIDEO: Episode 09 |
Day 9 (189km): All in a day's work
At around 3am or something like that, a set of thunder and lightning broke that was so loud it sounded like it was inside the tent. There was a few more sets, that sounded further away, so we thought we were in the clear, and then the skies opened up. It was biblical. I was sort of nodding in and out of sleep but Alberto was checking on the tent throughout the night. Unfortunately the area we were camping in was clearly a dry region so the ground wasn't suitable for rain absorption. What resulted was a lot of water pooling around our tent. By around 5am we discovered that our tent was essentially floating, so we cut our losses and started packing up. We were hoping that the rain would let up some and we could pack the bikes in drier conditions. The rain didn't stop but there were periods where it was lighter (there were also periods where it was coming down like crazy).
Cozy water bed https://farm1.staticflickr.com/512/1...482a0027_h.jpg Packing in the rain https://farm1.staticflickr.com/291/1...ce16dc34_h.jpg We packed up the bikes in stages, and somehow the rain dissipated right around the time Alberto decided to come out of the tent to do his final packing. Meanwhile I had been out in the elements the whole time getting soaked. So even though everything we owned was soaked or damp, we at least set off for the day in the dry. The rain also brought the temperature down to a respectable 25 degrees. Rain gear would have been an uncomfortable nightmare in those temps. Fishermen catching some rain https://farm1.staticflickr.com/470/1...1b7e0ec0_h.jpg So off we went, down the paved highway. The road was straight at first but the views were different and therefore interesting to us in short doses. It was funny because at first there were road signs warning of dangerous curves requiring a speed reduction down to 20kph (that is VERY slow) which we didn't even need to gear down for, then as the terrain changed and twisties were the norm there were no longer any signs. Amazonas! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/359/1...e18eab63_h.jpg Very different landscape from before https://farm1.staticflickr.com/562/2...b1bd2b3a_h.jpg Back to straight tarmac https://farm1.staticflickr.com/308/1...e80a37e5_h.jpg Rice fields https://farm1.staticflickr.com/524/1...bec820bf_h.jpg For the first time we were, at least we think so, attempted to be flagged down by police. There were two officers and when they saw us they came running out to their post (that in itself is a only warning sign). The first officer was whistling and giving the thumbs up. He was giving body language that indicated he wanted us to stop despite the thumbs up. The second one appeared to be giving me the slow down gesture, though there was a speed bump so I was naturally already going slow. If I went any slower I would be stopped. We just gave thumbs up back to the thumbs up guy and didn't stop. Anyone giving mixed signals does not warrant a stop in our opinion. Into the mountains again! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/400/1...b8fa2261_h.jpg Smooooth pavement https://farm1.staticflickr.com/280/2...9d3493b0_h.jpg Banana trees! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/2...ef42ebc3_h.jpg We were enjoying the smooth pavement and twisties for a change. The road actually reminded us of the type of street riding we do back home. The road followed alongside a river, of course, the only difference from yesterday was the vegetation was a lot greener today. There was the occasional crazy driver but nothing too shocking or scary. At one point Alberto was sort of racing with a local moto guy. The moto guy was faster on the straights (with his more powerful bike) but Alberto and Chasqui were faster in the corners. It was a great battle until Alberto stopped to take some pictures. Somehow we managed to avoid any sort of rain. There was two times when it was spitting, but it was only briefly and felt more refreshing than nuisance. Considering the epic downpour we experienced this morning that was a welcome surprise. Also since the weather was overcast what could have been a stinking hot day of riding was actually very pleasant. Tall rock walls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/311/2...afba15bb_h.jpg Some beautiful waterfalls along the route https://farm1.staticflickr.com/359/2...36ce0548_h.jpg Naomi is a great biker photo-model https://farm1.staticflickr.com/556/1...40e5d0ab_h.jpg Alberto wanted to go see Gocta waterfall, so I reluctantly agreed. For whatever reason I didn't feel like it warranted a detour. When we reached the tourism office and they told him it was a 2.5hr hike one way that was it. No way we were going to mess on with that. We are here for riding bikes, not going for walks. We went to the other entrance and took a few photos instead. Valera: the small town where the Gocta trail starts https://farm1.staticflickr.com/258/2...77dd4a02_h.jpg Inca rules: Ama Sua, Ama Llulla, and Ama Quella = don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t be lazy https://farm1.staticflickr.com/292/1...9c76fd30_h.jpg Stunning waterfalls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/402/2...42c647d5_h.jpg The scenery around wasn't too shabby either https://farm1.staticflickr.com/457/2...2d956048_h.jpg Hotel on a cliff and surely with a view https://farm1.staticflickr.com/508/1...57a577ae_h.jpg Gocta Falls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/548/1...78e666ff_h.jpg Our plan was to go to Chachapoyas and stock up on some city-type errands. The road that leads up to the town is really fun on a dry day. The pavement is mostly good and the Keeways do a surprisingly excellent job in the turns. Smile factor was high. Fun road to Chachapoyas https://farm1.staticflickr.com/468/2...ef2e4221_h.jpg The road followed the Utcubamba river https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/...87121d97_h.jpg Overhanging rock on the road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/312/2...cec17157_h.jpg Welcome to Chachapoyas! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/327/2...7efbafe1_h.jpg Once we reached the town we went to the plaza to grab something to eat, but there wasn't suitable parking. We asked a moto guy if he could recommend a place to eat with parking. He lead us to a nice restaurant but once we were inside the host was really awkward and tried to sit us at some random shitty table in the back "with the chickens" (as Alberto described it). Basically it seemed to us that they didn't like the way we looked so they were trying to stick us in some random sketchy corner. No thank you! We left in a huff. Back at the plaza we left the bikes in municipal parking and grabbed some delicious food for lunch right off the plaza. I had Lomo Saltado, and it was amazing. It was a huge portion though and I suffered from a Lomo coma afterward. Friends greeting each other @ the main Plaza https://farm1.staticflickr.com/495/1...4d26ab5e_h.jpg Naomi is definitely happy https://farm1.staticflickr.com/268/1...5cc3e900_h.jpg During lunch it was decided that we wouldn't try to get to Kuelap today. It was against my wishes but realistically it wasn't going to happen. We were running low on camera battery power and were hoping to get oil changes done on the bikes while in the "city". That was why we came in the first place, though the Lomo was worth it by itself. So we got a room for the night at Hotel Kuelap. Thankfully the ordeal of finding a hotel (one of the reasons I hate doing it) was simplified since we had stayed there before. With the hotel secured we went in search of a moto place. There was one only 10 blocks or so from the hotel so we got that done easy. The mechanics were all very nice people. Things were shaping up nicely. We spent the rest of the day doing a bunch of unexciting chores while in civilization. Moto repair shop. Labour rate = $5/hr https://farm1.staticflickr.com/288/2...b0887181_h.jpg Mechanic uses the road as his work area. Side note: Peruvians LOVE their fanny packs https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/...253cf1f0_h.jpg Yada yada yada in the evening we went out for some dessert and a walk. Chachapoyas is a relaxed place, and as Alberto commented the traffic honks less, making it a nice place to be. It exhibits less of the traits we dislike about Peruvian cities so we enjoyed walking the streets at night. Muy tranquilo. Night walk around Chachapoyas https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...7cf2907f_h.jpg La Plaza https://farm1.staticflickr.com/485/2...5a797269_h.jpg GPS ELEVATION CHANGE http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...ps572keo1v.png VIDEO: EPISODE 10 |
Day 10 (220km): Head hunting
Alberto decided that he wanted to go see the Karajías (all of a sudden he’s a tourist). I wasn't that keen on it since it sounded like an unnecessary detour but he convinced me and they did look cool. He said he knew where it was so I agreed to follow him. We had a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit before hitting the road. Oh easy living.
All sorts of China-motos all over Peru! http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...9/PER_0861.jpg Carving up the twisties down from Chachapoyas was fun once again. We only had to backtrack like 5 min for the turnoff to Luya, so it wasn't too big of a deal. The road was decent and the sign said it was only 17km to Luya so that didn't sound like too big a deal either. There were nice orange road signs describing the cultural sites. It was very helpful, or at least we thought it was until we got into Luya and had no clue what the deal was with the Karajías. Alberto asked someone near the plaza and she told him it was 1 hour in that direction, what!? Grumble. This was turning into quite the detour. Okay well, we've gone this far. We headed off in the direction of the Karajías. The other downer was that in the direction we were going it looked like rain. Alberto was ready to give up when I saw a sign saying it was only 12 km to the heads, so we committed to doing the 12 km. Naomi's perspective of things https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3741/...06e20484_h.jpg Alberto's office view https://farm1.staticflickr.com/293/2...50abfaca_h.jpg We went through some small towns and continued to ask directions to make sure we were heading the right way. As it turns out Alberto didn't really know where the heads were or if we needed to hike to them or not. I was rolling my eyes. The road got worse and so did the weather. I wasn't exactly having a good time, and there were no heads in sight. People kept telling us we were going the right way but I was suspicious. How were we going to know when we get there? We passed the 12 km milestone but we were so deep into this mess that we decided to keep going. The road was a bit on the rough side, combined with light rain and fog, I was not impressed with the situation. Luckily for Alberto we came down the hill into one of the most amazing views we've ever experienced. There was a nice flat plain complete with a winding river. Horses and cows grazing on the green grass and the skies looked friendlier. I nicknamed the area little Mongolia. The riding was getting better and I was having more fun. Then just as suddenly as we came into the great plane we were climbing back out of it and somehow back into the ceja de selva. 'Little Mongolia' https://farm1.staticflickr.com/541/1...82607d98_h.jpg This little house was empty https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/...a1e040e9_h.jpg The road carved through the mountain rock https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...c2c347d8_h.jpg At this point we stopped to consider our options. We were clearly not going to see the heads despite Alberto repeatedly saying "we might still see the heads". We were way off track, but the road was nice and there was sort of clear skies. According to Garmin the road was going to connect through with our route to Kuelap, so we decided that we might as well keep going. We were a couple of hours committed by this point anyway. The ceja de selva views were spectacular I have to say. The vegetation was so lush, it reminded Alberto of the Predator movie. He said that the road was like the famous Bolivian death road but better because we didn't see any other traffic. The road was lots of fun too, and we were having a great time. So much so that I had forgiven him for this crazy detour and getting us off schedule. Then we entered a different dimension... https://farm1.staticflickr.com/317/2...d0ef8569_h.jpg The walls were all covered on grey moss https://farm1.staticflickr.com/362/2...e7a0e774_h.jpg It felt like a lost world out there https://farm1.staticflickr.com/356/1...ae2de9b8_h.jpg Naomi heading down the moutain https://farm1.staticflickr.com/481/1...40f20b3e_h.jpg Really cool area to be lost in https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/...60613c36_h.jpg Naomi loved the views https://farm1.staticflickr.com/336/1...07b80980_h.jpg Time to stop & grab a bite https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/...dfd90d5b_h.jpg Making lunch https://farm1.staticflickr.com/431/1...1dab81f7_h.jpg Giant Avocado + Andean bread https://farm1.staticflickr.com/359/2...f361d34a_h.jpg yum yum :D https://farm1.staticflickr.com/274/1...bc001386_h.jpg Things started to go pear shaped when we somehow lost the road on Garmin. We didn't remember seeing any side roads, this was a tricky mountain road, not exactly a whole lot of options. Then when we reached the bottom of the road we had planned to follow didn't exist. We stopped to ask for directions and we were told the only way to the town we were trying to get to was via horseback. The road we were on was going to connect us back to Santo Tomas, haha that would have been funny. We knew we were going West thanks to Garmin so it was unlikely that we would have got that far, but still. That would have been quite something. So there we were in Congon faced with the reality that we needed to go all the way back to the paved road. It was a bummer, but it was an amazing ride so in a way it was worth it. Fog rolling in https://farm1.staticflickr.com/321/2...2fb6a422_h.jpg Chasqui and Apu taking a break https://farm1.staticflickr.com/529/1...6894f8a3_h.jpg Coming around a bend Naomi spotted this (I totally missed it!) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...2b8ce6a5_h.jpg Abandoned bike https://farm1.staticflickr.com/505/2...0687dedd_h.jpg Road surface made things more interesting https://farm1.staticflickr.com/358/2...28788c0c_h.jpg Officially lost https://farm1.staticflickr.com/267/2...8c8428c1_h.jpg Needed to ride all the way down to ask someone for directions https://farm1.staticflickr.com/530/1...a058ff7a_h.jpg A little friend hitchhiking https://farm1.staticflickr.com/526/2...4923ca62_h.jpg The moment we realized we had to back-track quite a bit https://farm1.staticflickr.com/546/1...ea65f384_h.jpg We didn't stop for any pictures when we retraced our tracks. Rubber side down, throttle open. We were trying to make it back to the highway before 5pm, if we could do that there was a good chance we could still make it to Kuelap today. So we boogied. It was 100% focused riding! and we were making good time! I had a momentary lapse in concentration that resulted in me losing the rear in a corner and the bike and me suddenly went down in a heap. No damage done, so we were quickly back in business and scooting along. We were back in head territory and kept our eyes open but there was nothing obvious about it. There was no signs or anything. Next time more research will need to be done. We managed to reach the highway by 5pm so we decided to head to Kuelap. We didn't stop for any photos, we were trying to make it before dark. The route to Kuelap was well signed, which was a welcomed change from this morning. We were making good time, and about 5km from Kuelap Alberto ran out gas (he had to go on reserve about 30min earlier). So it got dark while we were topping Alberto up from the spare gas container from my bike. When we arrived at the site everything was closed up so we decided to just camp in a discrete location and pack up early in the morning. We will figure out Kuelap in the morning, for now we've had a long day and an unsuccessful head hunt. On the way out we spotted this sign with the elevation https://farm1.staticflickr.com/510/2...848dd50f_h.jpg Back in business: Road to Kuelap https://farm1.staticflickr.com/396/1...f6f09132_h.jpg Views from the road before it got dark very fast https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/...486c065f_h.jpg GPG DATA: ELEVATION CHANGE FOR THE DAY http://i1.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...4-02-Graph.png VIDEO: EPISODE 11 |
Day 11 (0km): From a tent in Kuelap
Like I said, there is always a rooster. This feathery friend decided that 2am was a good time to start his business. Quite something indeed. The camping was more or less good. There was a few times in the night/early morning that people came and went but nobody disturbed us. We awoke around our usual time, about 6:30am, and it was pretty quiet at Kuelap. Nobody was around. We made breakfast, my Peruvian specialty of quinoa, honey and cinnamon and by the time we were finishing up the staff was opening up the place. Alberto went to speak to the people in charge and everything sounded fine. They were unconcerned that we camped there, and more worried about how cold it was last night.
Keeping warm with hot tea https://farm1.staticflickr.com/503/2...08df63e6_h.jpg Some of the local bikes used by the Kuelap's staff https://farm1.staticflickr.com/281/2...64765525_h.jpg Some of the scenery around the complex https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/...ce06cec9_h.jpg The museum's patio had some cool designs https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3816/...24951ccc_h.jpg Our campsite was out of the elements https://farm1.staticflickr.com/458/2...bdd5ee17_h.jpg Unfortunately the weather was not co-operating as it had been raining on and off throughout the night. The rain was not too bad, only spitting lightly every now and then as the clouds blew in. The real issue was the low cloud cover and fog. There wasn't much point in checking out the ruins if they were covered in fog. We asked the locals and they told us the weather can change quite drastically, and that it was usually cloudy in the morning. So we decided to wait it out for a few hours. By noon the low clouds had cleared but there was an endless parade of clouds coming our way down the valley, and these ones carried rain. The rain was on and off, but more on than off and when it was on it rained relatively hard. Also there was a pretty strong wind, so at times the rain was sideways. Overall the whole weather situation was very unpleasant. Nice smiley people work here http://i1.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=255%2C282 Wild flower https://farm1.staticflickr.com/469/2...6ae8a11d_h.jpg Road to Kuelap in red/brown https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/...94d1a415_h.jpg The weather not looking great yet https://farm1.staticflickr.com/361/1...3210ac48_h.jpg Cool red moss on trees https://farm1.staticflickr.com/286/1...65b2ff08_h.jpg Only one tour bus showed up. Judging by the weather down at the bottom it didn't look pretty for those guys. Alberto chatted to a few of them when they returned and they said it was very wet at the top. While waiting out the weather we were able to check out the mini museum they had at the facility. There was some interesting things inside like a description of the construction of the houses and a map of the Chachpoyas civilization regions and other ruins that have been discovered. We learned that even though it is referred to as a fortress by people, Archeologists do not think this is the case. Their opinion is the Kuelap was a city. A little bit of history re Kuelap https://farm1.staticflickr.com/559/2...0b918649_h.jpg Inside the site's museum https://farm1.staticflickr.com/475/1...0723f98d_h.jpg What Kuelap would have looked like in its prime days https://farm1.staticflickr.com/469/1...49e9fbb5_h.jpg Map of the area https://farm1.staticflickr.com/365/2...3cace827_h.jpg Hand-made wooden artifacts https://farm1.staticflickr.com/262/2...8e1f00b4_h.jpg Looking ahead: Road to Pataz/Chagual in La Libertad region https://farm1.staticflickr.com/490/2...000c967a_h.jpg We waited it out as long as we could, but by mid afternoon the weather had only got worse so we decided to stay another night and cross our fingers that tomorrow would be better. Then unexpectedly there was a break in the weather at 4pm. There was pockets of blue sky hiding above the clouds. It was too late to go for the full tour so we asked if we could just go up for a few photos and then go for the full tour in the morning. We thought that if the weather was still crappy tomorrow we would at least have a few dry photos. The walk up wasn't that bad, even though we were both out of breath. Unfortunately it was still raining up at the top. We snapped a few photos, made arrangements with one of the guides for the following morning (a guide is mandatory), bought some dinner (papas rellenas y tortillas de maiz) and then came back down to our waiting tent. [CENTER]This way up https://farm1.staticflickr.com/455/1...20c39e80_h.jpg Our new 4-legged friend came along for the hike https://farm1.staticflickr.com/374/2...dad89e0c_h.jpg A nice stone trail to the ruins https://farm1.staticflickr.com/332/1...e068a5ea_h.jpg Kuelap from far https://farm1.staticflickr.com/386/1...3fc54d3b_h.jpg The front wall https://farm1.staticflickr.com/499/1...16da1e51_h.jpg One of the entrances to the sacred city https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/2...130b4722_h.jpg Amazing stone walls at the entrance to the city https://farm1.staticflickr.com/379/2...86316cb0_h.jpg Carved figures on some of the stone walls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/292/2...92789212_h.jpg The Chachapoyas built some really tall stone walls to protect the city https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/1...022a9239_h.jpg More menacing clouds coming our way :devildog https://farm1.staticflickr.com/545/1...a905cb41_h.jpg Naomi happy to see 'a little bit' of Kuelap today https://farm1.staticflickr.com/264/1...13735539_h.jpg The outside wall is long! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/...7c054f92_h.jpg Time to head back down with more rain coming down https://farm1.staticflickr.com/478/1...e96e0700_h.jpg Supper of champs :lift Quinua + Stuffed Potatoes + Andean Bread https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/2...7420a99b_h.jpg VIDEO: EPISODE 12 |
Day 12 (182km): The Cadwell park of the Andes
One of the stray dogs that was hanging around decided to adopt us for the night. When I woke up I found him sleeping in my vestibule. The good news was I could see some patches of blue sky from my tent window, the bad news was that when we got out we still saw a dark grey cloud above Kuelap. Oh well, at least there was visible patches of blue sky today.
Waking up to a friendly stare https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5725/...fc5ebf4c_h.jpg Steep steps to access Kuelap https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5645/...b50e7648_h.jpg Views from the top https://farm1.staticflickr.com/676/2...da009bc5_h.jpg Some really cool rounded walls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...36e505f6_h.jpg Amazing how they built a city at the top of a mountain https://farm1.staticflickr.com/725/2...8a51df5d_h.jpg 70 ft tall walls! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/672/2...88c138d0_h.jpg We had a quick breakfast, then hiked up to the entrance. We got there before the staff had opened up the ruins, but they arrived shortly after us. Soon we were entering the third entrance to the city. There were no guides available so Segundo, one of the maintenance guys, showed us around. He was a nice tour guide, and gave us what we thought was a thorough tour. In its time Kuelap must have been a very densely populated city. It was fascinating to think about what this would have looked like. I was impressed by the fact that the walls were still standing. It is a tricky place to build structures like that, and with such intricate rock work. A sudden drop on both sides of the city https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5683/...7ec6f2ee_h.jpg Naomi posing for the lens https://farm1.staticflickr.com/700/2...9fb5ec1b_h.jpg Kuelap's wild flowers https://farm1.staticflickr.com/576/2...5fcc45b5_h.jpg Neat rock details on walls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/571/2...d32b74a0_h.jpg Hola amigos! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5784/...66aeea6f_h.jpg Carved rocks on walls https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5628/...1855c6da_h.jpg One of the entrances to the city https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/2...459febda_h.jpg We were finished our tour by 10:30am, so we returned to our bikes to hit the road again. The weather during our tour of Kuelap was pretty decent, we even had some sunshine. Waiting the extra day was worth it. After all was said and done we hit the road about noon. We still needed gas, as it was unlikely we'd make it back to the main road with the gas we had. We were able to find someone, on our second try, that sold gas in one of the small towns. We bought 2 gallons, thinking that would give us enough to make it to a gas station, and hit the road again. The road is nice, with some nice views of the valley but it is quite the detour to Kuelap. We were told they are going to build another entrance from the south which should be more direct. Too bad for all the towns with accommodations and restaurants and stuff on the current road though. So far the weather was holding up nicely. When we reached Tingo we asked where we could buy gas, but apparently there was nowhere. We were told the next town, Yerbabuena, had gas so we continued. Off we go again https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5732/...9b66f21b_h.jpg Getting some much needed gas https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/...91fa9c1f_h.jpg Dull scenery... as usual https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5706/...c3ef5c8d_h.jpg Apu and Naomi https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5789/...4e67a36a_h.jpg Happy to find gas! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...33ebb739_h.jpg The road, still paved and narrow, followed the very high/full Uctubamba river. It's a dangerous business being a road next to a river like that. It rained on and off, but it never rained hard enough to worry us. Clearly some clouds had come through though because the roads were soaked. We stopped at the gas station in Yerbabuena. It took us a while to find someone, and when we did they told us yes they had gas, and then sorry they couldn't help us because they didn't have the key. Okay, thanks. They told us there was more gas in the town, so we went to search. There was not. They just wanted to get rid of us. The next place to have gas, we were told, was Leymebamba. We had been on this road before but neither of us really remembered any of it. I remembered a few places here and there but I didn't remember riding the road at all, but there was a faint déjà-vu feeling. We found the gas station in Leymebamaba thanks to some directions and an official road sign. It didn't look like a gas station. Thankfully we were able to get 4 gallons before the gas man ran out. Alberto's bike appears to be consuming a lot more gas than mine, and it's causing us some concern and difficulty. Fun fun fun! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...c2ecc674_h.jpg Leymebamba https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5814/...4bb96300_h.jpg The road leading out of town was still paved, but very narrow. It looked like rain up ahead so finally Alberto conceded and put on his rain suit only to have the rain move on to the next mountain range while he was suiting up. You win some you lose some I guess. The road topped out at 3600m, at which point it was windy and I was freezing. The amazing thing was on the other side of the pass was some of the most spectacular views we have ever experienced. We have ridden this road before but we didn't remember it at all. To be fair we did ride it in the opposite direction last time. Beautiful green mountains with streaks of sunlight filled our eyeballs. The paved road continued, but it was strange. It seemed like it was a typical dirt road through the mountains only paved. Lots and lots of twisties, but barely big enough for two vehicle traffic. There was so many corners that there was no way to keep count. The entire road was a series of small corners linked up with the occasional straight line. It can only be described as epic! Narrow wet road... hope no one's coming the other way! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/...562e6444_h.jpg Calla-Calla Pass with mossy walls https://farm1.staticflickr.com/747/2...9f6bbd29_h.jpg The nice thing about having the road paved was the ability to turn down the concentration ever so slightly to appreciate the scenery a little more than usual. It was a delicate balance though and the consequences if you got it wrong were deadly. The drop off was near vertical and the valley bottom below was a long way down. This went on for a few hours, and then we eventually remembered the road, in its non paved form. We finally figured out why we could not remember the road; it was not paved before. Even though we had ridden it before we didn't remember the views being that epic. Quite the view! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/607/2...ad7ecbda_h.jpg Superb road https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5794/...cefeee95_h.jpg Heading down to the Marañon River https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5828/...7c1dd4b2_h.jpg Beautiful mountains in this region https://farm1.staticflickr.com/735/2...7404996b_h.jpg Great scenery https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5699/...9ee6bf72_h.jpg Amazingly fun road https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5720/...c455301d_h.jpg Endless curves heading down the mountain https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5661/...6c3ca800_h.jpg The sun is going down. Time to find a place to pitch the tent https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5696/...690e1691_h.jpg [/CENTER] It was getting late by the time we reached Las Balsas. Even though the sun was behind the mountains the temperature was stinking hot. We picked up some food, though the options were very limited in that town. What do they eat? Don’t try to buy fresh goods in the desert. We got some more gas, Alberto's bike continues to consume, and headed towards Bolivar. It was crunch time now, we only had minutes before darkness set in. Miraculously we found a really good camping spot just before the last light had gone. We lay in the tent eating our fruit for dinner. Looks like it will be a hot night. VIDEO: KUELAP VIDEO: EPISODE 13 |
Day 13 (226km): The full circle
Alberto woke me up early so that we could hit the road before it got too hot. It was still pretty hot but the sun had not come over the hill yet, so we were safe at least for the time being. Today we were charting a course for adventure. We had no confirmed road to Pataz, just some looking around on google earth and some hoping it would turn out. Based on my map it looked like we would only have to endure the heat for the first little bit; I was expecting us to gain some elevation pretty soon.
Our camping spot: not too shabby https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5698/...d00c78e1_h.jpg The road followed the mighty Marañón river and the terrain looked a bit like Arizona again. There was cactus along the slopes and the rock features were dry with shades of orange and red. Once the road turned inland we passed lots of fruit growing properties, mostly papayas and bananas. It made the air smell delicious and sweet. We were surprised when we approached the town of San Vincente both because it wasn't on our map and because it occupied a surprisingly large flat valley. The road passed through town in a long straight line at a steady grade. On our exit from town there was a river crossing. There was also a family of people, who looked dressed up, walking through the river which appeared to be a fair way out of town. We suspected a hidden church nearby as we couldn’t figure out from our vantage point where those people would have been going. The river was pretty tame but during my crossing my back wheel hit a rock and put the weight of the bike off balance. I almost lost it, but some how managed to brace my right leg and kept the weight of the bike from going down (something that I could never do with a bigger bike). It took me a while to gain my composure and footing to get the bike upright, but I did and both myself and Apu left the river more or less dry. Just giving the the family some entertainment. Then the sun was out! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5651/...5c7a6c95_h.jpg Taking our first break of the day https://farm1.staticflickr.com/580/2...3d54fb3c_h.jpg Braaaaaaaaappppp!!! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/616/2...0805081a_h.jpg Some impressive smooth rock-wall right there https://farm1.staticflickr.com/645/2...0e83dfbc_h.jpg The road to Longotea was fairly rocky which kept us on our toes. The road was dry and as we climbed in elevation the scenery changed from dry fruit trees to more greenery and eucalyptus. We were making good progress and having fun. Suddenly I had a problem getting my bike into gear. It was like it had found a false neutral. Alberto parked his bike to come help me. He noticed that my chain had come clean off, so that explains the lack of drive. We parked the bike off the road and started trying to get the chain on. Unfortunately Alberto had accidentally left our rear wheel size tools in Tacabamba so we were pretty limited. We weren't there 5 min when two passing motorcyclists came by. They stopped to ask what our issue was. Alberto explained that my chain had come off and one of the guys immediately jumped off his bike and said he would help. He was in the process of getting out his tools when Alberto asked him if there was a bike mechanic in town because he didn’t want to bother them. He said he was the only guy in town that worked on bikes, what luck. He quickly had my chain back in order and gave Alberto's a tighten too. We explained to him our tool situation and asked if we could buy something in the town. He told us we might be able to in Bolivar, then decided to sell us his wrench for less than $5. Such a nice guy, and now we would be able to sort out any rear wheel jobs. Him and his friends went on their way and we thanked them. Both Alberto and I noted that both bikes carried air pumps on the back, not your average Peruvian riders. Time to start going up the mountain https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/...497c9fea_h.jpg Naomi + Apu looking pretty https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5805/...6370517b_h.jpg Alberto being shown how it's done https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5660/...af46675a_h.jpg These guys were super generous with their time https://farm1.staticflickr.com/602/2...c8d47180_h.jpg The directions we had been given were to turn right at 'the rock' to go to Bolivar and that the road becomes very nice at this point. The road out of Longotea is where we started the climb, and also encountered some fog. The fog got my face and gloves pretty soaked. Alberto said he was enjoying the freshness, while I was getting a bit cold. The road was a series of switchbacks with a stunning view of the valley as we climbed. and indeed the rock was waiting for us. There was also a road sign indicating the way. Also waiting for us at the top was rain. We suited up and headed even further up, to a max of 3900m. We saw some poncho motos (riders wearing ponchos are the best) out there in the nasty weather but that was it. We were high up in the mountains and the weather changed drastically as we worked our way across the pass. The road was very very nice. Super smooth and silky. We could see the rain moving across the valleys and it quickly passed us by. I was freezing though so as soon as the rain had stopped I stopped to layer up. It is hard to go wrong in Peru when mountains are involved but the ones we saw today were very unique. They were more rocky and jagged than what we are used to seeing. Near the top of the rock https://farm1.staticflickr.com/590/2...85a6e44a_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5685/...ef53b070_h.jpg Flat track material right there! :super https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5811/...c210dd32_h.jpg Horses carrying wood fire for cooking https://farm1.staticflickr.com/652/2...5855215e_h.jpg The views at the other side of 'the rock' summit https://farm1.staticflickr.com/578/2...b307f118_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5702/...2848f1f9_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/567/2...6c7b5069_h.jpg Our plan once we arrived in Bolivar was to get gas, find a moto mechanic and have lunch. When we reached the town around 1pm everything looked closed. We found another bike rider and asked about gas and the mechanic. He showed us directly on his bike. The mechanic wasn't really a full time mechanic and he was just about to leave (returning at 4pm). He suspected Alberto's bike needed the carb cleaned. Also during our travels around town Alberto had confirmed from various sources that there was indeed no road to Bambamarca, and that it took 3hrs by horse. Crap, there goes our master plan to get to Pataz. Dejected we picked up some food and headed for the plaza to have some lunch. There we sat eating our avocado and bread discussing our situation. Our dream to ride to Pataz was dead. It wasn't going to happen, and it didn't seem like a smart idea to go off into the remote mountains finding a road ourselves. While sitting in the Plaza a boy, who had seen Alberto earlier, came by to chat. He offered us some yogurt and hung out asking us questions and having a detailed conversation with Alberto. When we had finished our lunch he wanted to help us find gas. He jogged all around town showing us where to get gas. We succeeded on the third place we tried. Alberto's bike seemed to take about the same quantity as mine this time, so that problem may be dormant for now. Our biggest gas risk was Bolivar to Pataz anyway so it was less of a concern now. Alberto was chatting with the guys that sold us the gas while I went to some stores to buy some more food. We unfortunately had hit a dead end in Bolivar, but it was a nice place with friendly people and stunning scenery. Avocados, Andean bread and cheese https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5765/...4f7eb892_h.jpg Local woman https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5756/...7ff42b4b_h.jpg Incredible views around Bolivar https://farm1.staticflickr.com/728/2...e6b865ac_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5759/...2e812ca1_h.jpg Chasqui loving the Andes https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5711/...40ab5c32_h.jpg Mountain field crops https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5717/...ee495796_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5761/...b96e0452_h.jpg Absolutely amazing https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5688/...fc2a08e5_h.jpg The sun was out now and while it was still not red hot, at least it wasn't raining. We had learned about a shortcut back to San Vincente through Uchumarca so we were at least going to do a loop instead of the exact same ride back. It was around 3pm when we left Bolivar so we were on the lookout for a place to camp. Unfortunately there was too many farms or a steep drop off from the road. It was not camper friendly. We rode all the way to Uchumarca without finding a decent place to camp. At least the sun was still shining. All the other motorbikes we saw today had air pump strapped to the back. It seems that biking culture in this region is more advanced, or at least more prepared. We enjoy waving at the children at the side of the road, some wave back while others just stare. On the road down to Uchumarca Alberto waved at a cute little girl in a poncho and unfortunately by the time I passed her she was balling her eyes out. I told Alberto that she was not used to being waved at by aliens. "He had big yellow eyes mommy". There was still very little options for camping as the road was pretty much carved out of the side of a steep mountain. The road and scenery however, as always, were very impressive and it was nice to take a different route back. We sound like broken record: AMAZING roads and scenery https://farm1.staticflickr.com/672/2...b629906f_h.jpg The further along we went the hotter it became. We were searching hard but there were no good options out there. We eventually arrived back in San Vincente so we decided to return to the same camping spot we had the previous night. We picked up some fruit before leaving the town. It was dusk at this point so we knew we were mostly likely going to be riding at night. It was hot and dusty and dark, but we made it back to our camping spot from the previous night. We only had to ride in the dark for about 30min, and we only encountered a few other vehicles so it wasn’t too bad. We also kitted our bikes out with auxiliary lighting so we could see and been seen pretty well. We set up camp and resumed our place sweating away in the tent. Tomorrow, plan B. Even when we thought the day could not get any better https://farm1.staticflickr.com/690/2...28f07717_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5755/...1842c075_h.jpg 'Eucalipto' tree https://farm1.staticflickr.com/714/2...c8b04fa2_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/747/2...4aced2f9_h.jpg VIDEO: EPISODE 14 |
Day 14 (171km): The twisty sweats
We were going to do it right this morning. We woke up before it was even light out. This time we were going to beat the heat. We had our breakfast, the bikes were packed and it wasn't even 7am. Then Alberto noticed my front tire looked flat, I said that it was just buried in the sand. Unfortunately Alberto was right and I did have a flat tire. Crap, there goes our early start.
Ayayayyy caramba! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/758/2...92f3a4f7_h.jpg We decided to try and cheat the system. We didn't want to go through the hassle of taking the front wheel off. These bikes only have side stands so keeping the front in the air was going to be a pain. Alberto quickly got to work breaking the bead and inspecting the tube, while I pivoted the bike so that the front wheel was off the ground. He found the leak quickly and we set about patching the hole. While the patch was curing he searched for the culprit. It was hard to see from the outside but we were able to track it down knowing the location of the puncture. A small, but long thorn had breached my tire and punctured my tube. Putting everything back together was the hard part. It took Alberto 3 try's to get that tire back on the rim, it was a stubborn one, and by the time the job was done we were both sweating up a storm. Not too mention the bugs. It was not an ideal location to repair a flat, but I guess it was also not the worst. All said and done we were able to hit the road at 8:30am. It wasn't long before we were back on the paved road into Balsas. We bought some mangoes and then took off into the mountains. It was way to hot to hang around. We had a bet going about whether the road was going to be paved all the way to Cajamarca. We both thought it would be, but Alberto decided to place his wager on not (better value on those odds). A great day for mountain riding https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5776/...e1f855b4_h.jpg Naomi enjoying the smooth tarmac https://farm1.staticflickr.com/756/2...f4ef93a9_h.jpg Interesting... housing development in the middle of nowhere https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5688/...deedeee2_h.jpg The road basically continued where it left off, skinny paved track with so many corners it made our heads spin. The twisties were nice, Alberto called it the twisty sweats (like meat sweats) but there was some crazy traffic that came along every now and then to spoil the party. The road quickly climbed the mountain and soon enough we were enjoying the cooler temperatures. It was strange in a way because we had ridden this road before, but two things were different this time: we were traveling in the opposite direction and the road was now paved. It changed the experience, and although the twisties were very fun and Alberto has now ranked this his number one paved road/ride in Peru, we both agreed that the experience of the unpaved road was more memorable. Still you can't take anything away from the stunning views and exotic wildlife (I saw a giant reddish orange centipede that I swear had horns). Braaaaaaapppp! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/588/2...1f4855ff_h.jpg The road we came from https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...f75d089f_h.jpg Naomi & Apu https://farm1.staticflickr.com/706/2...a3530719_h.jpg Still a single lane paved road https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5788/...156ed632_h.jpg Taking a short break to enjoy the views https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/...db3b670b_h.jpg There was some clouds in the sky, but we stayed dry the entire day. The riskiest section weather-wise was the top of the pass, not to mention the riskiest driving as well. The road is very narrow and the dropoff is incredibly steep. Don't look down, it makes your stomach jump. Thankfully we didn't have any moments with other vehicles during this stretch. Foggy in sections https://farm1.staticflickr.com/755/2...98b73ccd_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/584/2...a6fbbecd_h.jpg Quite the view from the narrow road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/637/2...537c871c_h.jpg Lovely scenery https://farm1.staticflickr.com/712/2...88ba1bcd_h.jpg :lurk https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5790/...f05a3058_h.jpg Awesome riding indeed https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5774/...b67e840a_h.jpg Near the summit https://farm1.staticflickr.com/581/2...35c15001_h.jpg You never know what is waiting for you on the other side of the mountains and today we got lucky. On the horizon was blue sky, a welcome sight for sure. Before we knew it we were arriving in Celendín, which Alberto thinks has grown in size since last time. Arriving into town we went looking for a gas station, which as it turns out was easy to find. We passed a bull market en route to the gas station, what a crowd. It was like a rock concert was happening. Lots of dairy production from this region. At the gas station we took note of Alberto's bike's gas consumption performance, re-inflated my tire (the bead was a bit uneven from this morning) and chomped down some of our mangoes that were acquired in the morning. We also phoned Alberto's dad (his parents live in Cajamarca) to give him an update on our arrival. The road to Cajamarca was completely unexpected. Last time we came through there was dairy container carrying donkeys all over the road. What remains now is a modernly engineered two lane highway. It was night and day from what we were expecting. The road that once was is no more and the ride is completely different. The road is nice, very nice, with plenty of twisties to enjoy. A lot of quality work has gone into making a modern highway the only problem is the lack of driving skill by other road users. There is plenty of lane to be used but still vehicles prefer to use the lane for oncoming traffic in corners. This was somewhat excusable, despite being extremely dangerous, when the road was very narrow but now with a perfectly good highway for use it is unacceptable. I could tell that Alberto was quickly losing his patience with the other road users. His disposition is not designed for populated areas of Peru, and neither is mine come to think of it. The road was 3 times as wide! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5804/...96ca56c5_h.jpg Naomi likes her Aloe plants https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5744/...84cb4a3f_h.jpg The views on the other side of the mountain were also great https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5752/...436bac17_h.jpg Near the town of Celendín https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/...3869faa9_h.jpg There was only one small section that was unpaved, so Alberto won the bet, and the equipment was actively working on paving his section. There was still some sections of the road where locals still treated it like a rural dirt road though. We encountered people walking their cows down the road, or a random donkey walking down the middle of the road, and my favourite a man sending his donkeys loaded up with wood to cross the road oblivious of potential traffic traveling at highway speeds. You can replace the rural dirt road with a fancy highway but the people haven’t changed. Surprisingly we were faster than 90% of traffic on the road despite our small capacity engines. If the cars knew they were getting passed by local 200cc bikes their egos would be injured for sure. Most people think our bikes are large capacity Japanese bikes. We had a relatively nice ride enjoying the twisties all the way to Banos de Inca. Reality sunk in when we arrived in Banos. I was pulling my hair out pretty quickly. Every 100m there was a speed bump, the most aggressive kind. It is extremely disruptive to be driving down a road with speed bumps everywhere. It was starting to drive me crazy. We parked up in the plaza and phoned Alberto's dad. Surprisingly he was just around the corner having lunch so we joined him. The food was amazing, it was easily the best Lomo Saltado of the visit so far and Alberto really like his meal as well. I'll be dreaming about that Lomo for days to come. After lunch Alberto's dad showed us the way to a mechanic to take a look at Alberto's problematic bike. The mechanic cleaned up the spark plug and air filter on both bikes. We were able to buy one new spark plug and will most likely be changing one of the bikes in the near future. Not sure if that is going to be the difference but the bikes felt a lot smoother after the air filter clean. We have been somewhat careless on that front and should be more diligent going forward. Time to service our machines Apu & Chasqui https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/...440ea560_h.jpg That's one dirty air filter https://farm1.staticflickr.com/649/2...1b1691e3_h.jpg Not sure Alberto buys what the moto-mechanic sells https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5632/...a8d9bc2a_h.jpg Motos in Peru are working tools not really for leisure riding https://farm1.staticflickr.com/741/2...bbe22d97_h.jpg The bikes safely put away for the night https://farm1.staticflickr.com/725/2...634065b4_h.jpg The town of Cajamarca https://farm1.staticflickr.com/571/2...427a4b8a_h.jpg Iglesia in Cajamarca https://farm1.staticflickr.com/583/2...d0c47964_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 14 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psn631xmzb.png VIDEO: EPISODE 15 |
Day 15 (0km): My best tourist impression
It was decided that we would stay another day to get our affairs in ord0er and do some more visiting. Since yesterday evening things were hectic we took the opportunity this morning to walk to the plaza and soak up the atmosphere. I think that the old part of town is really pretty, and I enjoy looking at the different shops and what is on offer. We got lucky too since it was a nice sunny day, we were told it has been raining a lot recently. The temperature in Cajamarca is quite perfect, feels like a late spring day back home.
Mangoes for breakfast! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/661/2...a4f69a8e_h.jpg Morning walk around town https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5724/...57832251_h.jpg Pomegranate, prickly pears, andean berries and other unknown fruits = yum! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/771/2...eed6488b_h.jpg 'No parking zone' yeah right.... https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...dc0bda04_h.jpg La Catedral church https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...14d70d91_h.jpg Family time at the Plaza https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5703/...298cf8d1_h.jpg At least one is wearing a hard-hat https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5810/...c36002a5_h.jpg Street nap https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5713/...bee4cc67_h.jpg Walking around and around https://farm1.staticflickr.com/777/2...3af246e8_h.jpg Freshly peeled fruit anyone? https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5770/...e90d451d_h.jpg (blurry sorry!) Stylish! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/630/2...423fb99f_h.jpg We were able to re-up on our supplies, to our surprise, at a market a few blocks from Alberto's parents house. I was like a kid in a candy store, so many yummy smells and delicious looking fruits and veggies. I was getting a bit queasy in the meat section though so I had to bail. As it turns out we bought tons of snack items, which are tricky to find in the smaller towns, so we are set now for the rest of our time in Peru. Also, to my delight, we purchased a bag of bread. It is the most delicious bread we have bought in Peru so far, melt in your mouth delicious. Cajamarca is a nice town indeed https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5692/...d6ccf72b_h.jpg Cajamarca is a big town! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/668/2...7e837062_h.jpg Amazing! found dry fruit and a variety of nuts https://farm1.staticflickr.com/721/2...405fc649_h.jpg Fresh bread https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/...fac41621_h.jpg Fresh-ish pollos https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5812/...86ee8567_h.jpg :bert Sheep frozen heads https://farm1.staticflickr.com/759/2...3811aaf6_h.jpg Street fruit vendor https://farm1.staticflickr.com/640/2...1ecc2ccf_h.jpg Our shopping spree... never travel without TP https://farm1.staticflickr.com/701/2...c36c81e3_h.jpg In the afternoon we did some work on the bikes. It was discovered that my rear cargo rack had broken a bit, so we did some home welding. It might stay fixed it might not, the break is not a deal breaker so life goes on either way. What strikes me most about any decent sized town in Peru is no matter what, you can plop yourself down on any street corner and instantly have access to pretty much any amenity you might need: electronics, hardware store, corner stores, pharmacy, hotel. Try doing something similar in Canada and you would spend hours running all over town gathering supplies. A nice relaxing day was spent in Cajamarca seeing the sights, taking care of business and enjoying the company of family. Went out for a walk at night. A few night shots: https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5626/...f28be80f_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5764/...c1ca192e_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/...9be42815_h.jpg |
Awesome RR guys - I'm just in Ayacucho heading north - I hear you about drivers using oncoming lane on blind corners, the driving here is horrendous - and what's with people using full beams all the time? Anyway, I could rant about it all day but instead just take dirt roads when possible and for all the atrocious drivers Peru is still my fav country so far. How long do you guys have left? Maybe if we're passing we could meet up for a chat and a beer :)
Take care, RTW |
Hi ridetheworld, glad to see you are having a great time in Peru. It is our favourite international country for riding that is for sure.
The secret is out :oops2:, we are actually back at home (in Canada) already so we won't be seeing you out on the road but have a great time exploring those dirt roads! |
Day 16 (172km): Shitabamba, under construction
We said our goodbyes and hit the road as early as we could. The sun was out again so we were anticipating an enjoyable day of riding. Exiting Cajamarca was fairly straight forward. Having the GPS has been a huge improvement for negotiating large cities, as this has never been our forte. We stopped for gas in Banos del Inca and confirmed directions. Once again it was revenge of the speed bumps, something I just can't get accustomed to. I liked Cajamarca, as far as cities go, but the surrounding countryside after we went south from Banos del Inca was even better. Much more peaceful and still the same great view.
Mandatory good bye photo with Alberto's Parents https://farm1.staticflickr.com/715/2...9df80877_h.jpg Fertile lands of Cajamarca https://farm1.staticflickr.com/691/2...8c552319_h.jpg The road leading to San Marcos was pretty quiet. Lots of farmland and campestre restaurants. The temperature was very pleasant for riding and the road was pretty fun as well. Nothing to blow your socks off though, just a regular Peruvian Sierra road. We quietly buzzed along at our top cruising speed of about 80 kilometers per hour and pretty much had the whole thing to ourselves. There was a few small towns along the way, with intersections to make critical decisions at. Oh the pressure! Again the GPS gave us the helping hand we needed, though we still relied on our old habit of asking directions from anyone we passed. More than once we have been able to correct a mistake made by blindly following the GPS with a few conversations with locals. Stopped to take a photo of the views and these two cuties came up to say hola https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5800/...184caaca_h.jpg Hope the pair didn't stay on the highway too long... https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5686/...cccc9e79_h.jpg The scenery doesn't disappoint in this country! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/638/2...e92bfee6_h.jpg What followed from such a pleasant morning was a horror show. Continuing south on Highway 3N from San Marcos we were treated to a dust bath courtesy of excessive road construction. Some areas we had waits, others we got lucky, some sections had deep gravel but either way it was a 'Shitabamba' time :lol2. It was bumpy, it was dry and dusty, we just wanted it to be over. Even in the sections of the road not plagued by construction we could tell the road was older and not in the best condition. Even though this was a main route between Cajamarca and Huamachuco the road seemed forgotten. Views along the way https://farm1.staticflickr.com/648/2...647ea949_h.jpg A close up of the mountain in the photo above https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5822/...014a5a6a_h.jpg Eventually by Cajabamba the road construction appeared to be complete. Which was good because we were pretty fed up. We were navigating our way out of town when Alberto got a flat rear tire. There was barely enough room to pull over. We were already unimpressed by the area and wanting to get away as fast as possible and now we were rendered immobile by a nail. Alberto asked around to some passing moto guys if there was a tire repair place. It was just a few blocks away, but after assessing the lack of air in the rear tire we decided to do the job there at the side of the road. Insight of the day: If you don't have a center stand alway bring a friend. I held the bike off the rear wheel while Alberto patched the hole. Since we pulled the nail from the tire we knew where to look. Fixing the puncture was the easy part, getting the wheel back on was very tricky. I was trying to balance the bike and Alberto was trying to hold up the wheel. It wasn't working too well. Two boys had been watching us and at this point we enlisted their help. Me balancing the bike, toque boy lining up the brakes, Alberto positioning the wheel and the other boy stuffing in the axle bolt. It was a tricky job but we got it done. We gave the boys some stickers, a geography lesson, and thanked them for their help. Back at my bike a nice fresh puddle of oil had been pooling, courtesy of the rear shock. Oh well, you win some you lose some. I'm certainly not buying a new shock for Apu so we will just have to see how that one plays out. Ay caray! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...d7f21f2d_h.jpg A good old rusty nail being a pain in the... tyre https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5817/...1f5c28d7_h.jpg Half way there! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/616/2...242f2a92_h.jpg We were able to inflate the tire to 20 psi then decided to ride to the tire place to finish the job. It was a good thing we did because the tire was flat again by the time we got there. With the proper tools the second patch job went much faster. The nail had probably made two holes and we missed the second hole during the first fix. While the bike was being put back together I noticed a Tenere just outside on the road. I walked out to take a peek. A nicely kitted out couple, each with Teneres. The husband pulled over to say hi, but his wife was having some sort of issue so he couldn't stay to chat. We finally saw some other Adventure riders, we kept wondering if we would at some point. 2.5hrs after arriving we were finally leaving that place. At the tyre shop... https://farm1.staticflickr.com/753/2...80f2705e_h.jpg Must get muddy when it rains around here https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...b44b0922_h.jpg Past the old tyres and rubbish, the views were great (at the tyre shop) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/622/2...c15606a6_h.jpg While there was no road construction to deal with as we headed south there was still maniac drivers and maniac livestock. We each had a close call with some crazy drivers. We were longing to return to the piece and quiet of the less populated Sierra. When we passed the sign welcoming us to Shitabamba we truly felt that summed up our shitty day https://farm1.staticflickr.com/735/2...a209ad4c_h.jpg Apu and Naomi looking pretty https://farm1.staticflickr.com/595/2...da67d699_h.jpg Two hundred and seventy nine (but who's counting) speed bumps later Laguna Sausacocha came into view. So many speed bumps will make any mild mannered person cranky, and we were cranky. To top it off the road we needed to take to Bambamarca was closed from 7am to 6pm (with a 1 hr lunch break) so we were pretty much screwed. It gets dark shortly after 6pm so that wasn't going to work for us. We decided to cut our loses and find a place to camp as close as possible so that we could hit the road while it is open in the morning. We camped by the lake, by the pier. We were told that other gringos have camped there in the past, and while it is not our usual style it will do for tonight. Today has been the least enjoyable day of the trip thus far. Camping! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5673/...6569cfe0_h.jpg Tumbo fruit = yay! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/743/2...f4e08788_h.jpg Sausacocha views from the pier https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...4b7962f6_h.jpg Sausacocha Pier https://farm1.staticflickr.com/702/2...94ad303b_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation change Day 16 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2wnovvc1.png Video: Episode 16 |
Shitabamba - brilliant! Looking forward to next post :)
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Thanks ridetheworld, in all fairness Shitabamaba was a nice enough town :euro: the sign itself talks up a big game haha
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Day 17 (83km): Hotter, harder, slower
We hit the open road at dawn. We had set our alarm to make sure we were up and ready to go so we could get through the road construction while the road was open. As it turns out this may not have been necessary since, at that same early hour in the pitch dark, a garbage truck was making his rounds. We did not realise it was a garbage truck at first because all we could hear, far on the other side of town, was extremely loud music of the icecream truck variety. We knew this was a tourist town of sorts, but ice cream trucks at 5am seemed a bit of a stretch. When the truck eventually passed our section of town the music must have been blasting at 175 decibels.
Local woman at El Pallar https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/...62e160cc_h.jpg Leaving 'El Pallar' down in the valley https://farm1.staticflickr.com/753/2...18170945_h.jpg The road construction area was manageable. There was some traffic and some narrow sections but overall it was fine. After reaching the end of the construction zone we needed to stop to do a map and GPS check. There was a road on either side of the river, that according to our map and GPS seemed doable however we decided to play it safe and go with the thick red line on the map instead of the skinny red line. So we crossed the bridge and took a left. Family of 5. Love the boombox the lady carries https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5659/...59b85ca6_h.jpg One of several small river crossings on this route https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5796/...a0082c01_h.jpg The road followed the river, and it was getting hot. We had dropped 1500m since the chilly morning start and I was wearing too many layers. The road was narrow and did not really look in as good condition as the map lead us to believe. We have been on dotted red lines in better nick than this solid red line road. The scenery following the river was nice and we soon descended into desert territory again. I saw more different types of cactus today than any other day so far. We drove for 2 hours without seeing any vehicle traffic, just pedestrians and animals. No bridge? no problem https://farm1.staticflickr.com/676/2...a856bdda_h.jpg Following the Chusgón River https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/...6c67d4d1_h.jpg At points, some narrow passages https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5633/...f3dc2928_h.jpg The road was very challenging, the most challenging road so far, and by far. There was several river crossings, both small and big, very steep rocky roads, actually pretty much rocky all over and we both had a hard crash each. Each of our crashes resulted in a trapped leg under the bike, but thankfully so far everyone seems okay. It was an extremely hard day involving 100% focus at all times. Exhausting to say the least. To make things more difficult it was over 35 degrees. We were both boiling away in our riding suits. There was a couple of opportunities where we were able to refresh ourselves in cleanish water but for the most part it was a dry and dusty day. At one particular place we stopped for a break there was a tree of parrots high above serenading us the whole time, pretty exotic by my standards. Enjoying the great views https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...51ceafc5_h.jpg A dream ride https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5652/...863b1161_h.jpg Some beautiful Cactus https://farm1.staticflickr.com/678/2...68688bb8_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5826/...7479e6b5_h.jpg The route was very pretty as the road followed along the Chusgón river. The terrain was dry with lots of cacti populating the nearby slopes. When the road eventually turned inland things got steeper and rockier. It was all I could do to stay focused on the road and keep the bike upright. The heat was unbearable, and since we were riding in first gear there was little wind to try to cool us down. Awesome! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...872ce0cf_h.jpg Some very unique mountain features. Really beautiful https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5692/...b67713d4_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5770/...b32ccce1_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5704/...710d959a_h.jpg This section of the road was unbelievable https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5673/...2acc82d1_h.jpg We passed only a few vehicles all day and they were pickup trucks. Once again I think people are very surprised to see us. The dogs, cows and donkeys get spooked easily so they are probably not used to seeing bikes. One poor puppy saw us on the road and started running for his life down the road, unfortunately he chose to run in our direction of travel so he probably thought we were chasing him. He ran for his life for a few kilometers before finally getting off the road before a pickup that was coming the other way. I hope his owner found him again. The views were nice but there wasn't much opportunity to appreciate them as the road required full attention pretty much at all times. There was a few smoother sections where you could relax a bit but they were few and far between. The map is very misleading on the quality of this road. Who knew this route was going to be THIS good https://farm1.staticflickr.com/605/2...f34e3aff_h.jpg Much needed cooling off https://farm1.staticflickr.com/761/2...10367e4b_h.jpg Found an oasis to recharge our batteries https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5725/...73d82f21_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/691/2...95c8b8c3_h.jpg Some of the trees looked like mini-Boababs https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5789/...ffad0689_h.jpg Earlier in the day, what I thought was challenging riding, did not even compare to that last 2 hours of riding. By some miracle neither of us, especially me, went down. At around 1pm we came across a tiny stream. Since it was the only water we'd seen for 45min or so we stopped to recharge. And what started as a break soon turned into us quitting for the day as we were both exhausted. We made some food and relaxed in the shade. I was pretty much a zombie for the next few hours, the ride had taken everything out of me. In the evening while we were hiding in the tent from the bugs and trying to keep sort of cool we could hear an owl, and here we thought there was nothing living in this hot dry place. We eventually saw the two owls high on the ridge perched on some cacti watching us. Such amazing animals. Getting hotter by the minute! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/637/2...fe33fe64_h.jpg The multi-coloured terrain was very unique https://farm1.staticflickr.com/779/2...f51e6d61_h.jpg Spot Naomi & Apu https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5736/...16d34eca_h.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/...55ab2a90_h.jpg Trees growing out of rocks? what is this place https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5788/...12fb4055_h.jpg Camping on the side of the road. At least we had a drying creek as water supply. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5713/...902018f8_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 17 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psrtrgzojo.png VIDEO: EPISODE 17 |
Amazing route and photos! I couldn't even find this on the map.
Extreme heat is so hard to deal with on bikes, especially when off the pavement. In lowlands Bolivia I was spending more on water than gasoline! |
Quote:
The funny thing about that route was that our map indicated that it was the primary road and the secondary road that we ended up having to take was in WAAAY better condition. the mystery of maps. |
Day 18 (104km): The dead end
It was a relatively hot night but not as bad as the last time we camped next to the Marañón but once again our plan was to hit the road before the sun came into full force. We were expecting the road to climb up to Bambamarca so we only had to endure the heat for a little bit. There was very little traffic, only one truck passed at dusk last night, and then we saw three in the morning while packing up.
Dry river bed turned into a road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/750/2...2401739b_h.jpg The views from the saddle weren't too shabby https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...28c89889_h.jpg Fobulous ride https://farm1.staticflickr.com/572/2...9f544a54_h.jpg The road, I say road but it was barely a two tire track made by pick-up trucks, was still tricky as it was passing through a river bed. The view of the Marañón was spectacular. It really is a powerful river, and I enjoy taking the the time to appreciate it. About 500m down the road was a zip line transport across the river to Calemar. We saw this last night but still assumed there was a bridge further down the road since Garmin had the road crossing the river a little further down then heading for the hills. When we got to the zip line there was a bunch of pick-up trucks loading cargo and people from the zip line. What we discovered was the end of the road. All evidence suggested that we were screwed. Alberto did some asking around and yes this was the end of the road, yes that town we could see was Calemar and yes there was a path to Bambamarca and Condormarca etc. The problem was that according to the guy people walked to Bambamarca, they didn’t go by vehicle. We could see a canoe tied up on the shore in Calemar that we would be able to get the bikes in and to the other side but it didn't really sound like there was a road, and certainly no traffic was coming and going. Our map indicated a road but local knowledge suggested otherwise. We had already been turned away from reaching Bambamarca once before, finding out that the road in Bolivar was a dead end and you could only continue by horseback. We decided to cut our loses and head back the way we came, despite the tricky ride we knew we had ahead of us today. It was getting hot, we were disappointed as this was our second attempt to reach Pataz by mountain and now we had to ride the difficult road back to civilization. Not wasting any time we set to work retracing our steps from the previous day knowing that we would take a break once we reached the waterfall that we had starting referring to as the Oasis. From what we remembered, even though yesterday was a bit of a blur, the trickiest sections were at the end, so we were going to be getting through them first. Slow and steady was the plan, we didn't want any more accidents. The most difficult section from yesterday was a steep rocky section that was up right away. And sure enough it was just as steep and tricky today as it was yesterday. 100% focus, nice and steady, we made it up. There was a few hairy moments but everyone survived. I was sweating bullets now though due to the sun but also the intensity of the ride. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/782/2...c2417ebd_h.jpg The geology in this area was very unique. Some type of porous rock https://farm1.staticflickr.com/634/2...56954bad_h.jpg I guess it was nice to enjoy the view from a different angle, not so much so that I would have done the road again just for entertainment but it was the silver lining. We were both very thirsty since the little stream we camped next to was barely a trickle and my Geigerrig filter was not performing well. It was a lot of work to get a drink out of my pack. We were both dreaming about the Oasis and we rode further and further along the road. Our map showed a road to Calemar, then going up to Bambamarca and south to Pataz... NOT accurate! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/585/2...2e851e98_h.jpg There were more clouds today, and therefore more shade. This was definitely welcomed. When we reached the Oasis it was in shade. We parked the bikes off the road as best we could and stripped down. We didn't even talk to each other for like 10min as we were each focused on our own things: me on getting a drink of water, and Alberto cooling himself down. We took a nice long break enjoying the waterfall and the parrots. The parrots were small but pretty, with green and red colouring. Feeling refreshed we were ready to tackle the next 3 hrs or so of road. Agua por favor! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/684/2...39ddb361_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/716/2...349c2b40_h.jpg There was still lots of rocks, though not as steep. Slowly but surely we were making progress. Again we each had a crash, this time during the water crossings. Both were silly. Mine was while negotiating some large rocks in one of the drier crossings. I hit a rock, lost my balance, couldn't reach the ground and before I knew it I was lying on the ground. Alberto quickly rescued me and no legs got trapped. Alberto was negotiating one of the medium size water crossings when he hit a rock, got off balance and dumped his bike in the river. He was able to keep it running and I quickly was on the scene to help him pick up the bike. We got it out of the water and it was running fine; that was lucky. There was so many water crossings on this road it was like a water crossing training circuit. Pretty much every type you could imagine, big, small, shallow, deep, fast, slow; very diverse. Drying corn https://farm1.staticflickr.com/673/2...1f474817_h.jpg bikes were happy https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...edd06ec8_h.jpg Near the very end of the road there was a lady herding her donkeys but they were not very good with traffic. It was also a tricky rocky section. The donkeys kept walking and standing in front of Alberto and once you were committed you kind of had to keep your line in this terrain. The lady was throwing rocks at them trying to get them to move out of his way but instead the donkeys thought it was food and just chomped the rocks. Eventually the donkeys moved enough that we could get by. So bizarre. The road was easier than yesterday as we were able to do the harder sections first while we were fresh instead of at the end of the day when were we dehydrated and overheated. It was still a very difficult road though, and I don't think we will be back for a third go any time soon. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/622/2...ee65778a_h.jpg When we finally arrived back at the start of the road the construction people were just putting the chain up on the bridge to close the road. If we wanted to go back that way we probably would have made it, just in the nick of time. Instead we got some gas (very expensive at over 7$/G) because Alberto had hit reserve about an hour ago and had some lunch. On the menu for lunch was a bunch of water, fruit and avocado with bread. I also bought some pre-packaged dessert which turned out to be a bust. I took one bite of my mouldy brownie before I noticed it was covered in mold. I hope there are no repercussions from that mistake. Eyeing what lies ahead https://farm1.staticflickr.com/688/2...32ab00c6_h.jpg We were told it was a few hours to Aricapampa, and that the road was pretty rough. Considering that the easy sections of the road to Calemar were what I would typically call difficult on a regular day back in Canada we thought it couldn't get worse than the previous 125 kms of riding and decided to take our chances since the road back to the lake was now closed until 6pm anyway. The road was bumpy, but it was wide and it was in fair condition. It got a bit rougher as we climbed, looking like when it rains the water just flows down the road. The corners were in the worst condition with some deep ruts in sections, again most likely from when it rains. The bumping as well was a bit excessive but I was just happy to be rekindling my relationship with 3rd gear as I had spent most of the last day and a half in first gear. I pogo sticked along at a good pace (no rear shock). There was a lot more traffic on the road resulting in some interesting moments with large trucks. For the first time ever a courteous Peruvian pickup driver yielded to us. Holy smokes. The cute town of Chugay https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...3f707162_h.jpg The road led to the town of Chugay, which was strange as based on our map that was a town we were using to navigate our way to Calemar, we were not expecting to go through that town on this road. It was a cute little town with a particularly nice plaza. After Chugay the road was a lot smoother, though still with some speedway style corners due to washouts. The banking on some of the huge corners was so severe we figured that a moto taxi wouldn't make it around, and for the trucks they would need some serious ground clearance. Chugay https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...07705cb3_h.jpg 'Dolce & Gabbana' https://farm1.staticflickr.com/715/2...2dd03f61_h.jpg They like their Toros to work the land in Chugay https://farm1.staticflickr.com/590/2...d076ed5b_h.jpg Higher, colder, windier https://farm1.staticflickr.com/631/2...f4bf4f2f_h.jpg Vastly different from this morning https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5780/...32031f8e_h.jpg We had managed to climb in elevation so much that we noticed pampas grass at the side of the road. Peru is amazing like that, you can go from 35 degree dryness to altiplano in a matter of hours. For us the higher elevations and cooler temperatures are what we like. We've also found that the cooler the climate the friendlier the people. At the top of the pass the views were stunning, one of my top views of the entire trip so far. The starkness of the terrain and farm houses dotting the hills was a pleasure to witness. The population density had definitely decreased and it was getting later in the day so we started our search for a camping spot. To our surprise as we rounded a corner there was town, the town of San Juan. Just seconds before the hills seemed so remote and here we were rolling into a town (a small one). Simple life. I like it https://farm1.staticflickr.com/662/2...b3bfef56_h.jpg Small casitas in the middle of nowhere. Awesome https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5714/...a51a63c9_h.jpg Preparing supper outside https://farm1.staticflickr.com/628/2...6218f7e7_h.jpg Near San Juan the land got flatter and flatter https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5784/...c91eda8e_h.jpg I think we were a surprising site to the residents of San Juan. Two cute little kids were staring at us pretty good. We picked up some more expensive gas, better than being stranded at the side of the road, and considered our options for camping. Based on the terrain we could see our best chance of camping was within the next 15min of road, once we started climbing again it was going to be very difficult. There was lots of road accesses, somewhat of a free-for-all, leading off to the different houses so we followed one of the roads assuming that we'd find somewhere to camp. Fantastic camping spot! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/...bb196562_h.jpg Our hosting family's casa https://farm1.staticflickr.com/645/2...4f5e3b62_h.jpg Locals walk everywhere https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5695/...dd65fec0_h.jpg The terrain was good for camping, we just needed to talk to one of the houses to get approval. We approached a set of three houses that had a family outside. Alberto walked over to talk to the owners. Our method to secure camping is to explain who were are and what we are doing (a couple from Canada traveling around Peru) and that we only want a place to put the tent for one night. The owner said that would be no problem and they even offered us one of the empty houses to stay in. He almost insisted that we stay in a house but Alberto assured him we had a good tent and that we would be fine if it rained (there was a thunder shower on the horizon). He set us up with a good spot and offered to share some potatoes with us for dinner. He went back to his business and we set about putting up the tent. Once the tent was up he returned and explained how surprised he was that we put the tent up so fast. He admired the tent and motos telling us he thought they were both pretty sweet. He showed us his 250cc moto, which looked pretty sweet as well. He was very nice and spoke with a very particular accent. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/695/2...afcf0192_h.jpg The views from our campsite were great https://farm1.staticflickr.com/701/2...329f8c2f_h.jpg Local women and their cute children https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...39e9f865_h.jpg He went back to the house and what I assume was his usual routine. We went about our usual evening business. We watched them rounding up their animals, and rotating their horses and donkeys. They had everything: chickens, sheep, pigs, cows, donkeys, horses and we even heard some cuys from the tent. In the evening the lady of the house brought us a huge serving of freshly cooked potatoes and delicious soup. The people up here are so amazing and friendly, we are truly grateful. Supper thanks to our Campesino Family. Yummy potatoes and hot soup https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5656/...7476c5ba_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 18 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psaylojwsu.png VIDEO: EPISODE 18 PART I VIDEO: EPISODE 18 PART II |
Day 19 (91km): 30 years later
Whether it was the high elevation or revenge of the brownie, or both, I did not have a good night. I had a dodgy stomach when I woke up in the morning and I didn't really get a good night's sleep. We were slow moving this morning, lounging in the cooler temperatures I suppose. Our hosts provided us with a delicious breakfast and refused to let us leave without giving us a huge sack of potatoes. The lady of the house wanted to buy our camping stove but we told her we still needed it for a few more weeks.
Breakfast thanks to our wonderful hosts Potatoes, Andean corn, eggs, cheese, rice https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...ce515ede_h.jpg We were already on the shortcut, as pointed out to us yesterday while buying gas, so we decided to stay the course. Unfortunately the overnight rain moistened up the mud and it was a bit slick. We barely made it a few thousand meters down the road before my back wheel caught the edge of some mud and I went down. Thankfully due to the angle of my bike I was able to pick it up myself and we continued, a bit more cautiously. This shortcut wasn't exactly a clear path, there was roads haphazardly leading off in different directions. The lady told us this road was in the same condition as the main road but we were starting to doubt that very much. There were some tricky sections but we were making forward progress and we thought we could see the main road. Then there was the steep section. Alberto had just finished saying to me that the line he had picked wasn't slippery when he slid and fell. Seeing that I tried to stop but found myself sliding backwards while frantically applying the brakes full force. Somehow I was able to keep my balance and thankfully I was able to angle the bike such that it stopped sliding. Once Alberto sorted himself out he came to my rescue. It was hard for him to even walk, let alone try to keep me upright. We got my bike to a stable location then decided to take a rest. Alberto then drove both bikes up the steep section to where the road was more rocks and less mud. The road was still tricky but not steep. When we eventually reached the main road the jury was out on whether or not we did save the 30min on the shortcut. Just getting up that hill took 20min. The mudpit at the bottom and the hill we came up on. Doesn't look like much but boy... it was slick! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/613/2...6e1ed92c_h.jpg Almost at the top https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5729/...d81d1996_h.jpg Back on the main road https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...713a58e7_h.jpg The road was busy with large cargo trucks, buses and pickup trucks. We even managed to pass and get passed by a truck carrying a brand new excavator about half a dozen times (he was VERY slow but every time we stopped for photos he’d go past us). When we reached the top, about 3900m it was foggy. The road itself was in pretty dire condition, it looked as if it had a rough rainy season. There was large puddles, massive ruts, and it was extremely bumpy. Not only was my stomach not enjoying the motocross style bumps but it also proved fatal for my rear cargo rack. I thought it had just got loose again so I asked Alberto to stop so we could take a look. What we discovered was that 2/3 of the mounting points were toast. It was barely hanging on. We used a combination of heavy duty zap straps and my Giant Loop Pronghorn tie downs to secure the rack to the subframe. This would at least keep it from slapping around and doing further damage. We intended to get it welded in Aricapampa, about an hour away. Chain adjustment ongoing https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5710/...a08d24e2_h.jpg Just a bit muddy https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5774/...ef73a6bb_h.jpg So we continued on the horrendous road, albeit gingerly as I didn't want to break our temporary solution for my rack. We weren't more than 15min down the road when my chain came off again (this had been an ongoing problem during the morning in the bumping conditions). I happened to be in a big rut at the time and thankfully there was no traffic at that time because the road had been very busy. I paddled my way off the road and Alberto came back to sort me out. We are crossing our fingers we can keep this chain alive for a few more weeks. Road down to Aricapampa https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/...a75a0ae1_h.jpg Further down, the fog was gone https://farm1.staticflickr.com/661/2...6a1a294e_h.jpg Back to motocross training we bounced down the road. I was taking it extremely easy not wanting to upset my rack or chain or rear shock at this point. My stomach was very unsettled with all the jostling. I cringed every time I went through a hole. For once we were one of the slowest moving vehicles on the road, slowly plodding along in first gear switching from the right side of the road to the left side of the road to find the flattest parts. While riding down the road Alberto saw a group of three kids, two out of the three stopped dead in their tracks while the other one ran like the wind to hide but Alberto told me he could see him peeking from behind the house. The animal sighting of the day was tiger piggies at the side of the road. Finding the welder in Aricapampa was pretty easy. He had a sign and he was on the main road. He sorted us out for under $4. Next stop was some gas and refreshments. The gas lady was the nicest of the Tienda style gas we have bought so far. She was excited to see us and asked questions about our gear. Welding! just what we needed! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/604/2...b5873b9d_h.jpg Apu stripped naked https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5636/...cfc183e7_h.jpg Local campesina with a rebar as a cane https://farm1.staticflickr.com/569/2...275fe73d_h.jpg Father and son sorting us out with the welding. Scary how they don't use any safety gear to do the job https://farm1.staticflickr.com/664/2...3280f4af_h.jpg We had been told that the road was better after Aricapampa (it wouldn't take much) which was counterintuitive compared to our map. We were slowly descended down the mountain range and as we got lower everything was drying out. We said goodbye to roadside eucalyptus and hello to cacti and dust. In some ways the road was better, there was less mud, still the occasional motocross section but specifically on the descent to Chagual there was dust like I have never seen before. It was 2400m in elevation but hot and dusty. It was very unexpected. The other issue was that the road was busy and the cloud of dust left by the large trucks would take minutes to clear. It was a dusty mess, so much dust that we saw a dust rainbow. The views were nice before we started the dust descent and couldn’t see anything anymore. Also trucks were extremely courteous, always helping out to let us pass or yield to us when the road was only big enough for one-way traffic. The mountain across looked like a fun ride, was it the way to Pataz? https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5755/...3e358867_h.jpg Somewhere down there is the Marañon River, our good old friend https://farm1.staticflickr.com/629/2...ba5626ed_h.jpg Amazing Andes https://farm1.staticflickr.com/781/2...bc972927_h.jpg Once again the Marañón river came into view; we meet again powerful river. And the closer we got to the bottom the warmer it was. Nothing like a dust bath and some sweltering heat to really top off the day. At the bottom there is a bridge and after the bridge there is a nice blue sign showing the way to Pataz and Lake Pias. WOWZERS! the dusty road https://farm1.staticflickr.com/702/2...2c0733a1_h.jpg A bit duty indeed https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5690/...68706ac9_h.jpg Almost there! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/586/2...3e13e332_h.jpg Alberto is happy to be back. 30 years later https://farm1.staticflickr.com/708/2...a7e86544_h.jpg We briefly went into Chagual to see what was up. Alberto remembers flying into that town as a child. It was hot and there wasn't much going on except some green mangoes so we decided to head for Pataz. We would either find camping or make it to the town just before dark and hope for a hotel. Here we were, only a few hours away from the mythic Pataz. Pataz may not be on every adventure rider’s list but it is a place that Alberto remembered from his childhood. His memories included giant scorpions, scary tarantulas, orange supernaturally-sized centipedes, poisonous snakes, unsupervised pigs, ‘lost’ citadels of ancient civilizations in the jungle nearby and +48C temperatures. For the past two weeks I was being told of the scary animals I had to keep watch for when camping and taking bathroom breaks in this area. Alberto’s dad worked at the local gold mine in the early 80’s and his family (mom and siblings) spent the summer months with him in Pataz. Him and his brother would look for snakes, ‘play’ with angry rams, and slide down the mountain on locally hand-made wooden ‘Tonka’ trucks, among other unsupervised activities. What great adventures they had when they were 5 years old. All these memories were still in his mind but 30 years later he started to wonder, was all of it real? He knew he had to go back and find out. The area is not a tourist destination due to its remoteness and 'dead-end' access, but we were going to check it out. With the sun coming down, we still had a few kms to go to reach Pataz https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5642/...5a2299b1_h.jpg The day is coming to an end https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5678/...266082f8_h.jpg At the start of the road there was a sign welcoming us to the Rio Abiseo national park (home of El Gran Pajaten). The road wasted no time messing around, it gets straight to the business of gaining 1000m of elevation. Fine by us as we were hoping for a temperature change. The road was actually quite pretty. There was lots of greenery and even a delicate waterfall that could be seen from the road. There was more traffic than we are used to coming down but for the most part people were very respectful. It was night and day compared to a few days ago when we were traveling south from Cajamarca. The road did not appear to be made of the same material as the dust bowl on the other side of the river (thankfully). The rock was light in colour, mixed with sections of deep red clay. You could see that the road had endured its fair share of landslides so there was some rougher sections, but nothing too crazy. There was not much in the way of camping though, too steep on either side, but we did not give up hope. The road we came from earlier in the day (the dusty one) https://farm1.staticflickr.com/570/2...2910989a_h.jpg Waterfall seen from the road https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5623/...55f19eea_h.jpg My chain fell off again, but we were racing against the sun so we just stuffed it back on and hoped for the best. I was riding it gingerly for the rest of the ride, or at least trying to. One more crash in mud for me to finish up the day as well. I lost the back again. In hindsight it was probably too dark to be wearing tinted goggles. The road leveled off and the town of Pataz came into view. At this point we gave up on camping and focused our efforts on crossing our fingers for a decent hotel. Even though Alberto used to visit this town as as child he was really young and does not remember much of the specifics. We did know it was a mining town and this became evident when we passed an underground adit at the side of the road. Also while we were stopped for a photo a pair of moto miners passed us by (two people in full UG mining PPE on a moto). A beautiful sunset on the mountains https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5744/...d4925cb8_h.jpg Right before nightfall.... PATAZ! https://farm1.staticflickr.com/776/2...57a1666c_h.jpg Just as Alberto remembered it: a small town nested on a steep mountain side https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5626/...8b907fe3_h.jpg The town was a bit strange, having a locked gate at the entrance. We told the gate operator that we were looking for a hotel, so he lifted the gate and allowed us to enter the town but he was a bit reluctant. There was only the one road and it only lasted for 4 or 5 blocks. At the end of the road was the plaza, where we parked. Alberto recognized the area, though it was different from what he remembered. While I watched the bikes he went for a walk to find a hotel. I was immediately swarmed by children, mostly young girls, asking me questions. Once we established that I was from Canada and somehow knew how to speak some Spanish the conversation eventually shifted to Justin Beiber. When Alberto returned he was able to translate a word I did not know, the verb to be mugged. Many of the children kept asking me if where I came from people got mugged. The reality of people living in a different culture. The conversation jumped around and they were excited that we came all the way from Canada. While waiting in the plaza I saw groups of UG Miners in full PPE coming and going. Yes we were in a mining town, and no I didn't see any women miners. I probably would have knocked these people’s socks off if I told them I was a Mining Engineer, and this was probably the only place people wouldn’t be turning us away because we are Mining Engineers. There was one hotel a block from where we were but it had no secure parking. We had been told about another hotel "up top" but were unclear on how to get there. The whole town is built on a very steep incline so it creates an upper and lower town, and is best navigated on foot rather than by 2 or 4 wheels. We eventually established that it wasn't as far as we were originally told and that they had parking so we gave it a try. It was dark now and we were finished for the day. The hotel, la Rocas, was fine and we were able to park the bikes in the lobby overnight. Also since it was away from the Main Street (but still walking distance) it was quieter and felt more secure. We were satisfied. Thirty years later Alberto had returned to Pataz, and after two previously failed attempts to get here we had reached the town, albeit by the least creative route available. GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 19 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psyippwodu.png VIDEO: EPISODE 19 |
Hey Naomi!
Great installment - really miss Peru already! Ecuador is pretty and the cities and towns are gorgeous, people drive well here and the place is a lot cleaner, but the riding kinda sucks compared to Peru/Bolivia. All I've seen the past few days is mostly white clouds with small intervals of green forest here and there. Feels like a country where the biking is a means to arrive somewhere rather than the main event itself, as in Peru. But it's lovely to be here nonetheless but wow miss those long, lonely dirt tracks winding off into nowhere. Gotta go back to Peru someday soon! |
Hi Ross,
Glad to hear you made it to Ecuador, better late than never right? doh Yeah Peru will get you like that. Especially when one shares our style of riding, Peru caters to us! We are both enjoying following your trip on ADV now, we also have this RR on ADV btw, hopefully we can keep those Peru memories alive with the rest of our RR. safe travels :mchappy: |
Day 20 (89km): Straight up
Woke up to this view of Pataz
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/579/2...78435010_h.jpg Just a few tourist photos before leaving Pataz and we were on the road again. We asked about doing something with my chain in town but nobody could help us. My rear cargo rack was broken again so we zap-strapped it down and will keep an eye on it. The sun was shining and the views did not disappoint. We had more time to enjoy the view this time, so we were taking it easy. The temperature quickly rose to uncomfortable levels. Alberto sitting in the same plaza he used to play with his siblings 30 years back https://farm1.staticflickr.com/677/2...f4416853_h.jpg Any day in Pataz, stray dogs going up the stairs while donkeys go down https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...73cf4c5f_h.jpg Heading down to Chagual https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5722/...2c0f6b66_h.jpg Aloe Avenue https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5740/...ebf18db0_h.jpg Waterfall https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/...a7054ce5_h.jpg View from waterfall. A long way down https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5833/...648ae17e_h.jpg From the saddle https://farm1.staticflickr.com/623/2...fa6a484e_h.jpg Naomi and Apu https://farm1.staticflickr.com/754/2...9b5e36d8_h.jpg Near the bottom https://farm1.staticflickr.com/616/2...7c10a51c_h.jpg We picked up some mangos in Chagual then peeled out of the there. So hot, so dusty. It was very strange that there was a water crossing on either end of the town yet everywhere else along the road there was bridges. Seems as though they need a new mayor. The road was rocky, dusty and hot. Not exactly fun to ride, we were just trying to get it over with. And to our surprise the Marañón disappeared out of site very quickly. That will be the last we see of her. The road crossed a smaller cleaner river and then not wasting any time the road shot right up the side of the mountain. It was steep, it was rocky and it was treacherous. If riding a big bike only intermediate level and above need apply. There was traffic to keep an eye out for and most of them were flying. There was some heavy equipment out improving the road, but for us it just made it worse. Now there was big rocks still combined with 5-10 cm of loose dirt. Fun times. As always the view was nice but you couldn't spend too much time distracted from the road. The road continued to be dusty and bumpy and it was getting on my last nerve. I had had about enough more than an hour before the road was complete. My bike just bounces around like a mad man so on the motocross style road the cumulative effective is pain to me and the bouncing around makes it more difficult to control. Up up up once more https://farm1.staticflickr.com/753/2...76abfd90_h.jpg After the bridge below, a festival of switchbacks https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5820/...cf176b75_h.jpg At the top there was a narrow section and out of nowhere about 6 buses within 5 min of each other were coming down the road. There was some hairy encounters, one where I made the bus reverse to a wider section so I could get by. I was in no mood to play games. The road had a view of lake Piaz. By northern Peru standards I would say it was a large lake but it was nothing special to us coming from BC. We are blessed with a lot of freshwater lakes in Canada so seeing lakes on a ride is pretty much just par for the course for us. Laguna de Piaz, where Alberto used to go with his family on weekends. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5793/...8e618d31_h.jpg These buses come around the corner at full speed... no room for two in there! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...bc6f2051_h.jpg We were bumping down the road choking on dust when out of the blue we spotted a gas station, like a real nice gas station. It was the first one we'd seen since Cajamarca. We stopped to get gas and refresh ourselves. Nothing like a bottle of cold water to calm the effects of heat and dust exposure. We told the lady that this was the first gas station we'd seen since Cajamarca and she just laughed. Very friendly people who asked about where we were going etc... A 'proper' gas station in the middle of nowhere... what mining does eh? https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5625/...0d4a9382_h.jpg The road was a bit better after the gas station, but my excitement was short lived. So much bumping hurting my internal organs. It rained briefly, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to keep the dust down. My chain came off again, so we are planning to stop at the next moto mechanic we see to get that sorted. As our progress continued we entered a serious mining region. People with hard hats in pickup trucks, mining trucks on the road and mines at the side of the road. The change happened so fast, one minute we were driving through the usual towns on an average road and the next minute we were driving up through a mine site. It was pretty hectic with lots of traffic and intersections for at least 2 hours. It was madness and not too much fun to be honest. Peru: Mining Country. Peru is before anything and anyone. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5803/...924fbc73_h.jpg Once we reached over 3300m my bike was really struggling on the steep roads. It was chaos with all the traffic, everyone yielding to one another and at one point I had to stop and the bike stalled. I couldn't get it going up the hill. It just didn't have enough power on the steepness. Also my air filter it probably really dirty so that was probably not helping. It was a very vulnerable position to be in not being able to move. I drove down the hill a bit where it wasn't as steep and Alberto came to my rescue to give me a push. As we climbed the hill of numbered switchbacks (20 or so), following all the large trucks, for the first time in a long time the view was worth admiring. On the horizon was a very interesting mountain range. There was still mines as well but at least the backdrop was nice. My chain came off again. It was a bit harder to get back on this time. Only twice though today, that is an improvement. Near the summit https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5622/...90b720e9_h.jpg The views never disappoint up in the Andes https://farm1.staticflickr.com/639/2...b701efba_h.jpg We topped out at over 4200m. At the other side of the pass there was a moto guy stopped at the side of the road. He asked if we had a pump, so we helped him out. He was expecting us to pull out a hand pump so when we busted out the electric pump he at first thought we had misunderstood him :confused but then was wowed by our gadget. 13.6 HP of happiness! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5798/...fec9d2bd_h.jpg The sun was quickly going down https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5656/...474c914c_h.jpg Time to camp https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5808/...dd2cc611_h.jpg It was getting late so we were actively searching for a place to camp. Just down the road we were able to find some premium camping. It was getting dark soon though so it was a race against time to get dinner made. It's probably going to be a cold one tonight. Camping with a view https://farm1.staticflickr.com/674/2...4ac94133_h.jpg Andean grass https://farm1.staticflickr.com/585/2...a99d608a_h.jpg $650 view or more? https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5786/...695030b9_h.jpg Tired at the end of a tough day :kurt https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5775/...6d821a96_h.jpg Sunset of Tata Inti https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5695/...c07fc84a_h.jpg Preparing supper https://farm1.staticflickr.com/617/2...4a4f1818_h.jpg Looking South-West https://farm1.staticflickr.com/689/2...19f737b7_h.jpg https://farm1.staticflickr.com/778/2...7111aabf_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 20 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psnhvng9l1.png VIDEO: EPISODE 20 |
Just read your report.
Stunning photography and great read, thanks A place to put on the bucket list Wayne |
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Day 21 (94km): We are blessed
It was indeed a cold night, which was surprising since I don't think it got below zero, but still it was a difficult sleep. My teeth were chattering as I made breakfast.
Breakfast of champs :lift mix nuts, dry fruit, quinua, honey, hemp heart seeds... https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1716/...ab220a03_h.jpg Dusty gear https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1520/...abcce1c2_h.jpg I was wearing everything I brought for cold weather riding when we hit the road. I felt like a kid in a snowsuit, my movement was restricted all over. The road at first was extremely rocky but soon transitioned to just lots of potholes. There was rain up ahead, but it didn't last very long. It was moving over to the next valley when we rounded the corner down to Buldibuyo. We saw a couple of taxi cars on the route, but it was a pretty quiet Sunday. Amazing views, no big deal https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5767/...db140adb_h.jpg It was getting warmer as we descended down the valley first to Buldibuyo and then to Huaylillas. The road was still a pile of crap though. Lots of bumps and potholes, we must have looked like crazy people as we drove all over the place trying to pick the smoothest line. My body hates me on these roads, and I think all the bouncing around gives me motion sickness. By the time we reached Huaylillas I was able to remove three layers. It had risen 15 degrees. We bought some fruit and some water and then went on our way. The road ahead https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/...455696e8_h.jpg Things were looking good https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/...8d861557_h.jpg Naomi & Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1444/...542bade5_h.jpg The road was still pretty messy, this time with lots of rocks and still very bumpy. It was mostly farmland, which had a simple beauty. Soon enough though we were back at eucalyptus elevation making things more comfortable. When we spotted the town of Tayabamba is appeared to be a metropolis perched on the edge of a mountain. We made our way to the plaza and stopped for lunch. It started to rain but luckily there was a large pine tree where we were able to take cover under. We both just sat on the ground eating our food. Lots of people were staring. When we had finished lunch the rain had passed. Tayamamba https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5721/...2005dc4b_h.jpg Cute Main Square in Tayamamba https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1571/...55b2690e_h.jpg Old man sits outside his home to keep an eye on the town's activities https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1607/...76340136_h.jpg Locals stared at us for the entire hour we were there https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1627/...9f840aa2_h.jpg The road out of the plaza and ultimately out of town looked treacherous, and it was. It was extremely steep, it must have been a 25% grade! and not smooth pavement. It was muddy and had huge holes. It was a complete mess. As we were driving up it I felt like my bike was going to flip me over, the front was barely hanging on over the bumps. All we could do was stick it in first and cross our fingers. It was definitely a butt clenching moment, but we both made it to the top with a few more white hairs for our troubles. At the top was a gas station that advertised it was open 24hrs. It was not open. Alberto commented that the only thing open 24/7 was the sign. We went down the road a little further to another gas station but nobody was home. We yelled and honked but there was nada. So that was that, we left town without gas in the direction of Urpay. The valley we came from. Leaving Tayamamba down and behind https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1651/...7406439c_h.jpg Higher up there was no more trees https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1531/...9a61e3af_h.jpg Or so we thought. We got to a river crossing where some people were walking and asked if we were going the right way. We were not. We were so focused on driving through the muddy mess that we had missed our turn. Luckily we only had to backtrack a few minutes. What a treat it was. The road to Urpay was not only dry, it was pretty much smooth. Like a regular Peruvian dirt road. It was a miracle, and easily the nicest dirt road since we were driving to Bolivar. My internal organs were grateful. Coming down from a high pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1676/...43dc6b05_h.jpg The pass topped out at 4120m, complete with fog and a bit of rain. It was stunning though, I've really enjoyed the scenery of the last two passes. It was a cute little valley and soon enough we left the long pampas grass behind to enjoy lush green roadside flora. Up ahead was the prettiest town we have seen, Sarya. It had a cute plaza and everyone we passed seemed extremely friendly. We got so many very surprised looks and even crashed some sort of religious party that was happening on the side of the road. As we passed, the guy leading the ceremony blessed Alberto. The town of Urpay on the mountain side https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5819/...b123aeca_h.jpg Panoramic foto https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1627/...1901886c_h.jpg Fantastic views of the Urpay Valley https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1498/...a2a95aa9_h.jpg Welcome to Urpay https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1624/...fca58700_h.jpg We stopped to buy some bread in Urpay. When we asked the lady how to get to Huallabamba, she said that we had to go down and cross the Marañón. She asked if our bikes could cross the river, to which Alberto replied we shall see thinking it was a strange question. After Urpay the scenery was very different. Lots of nice farms, aloe plants and short grass. It wasn't as lush and we could see some dry mountains on the valley across from us. Alberto really loved the view, I think it is one of his favorites. Who doesn’t love aloe? Stunning https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5638/...afb26f2d_h.jpg Checking the GPS... this road was not in there https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1626/...a607f1af_h.jpg Apu looking great https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5813/...2d32b92b_h.jpg Aloe avenue with a fantastic backdrop https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1624/...8bcd0824_h.jpg Blessed, indeed https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1453/...3b661d8e_h.jpg The road got tricker and I'm glad it wasn't raining because there was large mud ruts in the road and I imagine they could get very slick with some rain. We could see the river below now and that it didn't look good for camping options. There was as strange encounter with a gate across the road. Not a gate that was easily opened. We were starting to get concerned that we were not going the I right way as it seemed strange to have a gate across the road like that. Luckily there was a truck coming up so we asked him and he confirmed that we were going the right way. That was reassuring despite the tricky road conditions. Shortly after my bike and I had a disagreement with a rut, resulting in me crashing and breaking my mirror. Everything else was fine from the crash. (ADV) Heaven on earth https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/...ec650c71_h.jpg We were able to find some camping just off the road. It was just in time as the rain we had managed to outrun earlier had finally caught up to us. The temperature was only going to increase as we got closer to the bottom so we settled for some mediocre camping practically at the side of the road. It doesn't seem like this is a busy road though. Camping... with a view! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5835/...795c5700_h.jpg Sunset in the Andes https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1694/...6dbf2f0d_h.jpg One of our favorite camping spots to date https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5768/...d2ce0694_h.jpg Gorgeous valley with our old friend: Marañón River https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1614/...7292a900_h.jpg Tent view https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5836/...a375b551_h.jpg Buenas noches https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5637/...7bbcc07c_h.jpg GPS Data: Elevation Change Day 21 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...pswmlsmtmg.png VIDEO: EPISODE 21 PART I VIDEO: EPISODE 21 PART II |
Day 22 (66km): From Darkest Peru
The road was extremely quiet overnight. We only heard one vehicle pass, a moto just after dusk. The only things around those parts where the cows and donkeys. The road to the bottom was in better condition than the heavily rutted and muddy section we did the previous evening. There was some rocky bits but it was pretty good. We were lucky it was a cloudy day, the clouds shielded us from the sun's heat.
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1635/...941a51c9_h.jpg Naomi and Apu on the road... but where? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1617/...14c9b9fa_h.jpg Tales behind the handlebars https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...00108477_h.jpg Near the bottom https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1652/...f2e646dc_h.jpg When we reached the bottom we were once again in Marañón terrain. And here I thought we’d seen the last of her way back in Chagual. There was cactus and everything looked extremely dry. The mud was a deep red colour though, so that was new for us. There was a town of sorts at the bottom so we took the opportunity to re-ask directions. The person we asked said pretty much the same thing as the truck driver last night. We needed to go to La Oroya and pay a man to get across the river. We assumed this was some sort of barge or canoe based on the way people were describing La Oroya. We continued down the road a little further where we saw the remains of a once proud bridge and still standing a foot bridge. I asked Alberto if this was where we passed but he said it must be further because the people weren't describing a bridge. We had to pay someone to get the bikes across. So we continued. Riding along the river https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1495/...870b5166_h.jpg Naomi's view https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1475/...34d987c4_h.jpg The road was clearly not a main route. It was rough in sections, very rough, but we could see some tracks. Only moto tracks though. It was challenging riding and as the road got sketchier and sketchier (a sure sign you've gone the wrong way) we approached a gate with a group of people standing around. We went through our usual routine asking how to get to the next biggest town and where we could find La Oroya to cross the river. They said it was back where we came from where the bridge was. Crap. At least it had only been 20min or so of detour. Back we went. Naomi and Apu made it look easy https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1662/...2c236f4e_h.jpg When we arrived at the once proud bridge there was a guy standing there. His name was Pablo. We asked if we could get the bikes across. He said it would be 20 soles (a bit over 6 USD) per bike and the way across was the cage sitting at the other side of the river. Interesting. He had no way of getting the cage to our side so he whistled for someone on the other side (there was a couple of houses on the other side). La Oroya was the bridge 'in construction' https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1703/...288729cb_h.jpg Alberto waiting and eating a yummy local fruit (can't remember the name of it) https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1536/...97f9ccdf_h.jpg The unknown fruit, any one out there knows its name? brown outside and super red inside https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1648/...24b12a84_h.jpg https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1568/...2a89db07_h.jpg He whistled and snaked the cable for 45min before a second guy showed up, Yonan. They talked briefly and then both walked out on the bridge that was missing a few sections at the other end (you couldn’t cross using the bridge). It looked super sketchy as it was bouncing around with them both on it. Yonan then got down on his knees and grabbed a rope that was hanging there. He proceeded to slide down it onto a sand bank in the river. It was madness. He then swam across to retrieve the cage...… it looked that he almost didn’t make it because of the strong current. While I just described this whole process in a matter of minutes, it took Yonan at least 30min to bring the cage back to our side. Pablo on the sketchy bridge (no handrails, missing planks). Yonan running up-current on the river sand bank https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1629/...dbcb4b52_h.jpg Yonan swimming for his life https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1459/...187de8b4_h.jpg Yonan bringing the cage back https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1568/...df8691ce_h.jpg With the cage on our side the three men (Alberto included) muscled my bike backwards onto the cage. They usually put bikes on forwards so they can drive off at the other side but the crash bars were too wide so it didn't fit that way. It took quite a bit of muscle power to get Apu on there. They then tied him up ready to be slung across. Alberto offered to go over with them to help unload the bike at the other side but they decided to just go the two of them. Whoosh, across the river went my bike. https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1490/...33532655_h.jpg Half way there https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1606/...c53a2f1b_h.jpg The cable was really sagging https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1599/...8b409f44_h.jpg Once at the other side we were helpless, all we could do was watch them struggle to get it off. One wrong move and Apu was going for a swim. It looked like they secured my bike using the rear cargo rack. We were both worried that wasn't going to hold if things went south. Just close your eyes until it is over. It took them a solid 30min back and forth muscling my bike off. It was a huge relief to see them park it at the top safely. YIKES! not much room to unload the bike! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1542/...9b77dd12_h.jpg Pablo and Yonan having a hard time fighting gravity https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1525/...65f7cd82_h.jpg While they were on the other side struggling with my bike we decided to take everything off Chasqui (something we should have done with Apu but hindsight is 20/20). This made loading the bike on the cage much easier. This time Alberto went over with them to help take the bike off. One Keeway and three grown men went swinging across to the other side in that tiny little rebar cage. Chasqui's turn! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1675/...9ec19092_h.jpg They barely fit in there! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1493/...66b9c665_h.jpg Our hardest river crossing ever... and we didn't even ride through it https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1657/...cad9f2c4_h.jpg Things were much easier this time. It only took them 5min or so to get Chasqui off and up the bank. All that was left was to collect and deliver me and all the stuff to the other side. Alberto stayed on the other side while the two guys came back for me. We packed everything up and slung over. It was actually a pretty fun ride. On the other side we thanked them both for all their hard work. We are the biggest bikes (heaviest) that they have taken over. I don't think you'd get something much bigger on the cage. We later found out that the bridge was destroyed last year due to engineering failure. Based on what was left of the bridge Alberto and I suspected engineering failure. "I felt my feet sliding back..." Alberto https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/...9f7664d9_h.jpg YAY! Both bikes on the other side! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/...82255cc0_h.jpg After all was said and done it was about a three hour river crossing. Still, even after all the craziness, it was far more efficient than going back to Huamachuco. It was pretty hot now, it was the middle of the day and I had not anticipated being in a hot climate for this much of the day. My layering choices this morning were proving to be poor choices. Time to get moving. The road on the other side was a dream, sure there was some rocky bits, but overall it was smooth sailing and we were the only ones there since there was no bridge anymore. At the side of the road was a bunch of cacti with parrots singing away. We've only seen parrots near the Marañón this trip, that must be their hangout. They were small but very pretty. Beautiful Parrots https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1590/...1115657a_h.jpg More "Boabab" look-alike trees https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1581/...234b699b_h.jpg Time to ride! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1525/...9f674d68_h.jpg We passed a couple of ladies and asked them for directions. It didn't work out though as they both just looked terrified and could not help us with our directions questions. And then just like that the Marañón vanished from sight and we were climbing. Switchback after switchback until the terrain changed. The road was rocky, but as Alberto says "very rideable". We even passed some traffic: a moto, a truck and a truck carrying Coca Cola products. Oh boy, we must be really going somewhere important. Supplying Coke products to the far corners of Peru is clearly a priority. There was kilometer markers counting down at the side of the road and we assumed they zeroed out at Quiches. We were hoping to get gas there since Alberto hit reserve yesterday. We were probably running on fumes by this point. We could see rain in the distance and a few drops appeared on our goggles as we entered Quiches. We headed straight for the plaza and asked about gas. There was some combis parked there, a good sign that there is not a rough road up ahead. Directions for the first gas location did not yield results. People did not hang out at the location they sold their gas it seemed. What ensued was a downpour and a wild goose chase looking for gas. Not a good combination. We eventually talked to a person who sold gas on the way out of town. He agreed to meet us up there. Before leaving the plaza a guy on a bicycle approached Alberto. He wanted to know where we were from and when Alberto told him Canada he not only knew where it was he knew our capital as well. The first person to know where Canada actually is so far this trip. The higher we went, the wetter it became https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1694/...f6ff9d88_h.jpg We followed the road out of town and the guy was waiting with fuel bottles to fill us up. As he was filling up Apu he commented that we were really empty and that it wouldn't be good to head over the pass this low on fuel. Yes we agree, that is why we were trying so hard to get gas in town even though nobody wanted to serve us. The rain was really coming down now, and it didn't seem like it was going to pass so we suited up in full rain gear. He said it was 2 hours or so to Sihuas so that is where we headed. It was raining and the road was a bit treacherous so both of us weren't using eye protection. We needed to see what was happening and the rain drops weren't clearing from our visors. The peak on our helmets was actually pretty good at blocking most of the rain. The road was rocky but compared to the motocross and potholes of the main roads we were riding a few days ago these rocky roads were much better. Less traffic and surprisingly we could get into a higher gear. The rain kind of makes the riding a slog though. Higher and higher we went. Last picture of the day. https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1586/...29459d16_h.jpg Alberto was not really keen to get the camera wet to take pictures and the scenery was either covered in cloud or fog. When we started to reach the top I was quite cold. My left boot felt wet and my hands were freezing. I was losing my patience with the rain. My chain came off a few times too, not helping the situation. We had to take a few breaks to warm up our hand using the exhaust on our bikes. We were hoping the rain was just on this side of the mountains but the further we got the more rain there appeared to be. By the sixth time my chain came off we decided to call it quits and camp for the night. It was still rainy but I was cold and the chain was the straw that broke the camel's back. We were able to find a decent place to pop the tent just off the road. It looked like we would even have a water source but upon closer inspection there was lots of algae growing in the standing water so we went without. What a day, we had started it off too hot in the dry desert only to finish the day freezing in the rain. That was a 28 degree temperature swing! Peru is sneaky like that. GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 22 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psm2murxan.png VIDEO: EPISODE 22 |
Day 23 (134km): Where art thou Alpamayo
Sunrays fight the fog and rain
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/...051c4501_h.jpg We woke to some intermittent rain but there was blue sky on the horizon and the sun was peaking through. The mountain scenery was much better today so we soaked it up a little bit while going through our morning routine. Things looked good this morning! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1531/...664b3dde_h.jpg Ahhhhhh camping... https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1626/...eff37379_h.jpg First things first: make some breakfast! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1563/...0c82a58a_h.jpg Beautiful views of the mountains https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1687/...29ae554f_h.jpg By the time we hit the road the fog had rolled in a bit, but at least it wasn't full out raining. The mountains were rockier than most, and it was an interesting change. This particular pass was a long one, and when we finally popped out the other side there was blue sky. We were delighted. The road was rocky, but solid rocky making the road surface like a paved road. Unfortunately this was hell for my sagging chain so we were making slower than usual progress. More time to enjoy the scenery I guess. Rolling again! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1689/...26f76cf1_h.jpg At the summit https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1540/...e13574d8_h.jpg Naomi and Apu on the left, see them? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1621/...98cfae75_h.jpg Cool views https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1701/...d8cab090_h.jpg Everything was very green. Find Naomi https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...74b1adac_h.jpg We made our way to Sihuas, following the road down the valley. My chain came off ten times en route to Sihuas, but we could get past that because judging by our map we were expecting a big town and we felt that today was the lucky day to get the chain fixed. The temperature rose as the road took us down the side of the mountains to the bottom of the valley. Small village hiding in the fog https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1597/...4f0c7fef_h.jpg Typical 'Peru' view in the Andes: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1476/...0a7252b4_h.jpg Apu's best angle https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1587/...9071f096_h.jpg There was a river at the bottom and it seemed like a relatively dry place. Not as green as higher up. We passed a donkey, not an unusual happening by any means but this particular donkey is worthy of a comment. He was standing in the middle of the road and we saw this donkey was lazy enough to not move his feet even a centimeter. As a combi passed all he did was move his head to the side so as to allow enough room for them to pass. Alberto commented that the combi was so close the driver could have slapped the donkey across the face but that donkey was as cool as a cucumber. I like this shot. Naomi & Apu are a tiny speck https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1623/...c83028f2_h.jpg It was pretty easy finding the moto place and the mechanic was happy to help. He immediately got to work on my chain. Meanwhile while Alberto was supervising the moto work I ran some errands in the big city. It was easy to walk around and I found the people of Sihuas very friendly. More than one person said hello to me as I walked by. In an hour of work we got two links taken out of each chain, my rear brake line bled, both spark plugs cleaned and both air filters cleaned. All for about $7. Not bad. I had purchased some food for lunch so when the bikes were finished we drove the three blocks to the plaza to have lunch. Following the river to reach Sihuas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1692/...a622030d_h.jpg Piece of chain that was cut and removed https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1541/...d8d0ab4d_h.jpg Moto mechanics working on Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1517/...11dcc9c9_h.jpg It was a nice quiet place and where we happened to park up we were across from a police station. There was a few officers outside and one offered Alberto a place to wash his hands. While he was getting his hands washed he was also offered the use of bathrooms and a shower. So friendly. We sat at a bench eating our avocado and bread. I must say the bread I bought, Pan Serrano, was the most delicious bread I have had in Peru (so Cajamarca you’ve been toppled in the rankings). It was truly amazing. While we were eating lunch one of the younger policeman came over to check out the bikes. He asked a bunch of questions and seemed to really like our Keeways. They surprise a lot of people with their engine capacity and cost. The police officer that offered up the facilities asked us why we didn't eat lunch at a restaurant. I told him that I liked being outside, eating simple fresh foods and that eating in the plaza gives us an opportunity to interact with people. Local Lady selling different kinds of potatoes (Peru has more than 3,000 types of potatoes) https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/...cbe04921_h.jpg As we were having lunch some school children around 10 years old passed by. A couple were brave enough to stop to talk to us, and then a crowd formed. They were very fascinated that I spoke English and came from Canada. I answered almost 100 questions ranging from what my name was to what I was doing in Sihuas. It was fun talking to them, and one of the girls gave me an apple and a peach. So thoughtful. Once again it was a very nice lunch in a plaza. Interacting with kind people, especially children is one of the great joys of international travel. It was so cute to hear the kids practice their english. School Children practicing their English https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1673/...669f73a9_h.jpg Showing them where we had been and came from https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1648/...0aa51d49_h.jpg We had such a great time talking with friendly little ones https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1515/...c4deb8f2_h.jpg We had been told it was about 3 hours to Pomabamba, which was the next big town en route. We were hoping to find a road that would cross the mountains from there. The road that left Sihuas, following a river, led us to a small town which did not have a name in Garmin and was very fun. It was narrow, for the most part only one single lane but the terrain was interesting as it transitioned from dry to wet. In Peru it’s all about the elevation. Cool road leaving Sihuas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1649/...e94670ff_h.jpg Crossing the river, heading towards Pomabamba https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1531/...8737371e_h.jpg Menacing clouds https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1588/...5ecb3aa9_h.jpg We hit a few small towns and then the road turned into the road of a thousand puddles. There was no such thing as road drainage so there was lots and lots of puddles or a river running straight down the road. Either way things were getting pretty wet. We could see rain in the distance but for the most part our road seemed to be just barely avoiding it. When going through one of the small towns Alberto found himself in an old fashioned kung-fu fight with a pack of dogs. The kind of fight where you are surrounded and miraculously everyone waits their turn to challenge you in the centre, but it is a never ending line of opponents. There was two on his left and three on his right. When he swerved to get rid of the ones on the right, the ones on the left attacked. This hilarious encounter continued until we reached the edge of the town and the dogs gave up. Heading up to a new high pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1718/...0e84b085_h.jpg Pano view https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1462/...76fe36cf_h.jpg The summit of the pass was pretty and we got our first glimpse of snow. We considered camping but didn't find any good spots so we kept moving. Coming down there was more puddles and a bit of rain. Alberto toughed it out and it was the right call as we quickly drove through the rain without getting wet. It was just passing through and we were just catching the end of it. Right at the pass! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1533/...1c3e6318_h.jpg When Pomabamba came into view it looked like a sizable town. We went to the plaza hoping to find some information about roads crossing the mountains, specifically our map showed a road to Alpamayo. Alberto asked some people who were relaxing in the plaza and soon had a decent size crowd around him. Unfortunately nobody we talked to knew of any such roads so we decided to keep going and cross at Llanganuco. We were pretty disappointed as this was an area we had been looking forward to doing some riding but it was late and we were probably not going to make it to the next town before dark so we didn’t dwell. The area was populated so remote camping also wasn't an option given our sudden route change. The town of Pomabamba https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1701/...7a627a4a_h.jpg Local moto-rider giving Alberto some directions. Everyone else was just curious https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1474/...c8c9d8ac_h.jpg We didn’t want to stay in a hotel in Pomabamba though so we took our chances and continued along the main road. We eventually found a place to camp just off the road next to a river, pretty decent all things considered. But when I say just off the road, I mean literally metres from the road, in plain sight. Alberto was able to okay it with the people who lived across the road. He said that their Spanish was rudimentary as they spoke Quechua but they were able to communicate to each other. We set up the tent with an audience looking on. It was dark before I finished making dinner so it was lucky that we found this place to camp. GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 23 http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psrtrgzojo.png VIDEO: EPISODE 23 |
Day 24 (102km): We are in the green
Despite the roadside location our camping spot turned out well. We had lots of visitors in the morning curious about our bikes and the tent. We were camping along a main walking path so there was lots of people coming and going. One guy gave us some fresh sugar cane; very yummy. We had an audience of about half a dozen people when we packed up the tent. I hope they were impressed.
Waking up to a sunny day! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1685/...5c2999b9_h.jpg Beautiful country side https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1499/...2779d014_h.jpg Naomi ready to roll... and already getting hot! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1537/...164d32aa_h.jpg The road continued to be muddy with puddles, no doubt helped by the overnight rain. It just is what it is I guess. It was a nice day though with blue sky and some scattered clouds. We got a few glimpses of the white peaks of Huascaran National Park coming and going from Piscobamba but for the most part they were either covered or partially covered by clouds. I bet the views are stunning on a perfectly clear day. Blue skies... awesome! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1643/...1c0396cb_h.jpg Sugar Cane that our friendly campesinos gave us for breakfast https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1670/...515db58a_h.jpg Mud drying off https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1455/...5b9c31bb_h.jpg Yup... we're lost! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1444/...c80e5c80_h.jpg In Piscobamba we bought some fresh food and unsuccessfully tried to buy bread. An unusually difficult task. We confirmed directions to Yanama and then hit the road. We had not go far when we encountered two huge trucks parked up in road. It appeared that the road was too rutted and uneven for them to pass safely so there was a bunch of guys leveling out the road with large rocks. Thankfully the trucks moved so we could at least squeeze by while they waited to pass. The road was really only big enough for one way traffic. We watched one truck negotiate the uneven section and the body of the truck was rocking pretty good. I would not want to be driving that thing, it looked so unstable. Further down the road we also encountered some buses driving like mad men. How do they do it? Piscobamba's main plaza had a huge tree in the middle https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/...f6ab6ce7_h.jpg Little tienda where we bought supplies https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1461/...f59c3bcb_h.jpg The temperature was getting hotter and hotter as we drove down to the bottom. Waiting for us was a bridge and then on the other side of the valley things were different. It was drier and hotter, most likely due to the angle of the sun. Still we were very surprised at how hot it was given we were above 2500m. I was certainly dressed inappropriately with my cold weather base layers. I thought we were going to be negotiating mountain passes with snow haha. It was dry and dusty and we ended up doing a slight detour after taking a wrong turn, typical. We were getting closer and closer to the park at least. Heading up again https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1540/...9c9b21d1_h.jpg When we stopped to take a photo of some snowy peaks Alberto got an earful from a passing lady. He hadn't noticed (earplugs) until he turned around and found her standing there yelling at him. It seems as though our motorbikes had scared her and she was suspicious of him taking photos. Alberto tried to explain that we were tourists and that we were just enjoying the scenery but that didn't seem to work because she called over a man to help intimidate us. Ha! That is not going to work. For starters the man was a small campesino, hardly intimidating. And second, he was dealing with Alberto. When the man started speaking aggressively Alberto dished it right back at him, we were done taking our photos anyway so we left those crazy people be. People are usually left speechless when Alberto can sling the insults and intimidation right back in Peruvian slang. It was the first negative encounter we’ve had with local people yet. This incident didn’t change our positive impression from previous experiences with the locals. You are bound to meet a loco or two when you are travelling I guess. Photo Alberto was capturing when the angry lady was raging. Worth the trouble? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1720/...b714bd41_h.jpg Angry lady calling for backup https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1460/...d34c5223_h.jpg A very unimpressed campesino https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1664/...8cf5836b_h.jpg Cordillera Blanca a la vista! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1554/...0a8a3e31_h.jpg We were able to pick up some fresh bread in Lluaca and once again confirmed directions. Each time we asked how to get to Yanama we were told it was about an hour. Meanwhile we have been driving for an hour and not gaining any ground on this town. It's a pretty typical situation though so you learn to just go with the flow. We eventually reached the sign to Yanama and turned off onto the road. Glad to see a touristy sign promoting the area and helping us go the right way. Incredible geology https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1591/...982773c3_h.jpg While the scenery was very nice the road was not. The road was pretty crappy actually, something we expect in remote areas where the road gets little use but this was a tourist destination so in a way the condition was a bit disgraceful. We were discussing when to stop for lunch, and we were trying to push on to the plaza of Yanama, when Chasqui got a flat front tire. So that settled that. Going higher and higher https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1506/...0a1f332a_h.jpg Alberto repairing a flat with his trade mark: no need to remove the tyre https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1496/...4b580317_h.jpg After having a delicious lunch we got to work on the tire. Upon further inspection there was two punctures caused by thorns. We patched them up and hit the road again, but that ate up a bunch of time and Llanganuco was looking further and further away. We picked up the pace a bit, though the road wasn't really helping. The weather was also deteriorating, so we were a bit concerned about that. On the approach to Yanama there is a stunning glacier capped mountain, or at least I assume it is stunning in full view as most of it was covered by fog and rain. We could just see some glacier poking out of the bottom. Getting closer and closer to the snowy peaks! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1465/...1f9879d6_h.jpg https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1710/...1d8c47be_h.jpg Views from the town of Yanama https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/...6107348e_h.jpg Interesting new chapel in Yanama https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...907383cd_h.jpg We filled up at the gas station. The lady attendant was very friendly and happy to hear we were heading to Llanganuco. She told us that earlier when it was sunny you could see four nevados. Just our luck. We appreciated what we could see and continued on, just narrowly missing the full brunt of the rain. There was less houses around and the mountains were more impressive, it felt like we were heading towards the park. Fantastic panoramas all around https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1458/...1c4bc608_h.jpg Leaving Yanama https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/...405fe48c_h.jpg Can't complaint about the views https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1636/...26b96a0f_h.jpg Why we love the mountains https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1658/...eea44060_h.jpg Alberto could see the boundary on Garmin and only a few kilometers after that you could see the difference. It felt very similar to the last time we visited Llanganuco from the other side. Similar road, similar trees, similar terrain. The entrance was nice but the pass looked very foggy and rainy, not what we were hoping for. When we passed by some premium camping we decided to stop. Mountain peaks seen from our campsite https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1633/...74b5bc66_h.jpg Our campsite was ROCK SOLID! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1451/...311cc0f3_h.jpg Some views from our tent https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1499/...9df37b88_h.jpg We remained rain free until sunset and our view of the mountains even cleared up. We were very happy with our camping spot, there was fresh water and some stunning scenery. We didn't make it to where we had planned but where we ended up was pretty sweet. One happy camper! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1574/...a90b3ca7_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 24 http://i0.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C601 VIDEO: EPISODE 24 |
Day 25 (31km): Timing is everything
It was a pretty lazy morning. When we first peaked out of the tent there was patches of blue sky ahead but when we started packing up it was all cloud. Since we wanted to see the scenery we were in no hurry while the sky was cloudy. The clouds looked more like fog so we were hopeful they would burn off.
Foggy conditions https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1678/...55b9af93_h.jpg Bump bump bump, I have no rear shock. Bounce bounce bounce, this road is rocky. Our first glimpse of scenery was partially covered so we just waited at the side of the road for a bit to see if things improved. While waiting Alberto dug into his sugar cane from yesterday. The fog lifted a little bit but not completely. Sugar cane candy https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1442/...a58c7b7a_h.jpg A steady ascent https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1672/...e375a6a4_h.jpg Spot Naomi & Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1681/...a0e73321_h.jpg Hoping the clouds would say hasta la vista! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1558/...34771039_h.jpg Stellar views! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1476/...6adc7052_h.jpg We were surprised by how busy the road was. Mostly combi traffic, some of it labelled turístico. Despite the lack of rain I was freezing. This was a cold and windy pass without the sunshine for heat. More of the mountain scenery was covered by cloud. We caught glimpses of what are surely spectacular mountains but no clear shots. We waited it out again a few switchbacks short of the pass but we were not rewarded with unrestricted views. Hi mom! :clap: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1522/...44b6e777_h.jpg Heading up to the pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1713/...57a9473e_h.jpg Nice vistas before the summit https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1630/...a383370e_h.jpg Top of Portachuelo Pass! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1706/...4ae0d1b9_h.jpg https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/...b5c5e04e_h.jpg Abra Portachuelo is the highest pass of the trip so far, by a fair margin. The views on the other side had some blue sky so we decided to camp out and have lunch to see what materialized. We could see the camping area below so we knew no matter what we were no more than an hour from our destination. I cooked up some tea to warm up and Alberto went to work photographing the crap out of the place. Riding over the pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1528/...879e95b0_h.jpg Panoramic viewpoint https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1540/...60261ad1_h.jpg https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1646/...22897f89_h.jpg We could see some premium camping opportunities down below https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1694/...cb5de9eb_h.jpg Switchback city https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1513/...cfed75c1_h.jpg Eager to have a hot cup of tea https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1459/...10f9eb83_h.jpg When the wind died down and the sun came out it was quite nice. We just sat there enjoying our lunch with the mountain views ahead of us. Things never fully cleared but we felt pretty good about what we were able to see. It was ten times better than our last visit to the area. iPhone Pano photo https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1507/...391fc1ba_h.jpg Not too shabby spot https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/...2ef9de6d_h.jpg Beautiful road setting https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1652/...a8724175_h.jpg Time to get moving https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1693/...d4c9bca6_h.jpg Sun is shining https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1719/...c0417551_h.jpg Literally 10 seconds after we decided to leave the pass it's started to rain and hail. The views were being consumed by the fog and cloud so there wasn't much point in hanging about. We dashed down to the camping spot, being rained on as we went. When we reached the camping area the rain had passed and the sun was out, just as Alberto predicted. Rain and hail https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1688/...5b0df0b1_h.jpg Find Naomi! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1477/...bce515e2_h.jpg Views from the saddle https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1635/...91894fbe_h.jpg Our camping spot was awesome! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1585/...bdb51aa2_h.jpg My hands were soaked and frozen since I opted not to stick on waterproof gloves, oh well. We were able to set up camp in the sunshine at least. The rain came and went throughout the evening but we were able to appreciate the stunning camping location while the sun was out. Fantastic campsite https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/...e3f17070_h.jpg Tent view https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1640/...1b7bbf93_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 25 http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C600 VIDEO: EPISODE 25 |
Day 26 (91km): The Peruvian gong show
First light in the valley
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1636/...887c01fc_h.jpg Everything was wet from overnight rain, but when we got out to take a pee we noticed blue sky to the North. We made the call and decided to suit up and dash up the pass to see if the mountains were clear. It was very chilly, so chilly that 3/4 of the way up the pass the puddles had ice on them. Ride up to the top https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1461/...9518dc71_h.jpg The peaks at the pass were behind fog and clouds https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1453/...65d39b3c_h.jpg Some of the mountains were free of clouds https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1532/...a34af129_h.jpg Naomi heading up with Huascarán Peaks behind https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...565a7cd6_h.jpg The clouds were rolling in and the fog was flowing through the pass so we stopped short from where we stopped yesterday to enjoy the unrestricted views. Oh boy, what a treat. It was worth the numb fingers and toes. I will let the pictures tell the story of how beautiful the morning scenery was. A beautiful -but chilly- morning https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1590/...1a8416e1_h.jpg Pano photo at the viewpoint with the iPhone https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1715/...43ca512b_h.jpg Hola amigos! :wave:wave one of us for posterity https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1627/...2a88dd55_h.jpg Some more peaks were showing themselves https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1564/...578bb320_h.jpg :freezing: Naomi was freezing! :freezing: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1609/...2a90c093_h.jpg Tallest mountain in Peru: Huascarán https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1605/...f1df4bf4_h.jpg Naomi posing with Huascarán as a backdrop https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...53d058b7_h.jpg Peaks of Huandoy and Pisco https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1652/...39fae0f1_h.jpg Naomi and Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1564/...3a300f08_h.jpg Time to head down and get warm https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1548/...499d62d5_h.jpg Alberto's photo-shoot was cut a little short when the last of his batteries died (sorry only iPhone pictures for the rest of the day). We were planning on heading to Huaraz anyway to juice up so this was pretty good timing. Back at the bottom where we left our tent I was trying to regain feeling in my toes. The sun was still shining at the bottom but from what we could see the best views were first thing in the morning. This was a valuable lesson. Naomi trying to warm up after the photo shooting https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1599/...9b87419b_h.jpg The road after the first lake is a dream. It is smooth and it is wide, it is like night and day compared with the rest of the road. On our exit though we could see that today was the day to come visit Llanganuco. It was a complete zoo, cars and people were everywhere. It was like a slap in the face for us, and a stark reminder of what populated Peru is like. The road was very nice though, a lot better than we remembered, but there was a steady stream of traffic entering the park and some of the drivers were a bit unsavory. More than one person asked to take a photo of our bikes, and one of the guys wanted to buy Apu on the spot. It’s the power of the Keeway. Road along the Llanganuco Lakes https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1627/...8c559fdd_h.jpg Beautiful turquoise waters https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1569/...7adb377b_h.jpg Glacier waters https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1533/...d467630c_h.jpg We kept the photos to a minimum due to the hordes of people and lack of battery for the Nikon. When we reached the gate there was some funny business going on. Last night some park people came around the campground checking people’s park passes. Since we entered from Yanama there was no control post so we had no tickets. We remembered where the gate was so we told the guys we would pay when we left in the morning. So when we got to the gate it was complete chaos. Vehicles and people everywhere, the gate opening and closing. It was more narrow on the side of the gate where we were (because it wasn’t the side for parking it was the side for leaving) so we discussed parking just after the gate with one of the people operating the gate. She was having none of it. When we tried to execute this plan there was some very stern hand gestures from two of the park staff operating the gate. At first we thought they wanted us to wait because they were letting traffic pass, this seemed reasonable. Impressive rock walls https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...53d54176_h.jpg Near the entrance gate it was a zoo of vehicles https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1588/...50aad97b_h.jpg Then things got weird when they closed the gate on our face and very harshly told us to stop. We were pretty much at the gate at this point and in our opinion in the way of traffic. They insisted that we park off to the side on that side of the gate, to which Alberto told them I’m just going to park on that flat spot, literally 4m away, on the other side of the gate. They refused the request and things escalated quickly. Where they wanted us to park was on a slant, the bikes weren’t going to stay upright. Also the entrance to the spot they were gesturing towards had a berm blocking our access. It was certainly less than ideal. We were also on a slope, sloping downwards, and the gate was right in our face. We couldn’t move any more forward and we certainly had no reverse. Things ended with Alberto shouting that he can’t park his bike on a hill and one way or another he was going to park on the flat spot. There was also a few swear words thrown around. What these people were asking us to do was ridiculous. Uhhh, reverse you say? Eventually one of the tourists intervened and convinced the gate-man to let us through, so they finally opened the gate for us. By this time Alberto had got off his bike so he walked it through the gate to the better parking spot. We were hardly going to make a getaway without the bikes running so we didn’t know what all the fuss was about. People gotta power trip. We soon discovered that all the staff had been alerted to keep an eye out for two motorbikes (from the guys last night) and multiple staff were hounding us the entire time we were at the gate area. We were hardly trying to pull a scam, there was not a ticket office on the road we entered the park by, out of our control… It really gets the blood boiling when people incorrectly assume you to be sneaky, a common occurrence in Peru, especially when you are used to living in Canada. It just makes the contrast between cultures that much more severe. So when we got parked, I stayed with the bikes and Alberto went to pay. While he was talking to the very professional park pass issuer there was an annoying lady that kept butting in saying “these are the two bikes that were camped last night, they have to pay, they have to pay”. That was pretty clear, since Alberto was currently in the line to pay, that he was going to pay. The guy selling the tickets was chill, but everyone else was acting like they just caught Butch Cassidy. As it turns out if you camp you are no longer in the 1 day pass territory for the park so we had to buy a 21 day pass at a pretty hefty price. If we weren’t planning on making further visits to the National Park it would be a ridiculous price to pay for camping, especially considering the state of the toilets. What a fiasco, we couldn’t peel out of there fast enough. While I was waiting with the bikes I continued to watch the mayhem. Cars, buses and taxis everywhere. I even witnessed a small vehicle fender bender, it was actually pretty hilarious. It was like sitting in a BC Ferry parking lot on a long weekend but with less organization. I was happy to see Alberto return and say goodbye to the craziness. Definitely not our scene. Narrow passage down to Yungay https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1516/...ca1a0e23_h.jpg The road back to Yungay was extremely busy. The busiest dirt road we’ve been on in Peru. Not really our cup of tea. It was dusty, people were driving in our lane, oh god please get us out of here! There was one strange section with a short but somewhat steep hill. As we approached there was a long line-up of vehicles so we thought there was an issue with the road. From what we could tell the only issue was with the driver of the white SUV at the front of the lineup who seemed scared to drive up the hill. We smoothly negotiated the hill then zig zagged our way through the line-up of traffic. Keeway power! Thankfully that went smoothly because we were in no mood for another Peruvian gong show. We saw a fellow biker on a BMW heading up to Llanganuco, I hope he has a nice time. Yikes, all of Peru is up there right now. The road to Llanganuco is very nice, it is ten times better than our last visit. It is so easy to get to Llanganuco now, the problem is that it is so easy to get to Llanganuco now. Last time we didn’t see anybody else, but we also didn’t see any mountains either haha. I don’t think I’ll be planning another visit during tourist time. The road to Huaraz is also ten times better than three years ago. We voted it our least favourite road in all the americas last visit, and now it is just another paved highway. This was welcomed as we wanted to get to Huaraz sooner rather than later to take care of a bunch of things. We were clearly in the counterflow direction as all the traffic we saw was heading north. We are not exactly speed demons on the road but we were passing vehicles and nobody passed us. We saw another BMW, two-up. That brings our count of ADV riders seen on this trip up to three. Back on tarmac and busy roads... booh hiss! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1650/...84a29f0d_h.jpg Our plan was simple, we were going to go back to the hotel we stayed at last time. Just like in Chachapoyas we didn't want to mess around finding a hotel with parking. Surprisingly we were able to navigate our way to the hotel first try. Unfortunately the price had doubled since our last stay. Crap. We drove around looking for another hotel. We tried about 8 hotels all of which were full and their prices were significantly higher than our first hotel. Double crap, apparently double was a good price. We didn't realize it when we were planning our night in Huaraz but it was Semana Santa so the place was a zoo and flooded with tourists. We went back to Las Tejas with our tail between our legs and thankfully they still had the one overpriced room left. At this point we didn't want to spend the next 2 hours looking for a hotel, and the location and internet speed were worth the price in the end. Milk-woman selling fresh milk from a bucket https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1714/...18149267_h.jpg Once we were cleaned up I had my mind set on a Lomo Saltado. We went to a place called El Rinconcito Minera. Highly recommended, the food and atmosphere was excellent and it was very close to the Plaza. With full stomachs were returned to the tranquility of our hotel. It was safe in there. Lomo Saltado time! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1498/...16bb138c_h.jpg Thumbs up for this restaurant https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1557/...f6782edd_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 26 http://i1.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C600 VIDEO: EPISODE 26 |
Day 27 (115km): Times they are changing
One of our quickest hotel starts yet. It's crunch time now; all business. There was mostly blue sky on the horizon, just a few clouds here and there.
Fresh produce from smiley campesina https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1580/...3fdaf6c7_h.jpg Back we went on the smooth highway to Carhuaz. We passed by some sort of Holy Week celebration cruising down the highway. The Peruvian concept of highway is much different than ours in Canada. Walking or herding livestock is a perfectly acceptable practice on the highway. Huascarán was showing off today https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1452/...55c82513_h.jpg To our surprise the road was paved leading to Chacas. We enjoyed the mountain views and twisties. When we reached the first town the pavement suddenly ended, so that was that we thought. The second steepest climb out of a town (Tayabamba still holds the lead) and then the pavement started again. I guess the mayor of that town dropped the ball. Lots of large rocks deposited at the side of the road, some uniquely turned into dwellings. There was a pig standing on one of the rocks so we called him the king of the rock. Still climbing https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1695/...81cd7409_h.jpg Apu & Naomi https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1675/...3fd00c0c_h.jpg During a break to put on more layers Alberto did some chain maintenance, only one more week chain: you can do it! Unfortunately as we drove deeper into the mountain range the clouds thickened. The mountains make their own clouds so getting the views is a bit tricky. As we continued on the paved road we started to draw our own conclusions. Back in 1998 Alberto drove this road with his friends in a SUV. Back in those days it was a narrow dirt road that winded over the mountains. At this point we suspected the road was paved the whole way so recreating the 1998 experience seemed off the table. The second conclusion we drew was that the weather was crap and it was unlikely we were going to see anything. We shall see I guess. About to enter the park https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1486/...0eef96a2_h.jpg Glacial waters https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1496/...fdfdb548_h.jpg The entrance gate was a lot less crowded than Llanganuco (thank goodness) and we were able to use our tickets. The man operating the gate wanted to buy our motorcycles. We asked him if there was a camping area in the park. He said we could camp but then said that we should be careful about thieves. A bit of a strange welcome to the park. The flat section of the valley was very pretty. There was a pristine river running through and cows grazing the land. The sun was still shining at this point but the peaks we came to see were covered. We're inside the Park! yay! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1719/...3bb3a37c_h.jpg Here's where we took this photo: front cover of our 2016 Calendar https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1596/...36cfe8e4_h.jpg Chasqui https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1516/...c61a8edb_h.jpg Beautiful valley https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1624/...08eb3ad6_h.jpg Time to head up to the pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1561/...cfee2ac8_h.jpg Once we started the ascent, and some 15 switchbacks I imagine, the weather deteriorated. We stopped for what pictures we could. We passed an adventure rider going the other way (Vstrom I think). Near the top the fog was in full force and the rain drops in the air stung as they hit my face. Why was I not using my visor? Because it fogged up in seconds rendering the tricky road invisible. It was very cold and in the last few switchbacks there was scattered snow at the side of the road. Needless to say we didn’t hang about. Such a beautiful place this was https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...2ace0feb_h.jpg Up up up we go! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1458/...ec8e1e68_h.jpg Looking down at the road we were on https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1476/...bda09f45_h.jpg Almost at the top! close to the tunnel https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1525/...1e33e940_h.jpg I had seen a sign earlier indicating there was a tunnel, but there was no tunnel back in the days of 1998. On this side of the tunnel tons of people were taking pictures in the fog, just parked haphazard in the road after the tunnel. Again, the concept of a highway or even just a road in this case seems misunderstood in Peru. We were wet and cold and there wasn't much to see so we entered the tunnel without stopping for pictures. Surprisingly this was a serious tunnel, I was expecting something short, but it lasted a minute or two. Unfortunately the other side yielded the same weather. It was damp, it was cold and there wasn't much to see. We started to look for camping once we got below the dampness but there wasn't much available. We were searching and searching until we reached the gate on the other side. Once again it seems as though the east side isn't controlled as strictly as there was no one manning the gate and it was wide open. We had a decision to make. Heading down towards Chacas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1698/...d459b555_h.jpg Park boundary on the East side https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1641/...66bf1e88_h.jpg The road wasn't what we were expecting so now it didn't really seem like there was a point to continue to Chacas. It was like any other paved road. We decided to work our way back to the pass and camp to wait out the weather. It was still cloudy at this point but it wasn't as damp. The lakes looked prettier and the fog was lifting a little bit from the mountains. We were just driving around trying to find good angles for photos when Alberto stumbled upon a pretty good camping spot. So that was that, we called it quits and set up camp. Punta Olímpica Pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1547/...0f96e541_h.jpg This spot would do! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1687/...e7297005_h.jpg Camping with a view https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1628/...fcbbef00_h.jpg One sweet place to spend the night https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1465/...22d9e96a_h.jpg To our surprise some blue sky did come our way, so it was worth the wait. From where we were camped you could see the old road and the old pass. Alberto decided he was going to take that trip down memory lane so he hiked up to the old pass. Over 4,700 m or 15,500 ft https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/...3d646ad8_h.jpg https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1614/...4d617c19_h.jpg Half way there! you can see our tent and bikes https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1552/...bfc702e5_h.jpg Snow at the summit https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1576/...39050979_h.jpg Old Punta Olímpica Pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1625/...ccad44ec_h.jpg From what he told me the hike was extremely sketchy and not something he would do again. The views were worth it though and once up there he remembered the trip he took in 1998. Since he barely survived the hike up he decided to be a bit more sensible and use the old road to come back. It was quite the hike, and at 4800m he came back pretty tired. I'll let his photos tell his story. Old switchbacks above the new tunnel https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1657/...ef4890f7_h.jpg Punta Olímpica tunnel https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1642/...70642388_h.jpg Oh what a night! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/...249ac386_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change http://i1379.photobucket.com/albums/...psh0eivuvo.png VIDEO: EPISODE 27 |
Day 28 (190km): It’s-Peru syndrome
Not as cold of a night as I would have guessed but when I woke up in the morning I could see my breath and it was hailing outside. The dampness and the cold contributed to me not wanting to leave the tent, but I was expecting blue skies again down the valley so that pulled me through. The fog was lifting as we were leaving so that was promising.
Better weather than yesterday! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1533/...2270ee3d_h.jpg But still a bit overcast at the top of the pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1593/...6ac91e40_h.jpg It was interesting driving the road in the opposite direction, we had a different perspective on the scenery. It was pretty nice, though the tops of the peaks were still hiding unfortunately. As expected it got sunny at the bottom, and with it our core temperatures began to rise. The road was a lot quieter first thing in the morning, making it a pleasure to ride. Lots of nice smooth twisties. Braaaaaap. Awesome switchbacks again https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1504/...6db92027_h.jpg Road back to Yungay https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1543/...0bb48eca_h.jpg Can't stop admiring the awesome rock walls on each side of this road https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1520/...658c3f70_h.jpg After the town with no pavement there was a Holy Week procession cruising up the road. All pedestrians, a largish group, carrying some fancy Jesus chariot. There was a taxi coming the other way on the road and the guys didn't really move to let us pass. When Alberto passed a guy with a bamboo stick pretended to strike him and when I rode through I used my left hand to block the bamboo stick guy but while I was doing that some guy on my right slapped my arm with some sort of sheet thing. It stung a bit and luckily it didn't land in such a way that it knocked me off balance. Idiots, what a group of drunk idiotS. However either way I find it very disrespectful when pedestrians pretend or actually execute physical violence on people. Something similar happened three years ago riding on the road to Huaraz. It just triggers a very negative reaction from both of us. Of course Alberto wasn't going to stand for that so he turned around and gave the guys a severe talking to and evened up the score with the guy that hit me. Things escalated and the guys threw rocks at him and circled him. Using threatening words it turned out that the crowd was mostly cowardly and once things cooled down a bit Alberto left the scenE. We saw two other Jesus carrying groups but they were all chill and didn't cause any problems. When we arrived in Carhuaz we went to the police station to report the group. There was no patrol vehicles available so we had to wait for one to arrive. When one arrived the policeman that got out immediately had an unpleasant attitude. Alberto tried to greet him and he just seemed uninterested. When Alberto told him what happened his answer was "this is the way Peru is". To which Alberto replied that it was unacceptable, people walking down the street can't be striking motorcyclists. Is the solution to do nothing? The policeman replied "If we go there to talk to them they will beat us up. They are savages." Okay so you are pretty much useless then. Reluctantly he left in the truck, pretending to go talk to the group. Alberto threatened to go to the chief of police in Huaraz if they didn't take our complaint more seriously. So we hung around some more, they wrote up a report and committed to follow-up on the incident. While we were waiting around another police truck pulled up. We had passed this truck in the non paved town. They too had encountered the aggressive group of Jesus walkers and had trouble with them. Anyways long story sort of short we wasted about two hours complaining at the police station and who knows if it made a difference. Just a bunch of idiots really. Wasting our time @ the police station https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1635/...ca254fd0_h.jpg We left and hit the road to Chavin de Huantar. It was all highway riding. There was a river on the right and houses and activity on either side of the road. Things are pretty busy in populated Peru. We saw some more river mining, a popular activity. Another idiot moment came when a SUV in front of us decided to just come to a complete stop in the middle of the road, on a highway, because he saw some gringos on a bridge and was curious. Alberto had to emergency brake, locking the back and generally fishtailing all over the place. I also emergency braked and had a small skid. Alberto came very close to rear ending that idiot. Yes correct following distance would have prevented this whole mess but we were hardly tailgating and not expecting a full stop in a corner after a bridge. Once again, expect the unexpected in Peru. Don’t let your guard down. The unintelligent things you witness in Peru are astounding and unfortunately today was the day the straw broke the camel’s back. We had no more patience for ridiculousness and bad driving. This particular side of Peru was taking us to our limits. Scenery on our way to Chavín de Huantar https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1477/...8151d066_h.jpg Naomi and Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1490/...11016e2c_h.jpg Beautiful, isn't it? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1675/...6bd8e27c_h.jpg Steady climb to higher elevations https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1567/...453f3d43_h.jpg Mountain peaks in the distance https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1610/...70375340_h.jpg We stopped for some lunch in the plaza in Recuay. There was a band playing at the church and some people dancing along. Our lunch break was starting to get things back to normal. We had some delicious fresh food and a chilled out bench in the plaza. The turn off for Chavin was soon after. We got a little bit mixed up in the town when we tried to use the main street, which was under construction. Some random dirt roads here and there through the town and then we were on two-lane pavement. Today was a beautiful day and the mountain views were stunning. The landscape of rolling hills was a beautiful backdrop and reminded both of us of Patagonia. We passed an adventure rider who was stopped taking photos. It was the same BMW we saw going to Llanganuco. He is from Germany and has been traveling for 12 months. We chatted for a bit and then both went our separate ways. With a cruising speed of 30 km/hr you get a chance to really enjoy the scenery https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1631/...3215d2fd_h.jpg Bumped into a German rider https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1717/...be540802_h.jpg Lonely rock on a field https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1685/...a8f1f690_h.jpg Did I say that the scenery was superb?! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1617/...8ede934b_h.jpg More rocky peaks https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1588/...7e663e5c_h.jpg Reminded us of Patagonian mountain https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1459/...a880811a_h.jpg Querococha Lake https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1475/...7adbe884_h.jpg Naomi takes the lead https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1634/...10aed3c7_h.jpg The road continued to impress with great scenery. We had been told the road got bad after the tunnel but after the tunnel it was pretty good. When you exit the tunnel there is a huge Jesus standing there to greet you. BAM! Then the road switchbacks down the mountain. The bad reputation must come from the mixed paved and unpaved sections but the road is wide and there are only a few potholes. In our opinion the road is fine. I did get very dusty though from all the traffic: buses, trucks and combis. It was a relatively busy road. Spot Naomi and Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1508/...74ed51d1_h.jpg Road after the tunnel https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1450/...945877b0_h.jpg Political propaganda. These Condors looked a bit Germanic https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1689/...5faf0229_h.jpg We saw a couple of blue archeological site signs at the side of the road but there didn't appear to be anything there. One said Chavin de Huantar and the other two listed different sites we weren’t familiar with. Oh god, not another headhunt. We decided to keep driving to the town so we could find out what the deal was. When we entered the town the elusive directions we were hoping for were now signed "Chavin de Huantar 1km this way". We drove to the ruins only to discover they closed 20 min ago. The guard said they opened up at 9am so we decided to come back tomorrow. We found a hotel in the plaza with parking and rested up for the night. It didn't make much sense to waste a bunch of time finding camping to then come back in the morning for the ruins. And besides, from what we saw from the road there wasn't a lot of camping to be had anyway. All the electronics got a power top-up and we treated ourselves to the onsite restaurant. Our Hotel in Chavín. Time to take a shower! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1693/...99fe08b9_h.jpg Hotel's garden https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1586/...b54290c8_h.jpg Pretty flower https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1511/...ecbac66a_h.jpg Happy to be at an Inca Portal https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1624/...a3b17893_h.jpg Cute church https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1473/...564f3cb3_h.jpg Walking around town https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1464/...048c3303_h.jpg Buying a few supplies for dinner https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/...8a509375_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 28 http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...ize=1024%2C665 VIDEO: Episode 28 |
Day 29 (108km): We came, we didn't see, we left.
Open at 9am the guard said. So at 8:45am we walked the 500m or so to the ruins. Closed it was on Mondays. That little bit of information would have been useful when we asked the guard last night what the deal was. Oh well, we had stayed overnight in town for nothing. We walked the perimeter a bit and peaked over the wall where we could. Looked like an interesting site. So the moral of the story is don't come after 4pm and don't come on Mondays, both errors in judgement we made.
Archaeological Site this way https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1615/...d27e571d_h.jpg Open the gate!!! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/...c9dcd308_h.jpg Checking the ruins from outside https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1676/...f3696e46_h.jpg At least we saw the ruins from far https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1655/...427ecea6_h.jpg How cool! I can see some of the famous stone heads! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1719/...ae575b96_h.jpg Stone head: a mix of jaguar, snake and condor https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1718/...e137040d_h.jpg The temple's main yard https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1691/...60e0f78c_h.jpg Nice rock work https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1570/...8b28bd52_h.jpg Mountain overlooking the ruins https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1670/...6b6b316b_h.jpg I had scoped out a back way to Pastoruri that wouldn't involve backtracking but given our time constraints we decided not to risk it. We decided to just go back on the road we knew was mostly paved and could get us where we needed to go in a timely manner and without much fuss. The weather wasn't as nice today so we were lucky to have the views we did yesterday. Going back to the hotel https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1645/...8bc620b2_h.jpg Chavín was a cute little town https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1673/...e12b05cb_h.jpg Many houses around town have their own version of the stone heads https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1657/...57553a5f_h.jpg Today everything seemed less impressive, either due to weather or maybe because we had already seen it before. It rained on us briefly by the lake and when we got down to the rolling hills we could see a patch of rain on the horizon. A rare appearance: Alberto and Chasqui https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1681/...9281b066_h.jpg Nice waterfall https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1463/...24d38ad6_h.jpg Chilling Llamas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/...0469bc58_h.jpg All this driving around on paved roads has helped confirm my preference for single lane dirt roads, preferably mountains roads. On paved roads the yellow centerline is absolutely meaningless. For me, having been trained by the rules of the road of Canada my instincts and brain aren't playing by the same rules as Peruvian drivers. This results in a frustrating and angry experience whenever driving on paved roads as speed now becomes an issue. On dirt roads drivers are usually in my lane but at least they aren't hurtling towards me at Mach 3. Seeing people coming towards you at such speeds is very worrisome. In most cases you have to assume that their ambition outweighs their talent. Leaving the rain behind https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1452/...5032f826_h.jpg At the start of the road to Pastoruri we had to suit up in rain gear as it was pouring down. The downpour was only brief but spots of rain continued for a bit longer. Thankfully the rain didn't last and we were able to fully enjoy the amazing road. This is more of what we like: remote dirt roads with stunning scenery. This obviously had a tourist component to it, as demonstrated by the large bus that passed us, but it was really nice and only three vehicles passed us the whole way. Things were a lot quieter now that Holy Week was over, thankfully. Also surprisingly this was the best marked tourist route we've been on. There was nice rest stops with signs indicating the points of interest. The scenery was good and the road was fun. Heading to Pastoruri https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1567/...1e100492_h.jpg Awesome road https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1548/...6301ebfb_h.jpg Stunning scenery! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1622/...cc1a179d_h.jpg That's where we're heading https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1505/...ba04c9ba_h.jpg Fantastic small huts made with local materials https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...aeb9eee8_h.jpg Nice Puya plants https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1574/...a734a496_h.jpg Puya hill https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...a89a2701_h.jpg Amazing old flowers https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1541/...1a2f70be_h.jpg Up, up, up the GPS climbed in elevation as the temperature dropped, dropped, dropped. When we reached the parking lot for Pastoruri glacier we saw some guys working on the new services building. It's looking very nice. We asked them where the camping area was and they said right here, camp wherever you like. We chose to pitch the tent a little way away from where they were working so it was quieter. We got there just in time. As we were pitching the tent it started to snow/hail on us. We quickly got things set-up then hid in the tent for the rest of the day as the weather did not improve. Higher and higher https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1689/...cb92a044_h.jpg Absolutely awesome road https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1601/...cc29b661_h.jpg Almost there! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1599/...03fe62c1_h.jpg Happy to be here https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1684/...e4661a01_h.jpg ~4,850 m above sea level https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1614/...a9053643_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 29 http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C602 VIDEO: EPISODE 29 |
Day 30 (75km): From hail to hail
When the sun rose we could see that our tent was stiff as a board from ice and frost. So I guess it got cold overnight. Once the sun hit the tent though things started dripping like crazy. It was clear in the morning but as we started our hike to the glacier some dark grey clouds started to roll in, and there was no end in sight.
Frozen bike https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1693/...72b70bd9_h.jpg Good thing the sun was out! it was frosty https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1719/...d07a032c_h.jpg Time to go for a walk https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1488/...f9ca9737_h.jpg A combination of almost 5000m and not having worked out in over a month really came to light on our little hike. It was extremely challenging for the cardio and we had to take breaks. Luckily the weather held and though it was cold I never reached the point of freezing. The glacier was nice but it was tiny. Alberto visited the glacier back in the 90s on a class field trip and remembers it being quite a bit bigger. Such is life I guess, but those guys building the nice tourist building need to get a move on before there is nothing left. We had the whole place to ourselves which was nice. We snapped a few photos then walked back down. Of course coming down was easier. These slight uphills were killer https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1491/...9ff5f6bf_h.jpg Pastoruri Glacier! finalmente https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/...b8175fe5_h.jpg Walking among chunks of ice https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1578/...b6c3b788_h.jpg 5,000 m - 16,400 ft https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1514/...11819704_h.jpg Say 'QUESO'! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1468/...a05b4b34_h.jpg Same road out as we took in. The sun was shining today though, which was a nice touch. Again very little traffic. We stopped for photos and enjoyed the solitude. Back on the highway we made our way to the gas station to fill up, why not? We were trying to find a moto mechanic cause my bike was missing a critical bolt from the rear monoshock. The gas station attendant wasn't super helpful in that regard and then mis-charged us for gas by a factor of ten. We got it fixed though, thankfully Alberto caught the mistake before we left. We're so small... https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1715/...5e32a1d9_h.jpg Leaving Pastoruri https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1529/...4c4dea31_h.jpg Naomi and Apu on a bend https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1521/...50ca0963_h.jpg This route is filled with special views https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1549/...cc3dcf50_h.jpg Puya Raimondi plant https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/...31230c76_h.jpg More info on the Puyas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1513/...116cdebb_h.jpg Helmet shot https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1545/...8e37937f_h.jpg How tall are these plants really? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1528/...f4dfe0a5_h.jpg Happy riding! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1667/...101e9f21_h.jpg Still heading down to the valley https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1662/...71d3b675_h.jpg We continued to Recuay in hopes of finding a mechanic. We found a regular car mechanic who wasn't helpful at all. At that point it was lunch time so we stocked up on some fresh supplies at the market and ate some lunch in the plaza. We were joined for the first half of our lunch by an elderly man who was quite the chatty guy. Cholita in the city https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1694/...577098e3_h.jpg We continued on the road leaving it up to fate if a moto mechanic appeared. Our destination for the day was Laguna Wilcacocha. We stopped and asked for directions. We had a tricky time getting from the highway to the bridge. The road was definitely not tourist friendly. It was very rough and we took a few wrong turns en route. We asked for directions about half a dozen times and everyone was really friendly. With views like this, we don't mind getting lost https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1590/...158c1793_h.jpg Looking over at the Cordillera Blanca across the valley https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1558/...81b9be89_h.jpg Naomi scoping the place https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/...c519ed41_h.jpg Close up https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1535/...27693933_h.jpg When we finally reached the lake to our surprise a group of gringos were relaxing by the lake enjoying the view. And here we thought this place had been abandoned by tourists. There was a sign that said that camping was only permitted in the specified camping area. Since there was no map and no staff we put the tent in a location we felt was appropriate. We didn't have long to enjoy our afternoon as some vicious clouds rolled in that rained and hailed hard on our tent. We were surprised to get hail after we'd dropped about 1000m from last night's campsite. Wilcacocha Lake... so pretty https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1492/...54a7d78d_h.jpg Enjoying the vistas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1662/...a0dc4b1a_h.jpg Cordillera Blanca in the background https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1718/...dc452fbc_h.jpg Looking down at the Santa River, towards Huaraz city https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1687/...bd4a6bec_h.jpg Naomi & Apu better come back before the storm hits... https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1595/...bde09831_h.jpg Tent up! bring on the rain! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1714/...184cfc83_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 30 http://i1.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...ize=1024%2C662 VIDEO: EPISODE 30 |
Day 31 (125km): Fifty switchbacks to the gods
It was raining when we got up and as a consequence all the views were covered in cloud. We decided to change our plans. We were going to do some more sightseeing but with all the clouds there wasn't much point. We decided to head straight for the road home instead. This meant we were in no hurry and we were hoping to wait out the rain. Somehow we got lucky, the sun came out in the valley but there was still little hope for the mountain views.
By the time we got rolling the sun was out https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1707/...9247043a_h.jpg The torrential downpour last night did not do the rough road any favors. Now instead of just rocks and roughness there was the lingering doubt of traction. Based on some of the directions advice we were given yesterday we figured there would be a road back to the highway from Santa Cruz, and hopefully it was better than the sketchy road we took yesterday. We were in luck, there was a road and it was a tiny bit better than the other road, though only marginally better. Slow and steady we made our way back to the paved highway. So long Peruvian dirt roads, we are slabbing it home. Cool to see the narrow passages where roads head into the Cordillera Blanca mountains https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1592/...0ee62938_h.jpg There isn't much to say about the road to Huaraz. At least this time there were no crazies stopping on bridges. We needed to find a moto mechanic in Huaraz to replace a bolt on my bike that went missing. It was a pretty critical one, one of three of the suspension link bolts. At this point in the trip I felt like a cartoon while riding my bike, imagining bits and bolts bouncing down the road. We stopped at one place where some moto taxis were being worked on. They couldn't help us but one of the moto taxi guys who was just getting his fixes finished said he could show us where one was. So we followed him down the road about 10min to a moto place. Thankfully he showed us where the place was as we were not going to find it on our own. It only took them 30min to buy the bolt, and fix me up. We grabbed some fresh food supplies and hit the road. 'Motoneros Andinos' mechanic shop https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1563/...cc9a2ec3_h.jpg We stopped in Jangas to feast on our lunch treats. It was a surprisingly nice place to stop with shade and benches. Back on the road nothing much to report, we've driven this stretch of road four times now in the last week. It hasn't got any more exciting. Eating lunch at the Plaza: avocados, mangoes, andean bread... the good life! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1704/...d437c07d_h.jpg Creative wings in Jangas https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1621/...c48c3e43_h.jpg Once we passed Yungay we had reached semi-new territory. The road was pretty much the same but the landscapes were changing. It was getting hotter and drier. I saw a banana tree at the side of the road. Our plan was to fill up with gas in Caraz then suss out how to get to Punta Wichus (the last thing on our list). The guy at the gas station gave Alberto a blank stare when he asked where the road to Punta Wichus was so we guessed on which road it would be based on our map and asked a moto taxi guy. Sorted. We had to backtrack a tiny bit to a bridge and after that it was smooth sailing. Leaving the valley 'Callejón de Huaylas' behind https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1683/...cd155096_h.jpg More Puya Raimondis in this route! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1493/...89bac4d6_h.jpg Our VeeRubber tyres didn't last long... 3,000 kms https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/...03b162a5_h.jpg The little yellow flowers were all over this route https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1603/...5b828711_h.jpg We saw the bridge, or we thought we did. It was just a mirage (a bridge under construction). The active bridge was a wooden affair with a sign at the entrance saying it was for foot traffic only. We were confident though as there was two taxi cars ahead of us doing just fine. Despite the sketchy bridge the road was paved on the other side. Puya Raimondi forest https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1505/...36926ae7_h.jpg Small round cactus found roadside https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1457/...5d459fa0_h.jpg The road immediately started climbing. It started out as a normal two lane paved road then quickly turned into a single lane paved road. Not a problem for us, we were pretty happy about it actually. The traffic situation was pretty quiet. Next came the fifty switchbacks. If you like switchbacks you should check this road out. On a clear day I bet the view is amazing. For us, while there was no view, it was sunny so we can't complain much. Those fifty switchbacks take you right to the top of the world, or 4300m to be exact. On the way is a Puya Raimondi forest.These flowers are quite amazing plants. Time to climb one more mountain!... the last one in this trip https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1462/...c12bf22a_h.jpg Things were looking good https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1604/...27f8abcd_h.jpg 1.5 hours later... we're still climbing! Can you see Naomi? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1445/...d39a249a_h.jpg Close up https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1606/...7a0e7878_h.jpg The last corner of our last mountain pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1550/...2a754749_h.jpg At the Chicarhuapunta Pass https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1517/...496396ea_h.jpg Nice views from Cordillera Negra of the Cordillera Blanca, across the valley https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1629/...0aa1b5b7_h.jpg At the top we had a decision to make. The whole point of taking this road was for scenery, and I guess we have to get back to the coast somehow as well. Right then there wasn't much to see except clouds so we decided to camp at the top of the pass. Since we skipped out on our last day of Huascarán exploring we might as well relax and cross our fingers for clearer skies in the morning. Fingers and toes are crossed. We made up our minds! Camping at the top of a mountain! 4,400 m (14,500 ft) https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1513/...42f47a2d_h.jpg I think my fork seal is kaput! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1541/...5dc41a3d_h.jpg Views of the valley far down below https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1601/...1af000a9_h.jpg Incredibly steep crops and houses https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1639/...eadac371_h.jpg No sleepwalking in this campsite! or bye bye.. over the cliff https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1663/...010126f8_h.jpg View from our tent = priceless https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1506/...0bbcaead_h.jpg Chasqui and Apu did absolutely amazing in this trip https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1578/...87de92b5_h.jpg Vegetation at 14,500 ft https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1529/...36cc21a2_h.jpg Camp vibes https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1458/...6ca68942_h.jpg A beautiful place to camp for the night https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1455/...c0320579_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 31 http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C604 VIDEO: EPISODE 31 |
Day 32 (280km): Twisty sweats part II
I was lucky enough to go out for a pee around 5:30am. Despite the overnight rain I could see the entire mountain range in profile. This was shaping up to be a good morning. It didn't take long for the sun to shine some light on the peaks so we snuggled up in the tent and enjoyed the amazing sunrise. Alberto commented that it was the most amazing sunrise he's ever seen. We also took advantage of the views we could not see yesterday by having a casual breakfast alfresco. By 8am the fog had rolled in and we could see absolutely nothing, plus it was cold.
These are the highest mountain peaks in all of Peru! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1616/...3221a6f4_h.jpg Perfect way to start the last day of our trip https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1655/...4bd7fc52_h.jpg It was a cool & clear morning https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1697/...c801c5f5_h.jpg Warmth was welcomed https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1505/...2033844a_h.jpg Morning glory! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1471/...356acee6_h.jpg Looking West... fog rolling in from the East https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1677/...50cb2154_h.jpg Looking East... all fogged up https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1714/...dfa44779_h.jpg No need to hang about when there is nothing to see, so we packed up and chased the sun. We could see through breaks in the fog that it was sunny in our direction of travel we just needed to get there. Having spent the night only a few hundred meters from the road we knew first hand this wasn't a busy road. This was to our advantage because the road was quite a treat to ride. Lots of nice flowing 'S' turns and switchbacks. We were carving it up, and not another vehicle in sight. No fog on this side of the mountain https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1505/...7ce65425_h.jpg Another day with a road all to ourselves https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1708/...b96bf10a_h.jpg Above the tree-line https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1491/...8fc2256f_h.jpg The sun was out and we didn't hit our first town for 45min or so. Just us and the road; a beautiful way to spend a morning. By was the second or third town, and some 1500m of elevation loss later, we were warm enough to shed some layers. We stopped in the plaza of Pamparomas, which was perched on a very steep hill. As always a few strange looks from some people chilling in the Plaza. Naomi taking the lead https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1444/...0e05e187_h.jpg Back where trees grow https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1525/...d551b59b_h.jpg Plaza de Pamparomás https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/...f3bf7f76_h.jpg Little fella eating a 'Chirimoya' (local fruit) https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1454/...0b34944f_h.jpg The road continued down with enough switchbacks to sink a ship. The funny thing about this section of road was the amount of speedbumps. The seemingly random placement of speedbumps turned into a trend in this switchback section. Before every switchback in the downhill direction there was a speedbump to greet you. Talk about messing up the flow, but this is Peru and at a certain point you just accept the ridiculousness. The landscapes were lush and the smell of flowers was in the air. Just go with it and laugh. A few more switchbacks... and speedbumps https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1624/...9552ad21_h.jpg From high to low, from green to brown https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1689/...1ea3bf24_h.jpg At the bottom the road ditched the switchbacks in favour of nice 'S' turns following the river at a nice steady downhill grade. Just before one corner, and thankfully just before one corner as the road was single lane, we met our first vehicle of the day: a cargo truck. He was going uphill so his speed was very slow, an advantage to us and no drama resulted from the encounter. The hills were getting drier now, and soon cactus could be seen at the side of the road. At the very very bottom the terrain was as dry as a bone and sand was everywhere, a clear indication we were reaching coastal Peru. Naomi and Apu https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1520/...814cb621_h.jpg Can you find Naomi? https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1675/...2548e527_h.jpg We were making such smooth progress that Alberto didn't even notice when the road gained another lane, I had to tell him “Hey there is two lanes again”. There was a control gate manned by an older gentleman. He jokingly tried to charge us 50 soles to pass, at which point Alberto just laughed and demanded the gate be opened. The guy half heartedly continued his game, but it was short lived and the gate was opened without any money changing hands. The road was straighter and flatter. The lands were more populated and sugar cane was the crop of the region. It seemed clear that the fun had ended and now it was just straight business back to Huanchaco. Looking East: tall green mountains https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1693/...c1eabd6b_h.jpg Looking East: brown dry lands https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1521/...b9ac5b27_h.jpg Enjoying the twisties! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/...6742ead9_h.jpg Amazingly our side of the mountain had banana trees, but look at the other side: https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1493/...9dfe6f99_h.jpg Cati land https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1689/...562ad3a5_h.jpg It is a strange site having been isolated in huge mountains for so long when up ahead (at an intersection) a large truck goes flying by at speeds you have not witnessed for weeks. So that must be the Panamerciana then. We merged onto the Panamercian Highway and fell into line somewhere between cargo trucks and personal vehicles. The wind tossed the small bikes around and when large vehicles in the oncoming traffic went past we had to brace for wind impact. We were surprised that even though we were technically going under the speed limit we were still passing vehicles. At one point a donkey cart was holding up traffic as the road crossed a bridge. A donkey cart on the Panamericana! Madness I say! Sorry there are no pictures of the next 3 hours of flat highway riding. It needed to be done and it's not something I would gladly do again. Seeing the city of Trujillo on the horizon was very welcomed, and unlike Chimbote there is a nice road that goes around the outside of the city. When the waves of the shore came into view I was actually somewhat happy to be back on the coast. I had missed the ocean over the last few weeks. We arrived back in Huanchaco safe and sound, with both Apu and Chasqui arriving under their own steam. Well done boys. With another day in the books, we treated ourselves to lunch with an ocean view. We celebrated our trip with a couple of Cusqueñas and a high five. Well done team! Arriving in Huanchaco Beach... we felt a bit overdressed! https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1647/...a5f76c53_h.jpg Back to where we started 32 days ago https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1559/...71236fe9_h.jpg GPS DATA: Elevation Change Day 32 (4,300 m to 0 meters) http://i2.wp.com/www.motolara.com/wp...size=928%2C602 FINAL VIDEO: EPISODE 32 |
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