On the Road Again..
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
31
41
Trip End
Feb 28, 2009
Arequipa,
Peru
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Over the course of time one of us was bound to get sick on our travels. Mike has been battling an upset stomach for over a week, and with strong and sound advice from his wife the night before she left and myself refusing to leave Lima until he saw a doctor he finally went. We had originally planned to change the oil in the bikes, adjust chains and lube and clean the air filters today. While Mike was busy at the doctors I set forth and did the maintenance on the bikes. He finally returned about 3 1/2 hours later with a bandage over his arm and a prescription in hand. His skin colour and mood much improved. I asked him which kidney he sold to pay for the trip and he quickly did a check and confirmed neither had been removed. We had a good laugh, finished the maintenance and allowed Mike to relax for the rest of the day.
Saturday January 3rd
We have spent almost two weeks in Lima and after confirming that Mike was well enough to ride we left the city. It was suspiciously quite today, traffic volume was low and the Pan - Am highway was uncongested. We left the city without being cut off or honked at by a taxi driver. As the city landscape shrunk in my mirrors beach front resorts started cropping up. There are hundreds of huge billboards advertising homes, Inca Kola and since when did Doritos start making bikini bottoms? The advertisements were flashy, three dimensional and very creative. This lasted apx 50 kms before they too disappeared behind me.
We are traveling through the desert again and boredom quickly sets in as the road has nothing to offer but brown vistas and no curves. We stop at an oasis called Huancachina for the night. It was an interesting "hole" that was used by the Peruvian rich and famous many years ago. The hamlet population of 200 serving hundreds of tourists with dune buggy rides up the huge sand dunes and sand board surfing. Every hotel in the Hamlet was booked but one. Mike negotiated the price with the hotel receptionist and we checked ourselves in. This has been the worst hotel we have had on our trip. The room wreaks of urine, the toilet has no seat, the shower floor filthy, the water pressure yeah right there is a trickle coming out of the tap. We sleep in our clothes as we are afraid what may be living in between the sheets. It was a restless night of sleep.
Sunday January 4th
Ten past six, eyes wide open I jump out of bed and listen to cats fighting outside our cell.
We decide to leave this place immediately. We skip breakfast and return to highway. As we cruise along the highway we see a sign announcing the Nazca lines. We stop and climb up the viewing tower, I couldn't believe we could not see the lines from road level, they were right in front of our face. The people that created these lines by removing the suntanned rocks from the desert surface allowing the bleached rocks below to show, must have had a purpose in creating these lines. But I don´t have any theories. We check out a different observation spot only to see huge lines running across the desert. We refuel in the town of Nazca and continue on our way. We stop in the town of Chalco 150 kms from Nazca for lunch. There is no gas station so we cannot refuel, the road then begins to carve around the desert mountains and the Pacific coast. The road unguarded from the 150 foot drop to the sea which is pounding against the coastline. It was a great change of pace and our minds are forced to focus on this curvaceous road. Then the lack of refueling creeps into my mind as the kilometers rack up. No road signs and no gas stations I thumb the petcock to reserve each kilometer getting closer to empty. Finally a town and yes a gas station. We refuel and return to carving the road. We stop in the town of Camanara for the night exhausted from a superb ride.
Monday January 5th
There is nothing like waking up to sunshine on your face and the birds outside singing, I feel like I am at home in late spring. We have had great weather the entire trip. We carry on to Arequipa the road providing some very tight blind curves and huge sweeping curves through the desert mountains.Once again crossing lush valleys that are being fed by rivers flowing through them corn, grapes, watermelons and Holstein cows all partake in the valleys lushness.Far off in the horizon are huge snow peaked mountains poking their noses mysteriously out off the desert. The curves getting tighter and more technical as we get closer to Arequipa. On one turn I exceed the amount of traction available to me the rear tire twitching beneath me. I chuckle to myself and roll off the throttle slightly.We enter the highly congested city of Arequipa, for every 1 personal vehicle on the road I swear there are 15 taxi´s. Just one huge beehive of beeping, buzzing yellow taxi's, totally jamming up the streets.
Once a hostel is found and the bikes parked we spent some time exploring the down town core. There are several antique shops, great restaurants and cafe´s. The Plaza is the finest I have seen on this trip with delicate brickwork and wrought iron, a beautiful fountain in the center and lush green trees and hundreds of people enjoying the square.We had supper and I splurged and enjoyed two great cups of coffee, not the horrible instant Nescafe stuff that they all call coffee. NO real fine grind coffee Mmm. delicious.
Tuesday January 6th
A very windy ride today from Arequipa to Tacna, the road has returned to an open expanse of desert with one long straight path cut through it. The winds so strong we noticed there were mini tornadoes cutting across the desert. We pushed hard all day fighting the strong winds our heads shaken like a bobble head in a pimped out Spanish slam car. I am exhausted from the winds constant attack on my body.
We are going to cross the border to Chile tomorrow and we look forward to a new country´s challenges and beauties.
Comments
coffee
I'm glad you found some good coffee, finally.
Doritos ?
Doritos make Bikini bottoms ? Must be the spicy variety.
Following your adventure every day.BE Safe
G