Lima - heading home.

The double deck luxury bus departed Huánuco at 10.40pm, Monday night. The lie flat seats/beds were comfortable, though I found sleep hard to come by on the 9 hour journey. The curvy, at times bumpy roads and the rapid decelerations to navigate the numerous topes made for a fitful night. A bit like flying through constant turbulence. Still, for $30 and a safe, on time arrival in Lima, I have no complaints. 

Checked into the downtown hotel by 8.15am, following a brisk walk from the bus station, which saw me cleaned up and having breakfast by 8.45am.

Lima is the best of the three capital cities I have visited on this journey so far. Well preserved, wide pedestrian shopping areas, nice squares. It is busy, but with few trucks or buses in the central area it has a feeling of tranquility that Bogota and Quito did not match. It was noticeable that the security at the store fronts, prevalent in the other cities, is largely absent in Lima. The police presence is also less intrusive, especially compared to Colombia.

After 4,419 miles on El Burro, I am heading home on a flight today (just, it is due to leave Lima at 11.59pm) arriving late afternoon Thursday in Richmond. 

Thank you for coming with me and I always appreciated the emails and comments on the blog over the last 8 weeks. The journey resumes when I arrive back in Huánuco on April 26th, I hope you rejoin me for the next installments.

T2

The Fight For 3N

The power went out across the entire town at 8.00am, Friday morning, though the violent storms that deluged the area overnight had abated. Rolling out of Huallanca at 9'ish a gang of men with shovels were clearing storm wash off route 3N, the main road to Huanuco. It set the tone for the day.

A salute to the Peruvian authorities and their crews for keeping the mountain roads open in the face of nature's onslaught.  3N follows a valley, home to a relatively modest river. It is the rainy season and this year has been very wet, the battle to keep 3N open has not been easily won. The first 10 miles of the road were a credit to the ingenuity and fortitude of the crews.

I left 3N at La Union, my GPS routing me across country on HU-109 and HU-110. Well maintained dirt roads through meadows with an Alpine feel.

That is with the exception of a spot just north of Caramarca, where the road had been washed out, no trace left. A local was on hand to 'repair' and make a usable track, the way forward being uphill and a 75 yard mess of soft storm wash, braided by a network of foot deep gullies lined with rocks at their base, topping out at a 10ft wide water crossing, not deep, but running fast.

With help at hand it was worth a shot rather than trekking 2 hours back to 3N to possibly face other obstacles. Well, half way up the rear wheel began to bog and dig a hole, regained traction and with my inclination to stay away from the drop at my left I ended up in a deep gully by a rock face to my right. Upright but clearly unable to pull forward under power, the local came along and we pushed El Burro out of the gully. Off the bike but using first gear and a little clutch and throttle we moved the moto up and across the water. Phew!

A few miles down the road I came across the group below and mused that one horsepower and four points of contact would best El Burro, at least with me at the controls.

The remainder of the ride to Huanuco was uneventful. I have since had 3 nights in Huanuco, part of the rehab to non-moto travel/normal life!

El Burro has been washed, all the vitals checked out (bearings, drive chain and sprockets, brake pads, and lights etc), the oil and filter changed. She has been placed in storage along with my riding and camping gear, all set for my return in late April.

Customs exit documentation in hand and a ticket for the overnight bus I will be deposited in Lima Tuesday morning. The flight back to the US is late on Wednesday, so I will have a few hours to wander around old town Lima.

A word about dogs to conclude this post. They are everywhere, roaming freely, many just lying in the road. Most just get up, scratch a bit, and wander off when passing by. Some don't bother getting up, they figure it is your job to skirt around them. However, a few take a different approach, you learn to recognize the signs.

If they appear at the sound of the moto it is not a good omen. They rarely work alone and some seem to have developed coordinated attack strategies. You think I am joking? Watch the video, first at full speed, then in slo-mo. Keep your eye to the left at the scout, nonchalantly appearing and coming towards me....then.....

Down here riding gear doesn't just offer protection in the event of a spill.

Cheers. T2

Final Crossing

A day spent in Huaraz is a day well spent. The local museum hosts one of the biggest collections of pre-Inca stone figures in South America, along with various other artifacts from that civilization. 

Huaraz positively buzzes with energy, yes, it had a heartbeat. Two nights in a nice hotel a 10 minute walk from the center of town for $10 a night can't be beaten. The walk down to the center was a lot easier than the walk back up the hill. I really notice the reduced oxygen when exerting oneself.

Lines at ATM's and for the bank service counters are ubiquitous in South America, though seeing a couple of sleeping dogs in that ATM room was novel, for me at least.

                               

The final crossing of the Cordillera was blessed with dry weather. The landscape was more varied as seen in the video. 

The maximum altitude, 15,413ft, near the personal best from earlier in the Cordilleras. The rock formations were quite unusual in places. The area is billed as the 'Dinosaur Tour'.

Zinc, lead and copper are extracted from the Minera Santa Luisa a few miles south of Huallanca. Evidence of the heavy rain the region has experienced was apparent in the gushing watercourses and the washed out road.

The washout was downstream of the falls, the original road was about 50 feet below the line of cars. In fact the temporary road had itself been washed out. The cars at the front of the line had passed me some 30 miles before the stoppage. I only had about a 30 minute wait until they opened the new fill area to allow us to pass.

Huallanca has barely a pulse, let alone a heartbeat; though oddly I find myself in a 3 star hotel (and it is nice). The other places I tried were booked up, with mine workers/visitors I believe.

One day left in the saddle. Friday will see me in Huanuco, the interim destination and the close of part 1 of the journey on two wheels. 

Cheers. T2