Onward to Ayacucho

Two travel days, both dry and partly sunny, heading south from Huánuco on 3N and 3S to Ayacucho. The 400 miles to Ayacucho were broken almost exactly in half with a night in Jauja. 

The journey to Jauja on 3N was not the challenge the same road provided further north. Smooth blacktop for most of the way allowed me to ease myself back into the trip. At the recommendation of a local I left Huánuco at 6.30am to avoid the worst of the traffic and stopped for breakfast after about 2 hours in the saddle. A line of parked trucks is usually a sign of a good restaurant, and that proved so in this instance. I was greeted by a sturdy male mastiff dog who looked fearsome in his spiked collar but proved to be a bit of a dope. Our brief friendship was not helped when he cocked his leg and liberally doused my front wheel and brake caliper!

The road passed through farmland and dairy country. One town celebrated the life of the town by adorning their square with what looked like a giant beetroot. 

The day was uneventful and unremarkable. Jauja is a small town and a 15 minute walk to the center  from my hotel, the Casa Jauja, to find dinner. A 1/4 spit roasted chicken, fries and a bottle of water, $3.50. It tasted decent and it had some meat on it!

Leaving Jauja the 3N becomes the 3S, about 10% of the road was gravel with quite a number of washes to cross. Interesting as it is a main route, but putting roads across mountain ranges is challenging. The 200 mile ride was varied, from lush green farmland, a lot of sheep and cattle on the hills, to a barren desert.

When passing through towns it is quite common to find the local population selling local food stuffs  to motorists as they come to a near stop to navigate the speed bumps. Of course cars just stop without any indication to buy the goods, so attention is needed to avoid rear ending them.

                 

One particularly interesting feature was a mass of calcium carbonate that had accumulated from water running down the hillside.

I pulled up at a roadside stand to buy a couple of avocados and as I came to a stop one of the ladies shouted to the people inside 'Un Gringo!'. Replying in the affirmative we started to have a little chat. Pleasant folk, we joked a bit, the lady waving in the picture was blowing kisses....to the amusement of the older lady. She picked a couple of ready to eat avocados and when asked how much she said they were free...though I insisted paying the market rate.....70 cents for two big ones. It was a nice interlude during the day.

Finally, a video of views from the road.

                                    

Heading to Nazca tomorrow. Cheers T2

Back To The Future

Welcome back. When one takes a rest from an activity midway through, for example hiking or a gardening project, getting going again can be a bit of a challenge.  It often seems to take more effort, mental if nothing else, to restart than taking the initial steps. That is the feeling that has washed over me a few times over the past week. Once in stride the fun returns, usually anyway.

It was another sunny morning when Lyn dropped me at Richmond airport at 7am on Thursday, the start of the journey back to Huanuco, Peru. A long layover afforded an opportunity to explore Atlanta airport, it proved to be quite educational. Rather than taking the train between terminals I walked through the underground passageway. A timeline of Atlanta’s history, a gallery of portrait photos that were out of the ordinary and a look into the civil rights era eventually delivered me to the international terminal where I spotted this.

A quiet place to satisfy junior’s hunger, directly or if the mother prefers, to pump in private! Not seen that before……sponsored by Zappo’s, an online shoe company. What?

The journey was uneventful and on-time, though I did not reach the hotel at Lima airport until about 1.00am. A few hours sleep and an early check-in to catch the prop-plane flight to Huanuco.

The altitude at which Huanuco sits reduces the power and lift of the Fokker F-50, requiring the airline to limit baggage to 10kg and to weigh passengers. Yep, you get weighed, cabin bags and all. I’m not sure what they do if a person weighs too much! Amputation?

After clearing the weight check I was given my handwritten boarding pass. Not seen those in a long time. The flight was less than an hour, but a snack was provided. Tasty but not classic breakfast foods. 

On approach the plane maneuvered though the valleys, peaks towering above the plane to bring us to a gentle landing. We had a clear day and no wind, I would not enjoy that experience in clouds, rain or wind.

A sample of the day’s travels.

 

The bike was retrieved, it started first time but needed throttle to keep from stalling. After running it for 10 minutes with blips of the throttle the idle settled to normal. The fuel here is called gasohol….El Burro prefers something stronger I believe.

Dusted off, new fender on, and now badged for Peru we are ready to roll on Saturday. I'm looking forward to it.  Cheers T2