"j": start of construction 1975, finished 1976 … and still running

19.10. , 20.10.
IMG_0543I like Peru from the first moment. The first two female officers I met at the border gave me compliments for my beautiful blue eyes. :-)

I spent the first two night in Máncora on the coast. It’s time again to have my laundry done. In the hostel they want me to fill out a piece of paper, with the amount of different pieces in the plastic bag. I don’t want to unpack and count my clothes so I wrote on the paper: “almost everything I have.”

 

21.10.
Today I drive almost 400km only on the Pan American Highway along the coast. Mostly it is boring, just straight ahead. A constantly strong cold wind is blowing from the sea inlands.
The scenic is not very exciting. It is a barren desolate desert, interrupted now and then by villages and cities. Near the cities there are often green fields, rice, corn, sugar cane and other stuff. Many parts of the road looks like garbage dump.

I stop in Chicklayo. Except of the main square, the city is not very attracting. There is a lot of traffic and as well a lot of rubbish on the streets.

IMG_0572In the hotel I ask if they have a car park. The lady at the desk says: We park it back in the breakfast room.
The entrance area is maybe 70cm wide. I look at her incredulously. Lady, did you look at my bike? It is slightly larger than the usual standard here.
I take off the panniers, then we – a member of staff, a security guard and I – push the bike with joined forces through the lobby to the rear.
In the next few days it becomes a habit to park the bike in the lobby or similar areas.

 

22.10.
On the way to Cajamarca I drive again bit off-road. I fall .. again. But you know, it did not happen for a long time. This time it is the right side. The pannier is unfortunately bent in a way that the fuel cap is blocked. That would be a bit tedious having to remove the pannier each time at the gas station. So once again, a day of unplanned stopover.
However, Cajamarca is cozy. For almost 6 EUR I get a room overlooking the main square. I read later Cajamarca is a prosperous city. You can see it a little bit. The wealth comes from the gold that is mined in the area.

23.10.
IMG_0582In the morning I look for a mechanic who can fix my two panniers. I finally I have the pannier fixed, which was dented in my crash in Honduras over a month ago.
The man works for over an hour. The result is much better than I expected. At the end he asks for 10 Soles, about 3 EUR. I give him 20 Soles.
I spent the rest of the day with sightseeing and sending some stuff home I do not need. Hard to believe how long it takes to prepare a package. For customs in Austria I write a few nice words, that it is just stuff, I do not need on my journey.

24.10.
I was not able to find a good route through the mountains, so I decided to go back to the coast. But I did not want to drive back the same way that took up two days earlier. So I went off-road in one of the villages. The track is kind of challenging. I need about 3 1/2 hours for 60km. On gravel roads, the way leads up from about 1,000m to 3,000m in the mountains. Luckily, weather is warm and sunny. I would not imagine if I had to drive in the rain here. The road clings most time closely to the mountains. The slopes go steep downhill. In some places the road is only carved out of the rock, only four – five meters wide. On the left side the rock is straight up and on the right side is the abyss. I don’t dare to take the eyes off the road. Always close to the mountain I drive very slowly.
IMG_0608Halfway there is the wonderful town Contumazá. For a moment I consider to make a stop there, but I “need“ to move on. Peru is big and I want to start in early November in Chile.

Another reason, why I need to „hurry up“ is, that in mid December I meet with my friend Andi in Punta Arenas. For various reasons, he needed some distance from home. We ride together for 3 to 3 1 /2 months back up to Columbia. His bike is already on a ship.

Near Trujillo I find a hostel on the beach . The evening ends with a couple of people from the hostel in a bar. The Mojitos for just 1 EUR show their impact in the next morning as a slight hangover.

25.10.
The first kms I drive on the Panamericana again. Scenic did not changed. It still is a barren desert. It is cloudy and the wind, as days before, is blowing strong from the west. I am sure it is the same the whole way down south.

IMG_0634A few days ago Lauren and Adrian told me of Canyon del Pato, a gravel road that leads from the Panamericana to Caraz. For a long time the street leads fairly flat through a rocky landscape along the Rio Santa. Sometimes the road is wide and you can go faster. But often, you are shaken very strong. It is quite a challenge for the material. Frequently there are some tunnels on the road. Simple tubes that were probably carved into the rock long ago. The sun shines brightly from the sky. The eyes do not have time to get used to the darkness. The rides through the longer ones of the tunnels are almost like a blind flight.

The good thing is that the – for me – “bad” part begins only about 40 km from Caraz. The road narrows to one lane again and leads into the mountains. No matter which side of the road I have to drive, just like yesterday, I always keep staying close to the mountain and hope that no car is coming from ahead.

Nevertheless, the Canyon del Pato is a must.

Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

Photos Album Flickr


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