Part 18 Last Days in Peru
Day 165 To
Barranca
We really
enjoyed our time in Huaraz and neighboring Huascaran National Park with its
unspoiled alpine beauty. The city has a relaxed feel, mixing traditional ways
with modern times. There is much infrastructure for adventure tourism. Under
everything lies a current of energy associated with the hikers and climbers who
are attracted to the park that contains 40 peaks over 6,000 meters in height.
Isabelle’s
cough/cold slowly improved. She felt ready to move on. We began a long, slow
climb immediately after leaving Huaraz, which lies at 3,000 meters, heading
upstream along the Santa valley. The pass across Cordillera Negro, at 4,200 m,
marked the beginning of a long descent towards sea level and the Pan Am highway
to Lima. The road was mostly good, with little traffic, even though this was
the favored route to Lima.
Hot peppers growing in the irrigated desert beside the road to Caral.
We rode
to the archeological site at the Sacred City of Caral, in the Supe valley, near
the coastal city of Barranca. Caral is the most ancient city of the Americas. Twenty-five
kilometers of the road leading to it were rough going after the Pan Am and the
final 5 were over dirt, mud and sand. The ruins were fascinating and excavation
work was clearly on-going.
We paid
the entrance fee and hired our mandatory guide, named Luis, who turned out to be
fantastic. Our initial reticence at hiring a non-English speaking guide
evaporated almost immediately as Luis walked us through the site. He was knowledgeable
and immediately recognized our limited Spanish. He adjusted the speed and
complexity of his descriptions; in other words, he dumbed everything down!
Luis, our patient "Guia"
He
explained how the city was inhabited between the 26th and 20th
centuries BCE by the Chico Norte civilization. A quipu, a kind of abacus using
knots tied in coloured threads, was found there, proving its use to be much
older than was previously thought. The quipo was perfected by the Incas in the
15th century. Later versions of it recorded historical facts along
with numeric data, a kind of record keeping without “literacy”.
The seat of Government
The
pyramids at Caral were used for religious purposes and contained meeting and
ceremonial rooms. A new layer of stone was added to a pyramid by each
successive ruler, thereby causing the pyramids to grow outward and upward from
within. Bags were made from natural fibers and contained the rough bits of rock
that were used as foundations for the stone structures. The flexibility
afforded by the use of the bags offered a measure of earthquake resistance.
A ring of pyramids defines the city limits.
Social
rank was determined by levels of knowledge. The priests’ residences were
closest to the spread-out ring of temple pyramids. Middle classes lived within
the encircled compound of the city, lower classes without. Two to three
thousand people typically resided within the city.
Uncovering the ruins is a huge job.
There
have been no traces of warfare found at Caral. The lack of battlements, weapons
or mutilated human remains suggest a peaceful society based on commerce,
pleasure and the concept of reciprocity. One temple contained 32 flutes made of
condor and pelican bones and 37 cornets made of llama bones.
We stayed
the night in Barranca at the same, “Motel Sahara” we had used seven weeks
earlier on our way to Lima to meet our daughter Gabi. It was pleasant to catch
up with our host, Adrianna, her grandson named Rodrigo, and to meet her American
husband John. Friendly Rottweiler, Mustafa was still his goofy self.
Day 166
Lima, at Roberto’s again
It feels
like we are home again after many weeks, the place looks just the same and all
our camping gear is where we stored it. I went through it all and managed to
trim 5 kg that went straight to the garbage. After settling in we went out to
buy some groceries. People are happier here than in the coastal desert.
Day 167
Traffic,
loud and aggressive – Lima style! I rode my moto for 2 ½ hours through Lima to
Touratech Peru to get new tires mounted, then over to BMW Motorrad. I hoped to
be able to drop off the bike for servicing the next day. A warm greeting from
the service manager and coffee began the visit. He asked me how I planned to
get home and I said by cab. I removed the soft baggage from the bike’s tank
area to let the mechanic get at things more easily. After speaking with the
service manager about also bringing Isa’s bike in tomorrow I was escorted to the
waiting, loaded (with my tank bags) and paid-up cab to take me home.
My old tires after 20,000 km. I had planned for them to last only 10. The front has at least another 10 left in it but it's time for more aggressive tires for Bolivia.
Reconditioned and wearing new shoes
That
evening we had dinner with a fellow moto-traveler, Phil Bernini, near Parque
Kennedy in Miraflores. We had met Phil on board the Stahlratte during our
crossing of the Darien Gap and had kept in touch. Phil injured his knee shortly
after the cruise on the Stahlratte and reluctantly shipped his moto home to
Switzerland. He had been stuck in the heat of northern Colombia, unable to
ride, for months. He had come to Lima to buy a van to continue his voyage. It was
great to catch up with him and hopefully our paths will cross again soon as he
is also heading south toward Ushuaia.
It's fun to meet other travelers, these guys are from Brazil
Father and daughter two up on a GS from Ecuador.
Day 168
Isa and I
rode two up on her bike through Lima traffic for 2 hours to the BMW dealership.
It was insane. In one of many crazy episodes we were almost taken out by a car that seemed to come out of nowhere from behind, to pass us on the right. My right-turn signal
light had been flashing for a while and my brake lights were on too as I
approached the right turn from the right lane, beside the parked cars. I heard a
short bit of wet-road skidding from behind after I gently (because of slippery
conditions) initiated the turn. Committed to the corner, I followed through. A long,
“How dare you?!” beep from the offended motorist finished off the encounter.
We waited
then walked across the street (another adventure!) for lunch while the
mechanics were finishing up with the bikes. Just like at the dealership in
Medellin, the price for two major tune-ups was very reasonable. We put a new,
more aggressive front tire on Isabelle’s moto and both bikes were ready for the
sand and mud we would surely encounter in Bolivia.
Isabelle's "Wilda" is ready to receive some TLC at the dealership.
We also
had a smaller (by one tooth) front chain sprocket installed. This lowers the
ratios of each of her 6 gears a little bit. The increase in torque should help
her to accelerate past slow movers but it’s the lowered first gear that will be
especially useful in off-road conditions. Her first gear had been far too tall
with the old sprocket.
Motos refreshed, clean and loaded for the road outside Roberto's place in Lima
We got
home, happily without incident and worked on packing the bikes for the rest of
the day. We stayed an extra day in Lima. Isabelle was still sick and wanted to
rest up a bit.
Day 169
We had a
slow start to the day but in the afternoon walked 14k in search of a new
camera. We decided not to buy one since
the prices were so high and our phone’s camera works pretty well. Once home, I
tried the old camera and it miraculously came back to life!
Day 170
Lima to Ica
Motorbikes
aren’t allowed on the highways that run through Lima, except the Pan Am highway.
There was no good way to get to it and we cannot filter through traffic with
our big side cases. We waited until 10:30 to allow traffic to thin out a
little. Using Google maps on the phone, we improvised our way around
construction sites and one-way streets the phone didn’t know about. We rode
onto the Pan Am highway after an hour and it took another half hour to get out
of the city. No one was hurt in the process.
The coastal highway cut into the cliffs in southern Peru
We rode
down the coastal desert to Ica, sometimes correcting for strong cross-winds by
leaning the bikes on crazy angles. It was cold. Our heated hand grips and
electric jackets were switched on. We wore balaclavas. Sand the colour of snow
swept and danced across the highway in waves. Drifts built up as the job of
clearing them got ahead of the road machines. Our new tires worked well as we
rode through the edges of the drifts we couldn’t avoid. The whole scene looked
and felt a bit like moving down a highway at home in February, only a little
warmer.
Day 171
Ica to Atico District
A big day
of riding began with an early start. The road was in good shape for 400 k. We
rode through a bit of a sandstorm that lasted for an hour. Again, we
encountered strong winds and drifting sand. We literally kept our mouths shut
inside our helmets. An open mouth, even to talk briefly, meant getting sand in
your teeth. We stayed in a rough little town in an OK hotel with an ocean view
for a good price. The staff were very pleasant.
Our ocean view, the hotel was spic and span clean inside. The chickens got us up in time for an early start.
Day 172 Arequipa
The next
day began with crossing the site were the big derrumbe (landslide) had closed
the Pan Am for 2 weeks, stranding many people. We had passed over the repaired
site seven weeks earlier. It still had workers present and was not yet
re-paved. Road work further on prevented us from turning inland toward Arequipa.
The map showed us that a new highway continued down the coast and connected
with another, giving access inland and eventually to Arequipa. Not knowing the
condition of the road or even if it was paved we continued southward. It turned
out to be a fantastic new road with a near perfect, paved surface. It passed
through a rocky area without towns but with much mining, which explained its
existence. There wasn’t a sand drift in sight as we rocketed down the coast to
connect with the other road leading toward Arequipa.
Long stretches of untouched coastline
Occasionally there are signs of human activity
After
settling in, we walked downtown to the beautiful plaza that is a UNESCO World
heritage sight. A DJ was pounding out the tunes to the evening crowd of
tourists. Coffee and dessert in pleasant evening air were followed by the long
walk home. We enjoyed our night at Alejandro’s B&B, the same place as last
time.
Day 173
Puno on Lake Titicaca, at 3800 m (12,300 ft) above sea level
Leaving Arequipa
Scenes from the altiplano averaging 4400 meters altitude:
Well above the tree line
You can see for great distances
Water is scarce
Flamingos are coloured pink by their diet
It's not cold enough to freeze what water there is.
Interesting rock structures jump up at the sky, even from this altitude.
Free rider
It has
been another long and tiring, 300-kilometer day. Great scenery was everywhere
again. We enjoyed it for the second time, having been here seven weeks before. We
are in the same hostel as before, this will be the last repeat. We arrived in a
four-degree rainstorm, the first rain we have seen in two and a half months.
Trip planning brought us to the high Andes at the beginning of the dry season.
The funky
little parking lot was still there. It had a steep climb from the street on a
surface of fine, red dirt. The parking entrance now featured a small stream flowing
down into the street. It would be a steep, red-mud climb this time. There was a
little plateau about one storey up that was big enough for two large adventure
bikes. Momentum rather than traction got the job done. I accelerated hard across the single lane of street
cobbles below before going through the gate and into the muddy climb. It worked
but backing down the narrow, muddy lane in a few days would be challenging. I
hoped for dry weather.
Day 174
Puno
Today we
took a tour on Lake Titicaca that included visiting the Aymara speaking people
at Uros and the Quechuan speakers on Taquile Island. Uros came first and was just
a 30-minute cruise away. The Aymara speakers there live on floating reed
islands. There are 92 islands, each with two to five, but sometimes more,
families living on them. Nelson was our host on one of the islands. After
welcoming us, he and his father piloted our group on two large reed boats. They
poled expertly and brought us into the nearby reeds to show us how the reeds
are cut, then used to build the islands and living structures.
Nelson
Freshly cut reed stalks
Covering a root foundation
It’s the
roots that create floatation. They are cork-like and are very buoyant. Roots
are collected and joined together to make the foundation of a new island. The
reed stalks are cut and laid across the roots to create the floor of the
island. Reed stalks are also woven to make solid structures. A modern touch is
the addition of solar panels to collect electricity. This eliminates the
previous and dangerous use of candles.
Old ways meet new ones:
Solar panels provided by the government
Tour boat tied to reed island
The islands and reed structures:
We
continued our cruise to Taquile Island were Quechuan speakers lived. The lake
is a boundary between the two languages. The people on this large (solid)
island are world famous for the hand weaving and knitted products. UNESCO
recognized that by designating them as a cultural site. Their work is fine,
precise and very beautiful.
Traditional structure on Taquile Island
Hill-top view
Weaving and knitting alpaca wool
Agriculture on the island
Tomorrow
we head further south, along the shores of Lake Titicaca, to cross into
Bolivia. We have spent more than two months in Peru. In that time, and
alongside the wonderful geography and adventure, we have come to understand the
local value of money and fair prices for things, how to survive in urban
traffic, the accents and some local idioms in Spanish, and a little about the
people. Active archeological sites are ubiquitous and well visited. This shows
us that Peruvians are inquisitive about their history, one that pre-dates the
Egyptians.
Puno harbor
We have
interacted with urban and with rural people, and passed through remote places. We
have seen with our own eyes the magnitude of the gap between the privileged and
the poor. We have seen and shared many smiles. We have come to see that
projecting an expectation of need for material things is unfair. We have mostly
seen good and honest people loving their families, participating in cultural and
community practices, and finding ways to enjoy their lives.
The
Quechuan code of ethics has three parts: do not lie, do not steal, do not be lazy.
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