Peru
(Macara - Chiclayo - Lima)
In the desert until the rapid
death
[January 9, 2005] Leaving the Andes in Euqador entering the
deserts in the north of Peru. The temperature rises until
it reaches easily 90 F, hot but pleasently not humid. After
the cooler nights in the mountains this is a nice feeling.
And so I continue my travels South on the Panamericana. Once
more the lonelyness and the quiet desert give me a chill,
only broken by the noisy trucks and busses. I have to escape
these crazy drivers more than once by leaving the road and
heading for cover off the street. Locos... On the next morning
I see the results of these crazy maneuvres, many people died
I learned later. So I promise to myself never to drive at
night, the chances to win a far greater in the Lotteries...
The people in Piura and Chiclayo are rushing for their last
Christmas shopping, there are lights, decorations and the
musik everywhere. And I also get this feeling for Christmas,
although it´s 90 F outside. On Christmas eve I continue
my travels South. Shortly before noon I hear a rattling sound
in the clutch cover, 2 minutes later the cover bursts and
the oil spills out. The fast end, luckily the engine should
be o.k. As there are no chances to repair that in the desert,
there are limited alternatives. A truck stops, and we lift
the wounded bike in the truck.
It is extremely dangerous here, the truckers tell me, even
during the daytime. Robbers take you at gunpoint, so I am
thankful for the lift to the next town of Payachula on the
coast. Here I need to stop a truck heading for Lima. But who
on earth is driving a truck on Christmas eve? Luis Neyra is,
a trucker fom Chala, South of Peru. I offer him a nice present,
he willingly transports me along with 30 tons of rice to Lima.
And so I stay with Luis, the truck and the Panamericana for
Christmas. In these 15 hours I learn a lot about the life
in Peru, the corruption of the police, how to trick the weightcontrols
and about the friendlyness of the Peruvians.
Luis, his friend also called Luis and his family in Lima
help me through the next days with safe storing and transporting
the bike to the dealership, and they show me their city. They
invite me for dinner during the Christmas days as well as
invite me for their new years party. Great people, once again
I am lucky to meet good people with a great heart. And I have
time to spend in Lima learing about politics, the situation
of the Peruvians and study the nightlife.
Or did you know that here everybody uses the colo yellow for
good luck on New Year? And then finally I continue to practise
my language skills.
Shortly after Christmas I take the bike apart and luckily
it shows a minor defect in the cluch gasket. I order the parts
via Germany and can assemble it myself. But the origen of
the falt makes me mad. A bad quality repair in Guatemala city
leads to this major breakdown. They had welded the gasket,
although I had paid a new part. Amazing that it did last for
1500 miles. Shit...I made one more experience the hard way,
I guess.
Well, let´s relajar and await the parts.
Hasta la proxima
Rasmus
Finally back on the road heading
for the Incas
(Lima - Nasca - Cusco - Lake Titicaca)
[January 31, 2005] The smile is back, sitting on the KTM
again, feeling the vibes as of the first 17.000 miles of the
trip and the heart beats again. Yeaahh. Luck and Sadness can
be really close...
After this little delay I am finally back on the Dream, my
Panamericana heading South. In one of the Andesregions there
was some trouble during New Year. 400 soldiers rebelled, roads
were blocked and unpassable, but now its all quiet again and
I can head for the capital of the Incas, Cusco.
First along the Panam is Nasca with its geometrical figures
and lines. These have lead many people to speculate about
the origin, right or not. I take a small airplane to get the
right view, and get to see amazing items roughly 3000 years
old.
One can see and ape, a spider, the condor and fantasy items,
incredible.
On the way to Nasca I run into Sabine and Ernesto from Columbia
on a KTM 950. We chat and exchange informations and some beers
and decide to continue together to Cusco, passing the Alti
Plano with its 4500 meter high fields and Llamas. The thin
air was quiet tough for me and the bike, but finally we arrived
in the ancient Cusco. And there the 2 bikes do look good in
the hotel. Better than us after the following hard days. We
had decided to hike along the Inca trail, a 50 Km trail through
the Andes to the famous Manchu Picchu. Breathtaking nature,
ruins and the interesting history of the Incas let us forget
the endurance. And finally Manchu Picchu, these pictures from
early morning are unforgetable.
It is like to travel back in time. We learn about Pachamama
and the Coca Leaves, talk to the very poor Indios that have
to survive and feed their families with a daily income of
5 to 6 US$ right in the nature of the Andes, rough and cold,
then warm and humid. We need to remind ourselves of our wealth
in the Western World...
My Columbian friends continue towards Bolivia, there are some
political uprises there as well. Take care and see you soon.
I continue to learn about the Inca culture and the special
dialect in and around Cusco
and the Valle Sagrado, the holy valley. Patricia knows the
town and the area very well and shows me parts of the life
and the town that no tourists see, just as in Lima with all
the goods and bads.
And while touring through the area my Swiss friends Nadine
and Cello show up. The guys I have had such a good time in
Mexico and Guatemala. Great reunion, topped by a local specialty,
Cuy. Cuy is a small animal the boys and girls at home play
with. But tastes well, just like little piglets...
The Swiss friends are now on their way on the trail, no surprise,
are Swiss, or? And I just decided to leave Cusco after weeks
of luck and have arrived on the Lake Titicaca, the highest
lake in the world. Tomorrow I will head for Bolivia,
where luckily the political situation has improved a lot.
More than later.
Peru, you country with ups and downs, geographically and emotionally,
you have got me interested a lot. Maybe to live? We will see
in the future...
Hasta luego,
Rasmus
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