Adventures of South America: peru

Showing posts with label peru. Show all posts

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Chivay to Puno

I left, once again, very early. Driving up to 4900 meters above sea level that early was quite cold for my fingers. The engine did fine, until the level of gasoline got a bit low.

Just to be sure, I did some more check ups. It turned out to just be the lack of gasoline, so that I would have to refill or switch on the reserve, every time the engine would stop. The views were more spectacular at first, but it was nicer when it got a bit hotter. I´ve seen so much incredible nature now...

Made it all the way to Puno, where I got pulled over by cops. They immediatly shipped me off as they saw that I was a white woman. What wrong am I gonna do? just ride without a licence. taha. On my way out of Arequipa, I didn´t take any chances and did a loop in a dirty little village to avoid the police check ups.

Seing Lake Titicaca was quite a reward. I should´ve sat down to relax, but I got some great massage tips, and went searching. A woman walked with me for great parts of it, just to help out. Only found overprices places and was exhausted by the end of it. Now I´m all wrapped up in a blanket, ready for the big day tomorrow.

Its my last day in Peru, today, and I´ve been reflecting. I really came to like peruvians as well as their nature. Colombians are different. They have this incredible pulse, while peruvians have a more reserved pride(in a good way), and I´ve talked to so many nice old men that love to talk about their country. There´s a different crowd travelling in Peru, and its amazing how established tourism is here. You´ll find a gringo anywhere!

There´s also an older crowd, very often couples, travelling in Peru. Definately more europeans.

I am now very much excited about how Bolivia will be! I´ll miss the peruvian roads at one point, probably. The food too. Oh boy..

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Arequipa and Chivay

09/02/11

After saying goodbye to the guys, I was on my way to Arequipa for 30 soles. The bus was fine, besides the fact that the speOakers were directly above my head, bursting out the Godfather 2 in spanish. I talked to a nice man from Arequipa, and took a sleeping pill to knock myself out for the whole 11 hours. Worked nicely.
Took a taxi for 5 soles to the center, for The Flying Dog hostel, where my dear Tornado was waiting for me. He has had some upgrades, and I can't wait to ride him tomorrow. I didn´t want to start riding now, when there's so much traffic.
Its a nice hostel with a good breakfast. Just a bit too expensive for me. I´m leaving for Colca Canyon at dawn, and intend to stay at Chivay, before going to Puno.
Arequipa is pretty, but there´s not a lot to do. I´ve walked around, snatched photos, met a guy I knew from Colombia, hung out with some people and really enjoyed watching The Expendables. We´re now going out for a free instrumental concert in the San Francisco church.
Other things to do in Arequipa is fine dining, party and visiting the Santa Catalina monastary.
The evening before I left, I met a german guy on a bike too. Might run into him in Colca Canyon.

I´m now enjoying some newfound music: Devendra Banhart (-freely, escpecially). Thanks Dolan.

Riding to Chivay

What a day!!

Chivay is the little town nearby Colca Canyon, the worlds deepest canyon. To get there, I got up really early and loaded my bike. And hey, my straps are just falling apart, and to not have to wait until traffic commences, I used lots of electrical cables as security! Disturbing.
I was afraid. Seriously afraid to get back on the bike after two months. Riding in such altitudes where the engine keeps tugging, so that you have to remain leveled out in every turn, didn´t help, either. Gradually, I`d get more and more comfortable again.
Travelling is strange. I`m just.. getting to know places now. Exploring. My passion is fresh and stirring. My eye is searching and admiring. My mind is saying I should be more careful.
I did conquer my fears today. Life gave me a nice reward for it. The scenery is once again very admirable. There`s hardly any plant life, but a few animal species; some sort of deer, alpacas and flamingos.
Can`t believe I was walking on my bike that many times to defeat the altitude, still remaining so positive that I was going to make it. I was rolling downhill at one point. The engine just died again and again, after I had passed the highest point, by some snowcapped mountains. Can`t say how worried I am about going back up there, on my way to Puno. Don`t feel like being stuck down here, though Chivay is a lovely town! Taking my bike to a mechanic later.

Everything has tasted great here, people are nice and wearing colorful, traditional clothing, and the dogs are the loveliest I`ve seen. The mountains are spectacular. Sorry, but Norway is just losing this fight...
I found a friendly hotel here for 10 soles, called El Rey. I`ve snatched photos and had a great lunch in a restaurant on the way to the bullfight arena. The landscape in the valley is lovely and there`s flowers all about. Its raining now, so its time to get some chemistry done. In the morning, its due offroading Colca Canyon! Hopefully some thermal baths, too.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Machu Picchu!

Days had been a bit unproductive, and I was keen on getting out of Cusco, though we´d had some kicks.

We booked our trip through Wayanay expeditions; 310 soles for a 6-7 hour minivan-ride through insane terrain that resembles the death road in Bolivia. Its rainy season, so a lot of landslides made the drivers have to get out and move rocks. At one point we all had to get out and cross 100meters of landslide terrain, while rocks were falling at our heads and people screaming out warnings.
We then had an included lunch, drove past some rediculously strong rapids, before we reached the beautiful valley where we would be walking for three hours. The sun was shining, the smell was of wet jungle, the sounds of the river and birds, while my eyes were wide open, pointed at the majestic mountains surrounding us. I thought I wanted to share these things, but I found myself isolated to feel a stronger connection to time and place. It was so good to get back into nature!
We walked a bit in the dark, before we reached Aguas Calientes, the town beneath Machu Picchu. After getting our entrance tickets(you need identification), we had a nice included dinner and a good, short sleep in the hotel which was also included.

The big day:

We got up at 4am and got in line, where we ate a snack. The gates open at quarter to 5, and we were not the first ones. I knew it was going to be a hell of a climb up those stairs. Approximatly 1,5 hrs. One of the argentinian girls that were there said she was an athlete, so she could run up there and keep slots for us. That kind of motivated me extra to push it. Only the first 200 people get to go up the incrediblys steep mountain; Wayna Picchu(50min). Because of the lack of oxygen, I had to stop a few times to breathe, so that the acid wouldn´t murder my legs. I was still number 20 to get up there. Quite happy about that. Especially since I beat that athlete by several minutes.
At 6 o clock, they start stamping your entrance to Wayna Picchu, and the buses begin to arrive. We had our guided tour from 7, so we wanted the 10 o clock entrance. (200 go up there at 7 and 200 at 10). The guide was better than expected! It has such an interesting history. We also had great weather, so it was good for photos. The last few days, it had been pouring down, so it was good that we had waited.
It was strange to be in a place that you had seen so many times before, on photos.
Spectacular!
We kind of lost Jack when we were about to leave, but we managed to get down on time to have lunch and reach the train. The train is slow, but nice. We just played cards and chilled out. It was a great deal better than the minivan, which was a dreadful ride for the last 6 hours.

Now, its our last day in Cusco. I'm sorting out photos, as I´m not sure I'll meet them in La Paz, and we´ll hopefully play some football, before I get on the bus to Arequipa(11hrs, about 90soles). Tomorrow I´ll be reunited with my dear Tornado!

The photos are in reversed order. As for the name in the sand, I do leave my friend's names in random places of SA. This is just the first one I posted. Love you guys!:)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Desert riding to Huanchaco

I left behind 622km of desert road today. I didn`t calculate on how windy it would be. It was a tough ride, and it wasn`t possible to ride faster than 110km/h, even though the roads were long, vast and flat. Every time I would overtake or pass by a truck, the wind would shift to either pull or hit me. The landscape was new and interesting. Especially right south of Mancora, where you suddenly enter a beautiful oasis. You pass by different levels of desert: from vegetational desert, to yellow, to white, to desert with a mountanious horizon that like a norwegian mountain would have pockets of snow, have sand instead, because of the wind. It was the first time I`ve seen Real poverty and some landscape covered in colourful plastic bags that got stuck in bushes. The panoramic views were impressive, and the roads themselves are good. I was once again thinking about how good life is to me. Just because I was in the middle of nowhere on the 7th of december, and a bit because along the roads, people were spending their whole lives in what I think of as a nowhere, celebrating with a tree they will never see, I started playing different christmas songs in my head. Surprisingly enough, I actually got some christmas spirit! Have I ever done anything less related to christmas then motorcycling through peruvian desert, though?

I didn`t stop for much else than gas-filling. Gas is expensive in Peru. One stop was due to a bridge being shut off because of some riot or something. I saw a bunch of people being chased into a field by the police that were shooting rubber bullets. I will never know why.
Traffic in Trujillo is crazy, but I made it to Huanchaco. Thank God that I went all the way! It`s great here. I found a hostel called my friend, for 10 soles, met some nice people, had a big plate of ceviche for 7; a special deal from the owner that invited me for some beers. I walked along the big beach at sunset, met some people from Mancora, at when I bought my first Cola. Never craved it in my lief. I`m just tired after today... Feel Really bad for the one`s I`ve met who are travelling by push bike on that stretch!! I`ll break up my ride down to Lima into two days to be able to enjoy it enough. I`m halfway. Actually passed by Victor. Ocean is staying in Trujillo to get some writing done. We`re all meeting up for Frode`s birthday party in Lima on saturday. It`s nice to make some closer friends here and there. You get too tired if you only have lots of random aquaintences.