Author Archives: Daisy

Canyons, mountains, heat, and altitude.

After our hike in the Huayhuash it took us two days resting in Huaraz before we were ready to hit the road again. Huaraz is a modern, hectic, Peruvian town with just enough American style restaurants to make us want to stay even longer. We also had made friends in town, which was exciting in its own right. Adam and Tarunya met up with us twice for lunch, and we met up with Bala (another Pan-American cyclist) for a home-cooked curry dinner. Thank you to all three!

Upscale eatery in Huaraz. It was so fun to meet friends for lunch!

One last glimpse of the snow as we leave Huaraz

Our route from Huaraz took us from 10,000′ all the way down to 1,000′ over 3 days. You are probably wondering why it would take us 3 days, it was all downhill after all! Well, the road surface was awful for two of those days, and we spent an entire day bumping downriver at about 6.5 miles an hour. The upside, of course, was the scenery: we were in a massive, deep, and narrow canyon. We passed through more than 35 hand-carved (and unlit) tunnels!

The Canyon del Pato begins.

Canyon goes crazy!

It is dark in here!

Finally opning up again, on a nasty bumpy dirt road.

Those little kids are holding bags of fish.

We hit bottom, and pavement, in the tiny settlement of Chuquicara. Population 100. There was a single hotel, three small stands selling mostly out of date food items, and a couple of restaurants. It was enough for us though. The next day was to be a big one: we had to climb up all that elevation we had just lost, and in a single day.

We spent a very very long day climbing back up those 9,000′. At first it was easy and gentle along a river, but then it was straight up all afternoon. Traffic was non existent, so we listened to a book on tape and crawled up to the town of Pallasca. This town was built at the very top of a hill, and we loved their plaza which was packed wih topiary animals. We spent an exhausted night here before continuing on our up and down road.

Some sections of road seem not so trustworthy.

We started way down there at the river.

Getting near the top now!

I got hugged by a topiary bear.

Typical place where we sleep and eat.

For the next few days we went up and down over and over again. At the top of each climb we could literally see the next town just across the valley. Each time though, it was 20 tortuous miles down to the river and back up again. We slept in little hostels, watched elementay school marching bands, ate popcorn on the street, and crawled along roads that were sometimes dirt and sometimes brand new pavement.

Yesterday, on our way into the town of Cajabamba (where we’re resting now), we were forced to stop where a group of vehicles were gathered. As we approached we were concerned it was some sort of accident or protest, but we soon found out the truth. A very small bridge (less than 15 feet) had fallen over a week ago, so anyone travelling through here was forced to get out of their cars, walk down to the stream and back up, then find a new car on the other side. Of course, we had no problem getting the bikes across, but I am reasonably sure that everyone there had a blast watching the gringos pushing their bicycles!

Broken bridge back-up

I couldn’t resist including this welcome sign….

Now we are taking one final rest day in Peru before setting off again. In less than 2 weeks we will be in Ecuador! There are a few more tough climbs left, but we think that the craziest parts of Peru are behind us. We are really looking forward to spending a few days in the Amazonas region, and getting a glimpse at the more lush, jungle side of this country. After that, country number 8!

Typical one room store here.

Huancavelica to Huaraz – still more mountains

After recovering for three days in Huancavelica we were crawling up the walls of our (very nice) hotel room, and ready to get back on the road. In the nine days since we started riding again, we spent five of them on the main route through the Peruvian Andes. The scenery was great, but we shared the road with many mining trucks and a few tractor trailers. We also passed through some pretty bleak high altitude mining towns, but more on that later. There was a rest day in a hectic city, and three more days on quiet semi-paved and dirt roads. We have now reached the highest tropical mountain range in the world! There are glaciers here, and huge, beautiful peaks all around us. It is definitely not what one expects to see when they think of the tropics. Now, a few tidbits about what it took to get here.

Jason is happy to be back on the bike.

Our first few days out of Huancavelica were lovely. There was climbing, of course, but even more descent. The landscape was different, and the hills a became a bit more gradual. We enjoyed staying in small towns. There was also some nearly flat riding along a river for most of two days.

On the first climb leaving Huancavelica.

Some ladies take Jason to their tiny store for soda.

Mountaintop farms and cemetery.

It’s tough to keep our eyes on the road with all these mountains around!

This doggy was my favorite.

One day we stopped for lunch in a tiny town that wasn’t even on the map. There was no obvious restaurant, so we asked some ladies chatting on the street if there was any place to eat. One of them stood up and told us to follow her to her house, where she had some soup and other food. It turns out she runs a small, unmarked eatery where we had a lovely meal. There were even three friendly dogs who were thrilled to eat the meat scraps that we couldn’t stomach. It was another meal of ‘mondonguito’, sauteed cow stomach with potatoes.

Very dirty doggy.

That same day we ended in a tiny town called Sincos, where it was difficult to find lodging. In the nearly deserted main plaza we asked some older ladies, who told us about a guy who rents rooms in his house. A pair of young brothers (about 6 and 8) took us across the village to the house. One was on a bike and the other was running along behind him. It turned out to be our best value lodging for the whole trip! We had a comfortable little room, a warm shower and clean bathroom, and egg sandwiches for breakfast. All for a grand total of $4.75.

Note amused dude in background.

We also found a cafe serving pancakes! Ok, so they were ‘panqueques’, and tasted just like elephant ears from the country fair. In any case, it was a great change from the typical breakfast fare. I mean really, I can only eat fried rice for breakfast so many times.

The road gently sloped upward and entered an amazing valley surrounded by sheer rock walls. In the US this area would be a protected national park, and full of gawking tourists. Here, it is an industrial corridor full of mining trucks. Sure enough, we turned a corner to find a massive smelting facility and the dreary city of La Oroya. It has been declared one of the world’s ten most polluted cities, so we didn’t dawdle.

Soda and coffee explosion.

There was also an entire day of scattered showers at high altitude. We really had a hard time keeping going in the cold and dreary surroundings. The remedy? Soda and coffee. I know, not exactly a healthy choice, but on long grey days…

That night we slept in a bleak town immediately next to a giant, open pit mine at 14,000′. It was cold and dreary. The only lodging we could find was an incredibly basic hospedaje with cold, cell-like rooms. We laid down on the narrow bed, and it immediately broke under us. We had to put the mattress on the ground and sleep in our sleeping bags that night!

Bleak day.

Our sad room before we broke the bed and slept on the floor.

Rest day for the win!

The next day we descended nearly 8,000′ over the course of 75 miles. It was lovely to watch the ecosystem change from the barren high altitude plains to eucalyptus forests and farmlands. At the bottom we entered the major city of Huanuco. This city claims to have ‘the best climate in the world’; it was pouring rain as we arrived. Despite this minor discomfort, we took a lovely rest day wandering the hectic city and eating pizza.

From Huanuco we had to climb back out of the valley and into the (very) high mountains. Luckily, we were on a much quieter road that alternated between potholed pavement and dirt. We passed through many small villages, saw naughty little boys setting up roadblocks to charge tolls on the road, and got chased by lots of dogs. We even met another cycletouring couple from Pennsylvania!

Narrow, potholed roads, but no traffic!

Naughty children creating road blocks

Up and up!

At the top, the ‘Crown of the Inca’

Traffic.

Nasty stream crossing

The first begging cats I’ve ever met.

Seth and Amanda, from Lancaster Pennsylvania.

Our last notable day was very notable indeed. We woke up at dawn to cross the Cordillera Blanca, Peru’s most impressive mountain range, on a dirt road. Most of the climbing was on pavement, but near the top we turned off onto a rough track that led us to some truly incredible views. We spent most of the day up high, moving slowly on the dirt and gawking at the views. On the descent we passed through a large stand of the Puya Raimondii, the largest bromeliad in the world. When it flowers, the plant produces a stalk of flowers up to 30′ tall, and it does this only once before dying. Jason calls them ‘Pineapple trees’ and was super excited to see them.

More llamas, and there were even cows up at 15000 feet!

The road was rough for a little while.

Now we are in the city of Huaraz, in the shadow of these incredible mountains. For the next eleven days we will be hiking a circuit in the Huayhuash mountains to the south. We are excited and nervous to be out hiking for so long, but the route promises to be beautiful and we have signed on with a group of 5 other hikers. There will be a guide, a cook, and donkeys to carry all the gear. We promise a full report once the hike is done!

Fitting too much adventure into 3 days

Six days have passed since we left the city of Ayacucho, and it’s a little hard to believe just how much happened in the first three. On paper they should have been somewhat typical days, at least by Peru standards: climb uphill for about 4 hours, then descend. In real life, however, there was so much more adventure. We saw unexpectedly lovely mountains and rock formations, had a major mechanical problem, fought our way up and over a pass on a dirt road under construction, and had to find a desperation campsite in a Peruvian backyard. After these three exhausting and challenging days, it took us nearly three days of resting in the wonderful city of Huancavelica before we felt up to getting back on the road.

A common occurrence these days.

First, we left Ayacucho along a busy road that swept us down a long, gradual canyon. At the bottom it was HOT, and the evil biting sandflies were out in full force. Our turn onto a secondary road was completely unmarked, but luckily our new tablet has GPS so we didn’t miss it. Immediately the traffic died down and it felt like we were in heaven. The road was narrow, newly paved, and through wonderful scenery. The mountains were so different from those we had seen before. As we wound up the river valley we saw many different colors and rock types that reminded us of the Atacama desert in Chile.

At the end of the valley the river went one way and the road went another. The road went up. It turned out to be the steepest climb we’ve done in months, and we were both exhausted by the time we reached the top. Midway up we asked a few groups of farmers about how much was left. One lady just told us ‘a lot’, and another group said we were ‘almost there’. The moral of the story is that asking is useless, we should just keep riding. Down the other side we found a really cute little town with a hidden little hotel under construction where we spent a peaceful night. Everyone in town seemed very interested in our trip and wanted to shake our hands.

Looking back down

The wiring and bathroom at our hotel under construction.

The next morning we awoke refreshed and ready to ride… until we noticed the flat tire on Jason’s bike. Crap. We began to put some air back into it, just to see how fast the leak was, when our bicycle pump failed. This was no gradual decline. It failed completely and permanently right there, in a tiny hill town in Peru. We pushed the bikes into the town center to see if anyone had a pump. No one in the village sold them, and no vehicle drivers had any either. Somehow, miraculously, Jason struck up a conversation with a lady from Lima who was visiting her mom. She had a pump! We had a great chat with her as we changed out the tube and successfully re-inflated the tire. The rest of the day was spent studiously avoiding all road debris, since we couldn’t get a new pump until the next town.

Thank you Tania!

The road was truly lovely all day. It was a dream to ride on, there was nearly no traffic, and the scenery was great even by Peru standards. See pictures.

That night we managed to find a new pump in a hardware store. It is pretty basic, but definitely does the job. When we bought it the girl working there (who appeared to be about 10 years old) didn’t have any change, so we had to do all our other shopping first. This is actually a common problem here. No one seems to have change, even for small bills. Oh well, we’re getting pretty used to it.

The day started out pretty great…

It was the third day that nearly did us in. This stretch of road was not only dirt, but also under construction. We were re-routed on a steeper, rougher detour for the worst of the climbing, and then had to share the road with heavy machinery for most of the afternoon. Jason had had a rough night so he wasn’t feeling very well. Additionally, he was very grumpy from the bumpy road. This obviously didn’t make for very fast or pleasant progress. I ended up taking two of his bags to help him keep moving, but there are no pictures of this since he was too grumpy to take pictures. I swear, I’m not sore about it or anything…

What?! A DETOUR?!

Super nasty mining waste

Good scenery though, near the top.

As we neared the top of the last pass for the day it was about 4 o’clock and there was a big storm moving in. I was scared of being caught in the storm, and it was very rough to keep moving. The rain started within a mile of the summit, and it only got worse on the other side. Additionally, it was cold, very cold. We got as bundled up as possible and started downhill. We had planned to reach the city in the valley, but we couldn’t get up any speed at all because of the treacherous and slippery road conditions. We watched the sun set as we made our slow progress downhill.

The construction and rain combined to form a thick layer of slick mud. Our wheels got covered, the fenders got jammed. At one point just as it was getting dark my back wheel skidded and I almost fell. From here, we walked to the next group of houses. Jason’s wheel got so mudcaked that it completely seized and stopped rolling. No one seemed to live at the houses we tried, and the one older lady we found nearby didn’t seem to understand that we wanted permission to camp. It was getting cold and dark fast though (we were at nearly 13,000′), so we found a hidden spot in an abandoned yard and crawled in the tent. That night we had avocado sandwiches in the tent and listened to the construction continue until midnight. It was cold and uncomfortable, but we were safe.

In the morning we awoke to ice everywhere. The mud on our bicycles had frozen solid, and I had a flat tire. We almost despaired, but instead we set the bikes in the sun. As the mud thawed we knocked it off with tent stakes, and I pumped enough air in my tire to limp the last 5 miles downhill into town. It was with great relief that we entered the city! After securing a hotel we took our bikes to a carwash to get them cleaned, and then we crawled into bed for a long nap.

Extravagant breakfast for $2.00

It really did take us nearly three rest days to recover from all that excitement! Luckily, Huancavelica proved to be a great place to spend a few days. In that whole time we only saw one other tourist. The locals were exceedingly friendly, the city was lovely, and there were many events to keep us entertained. We could have used some good espresso and some waffles, but hey, we know we can’t have everything.

Central plaza of Huancavelica

Happy dog near the butcher´s stall.

Now we are taking the main route to the city of Huaraz, where we hope to do some hiking in more of Peru’s legendary mountains. With a bit of luck, the next week of riding will be substantially less eventful!

Here are a few more pictures that somehow didn´t make the cut for the narrative:

Common sight: lots of crap in an old truck. This one reminded me of when I learned to drive a stick shift!

Baby lambs are really far cuter than expected.

Alpacas in the high country

Up and down and up – a week in Peru’s mountains

We’ve climbed a lot of mountains on this trip, but never before have we climbed this many mountains in this short of time. I kid you not – in the last 6 days of riding we have climbed (and descended) over 30,000′ of elevation. To put that into perspective, Mt. Everest is 29,035′. In order to accomplish all this climbing the roads are more twisted and switchbacked than we thought possible. For example, this section of road:

It has been absolutely incredible to climb into the clouds, far above the valleys, and then descend down to the steaming river valleys. At the top of the climbs we see alpacas, llamas, and wild vicuna. At the bottom we see sugar cane, mango trees, bananas, and avocados. We have ridden through many tiny villages, and eaten out nearly every meal at small eateries that offer soup and one or two choices for a main. Once, we even had cow stomach for breakfast!

At the bottom of a deep river valley.

Agricultural fields define the hillsides at moderate altitudes

Up top (at 14,000′) not much grows.

We left Cuzco on a Sunday morning to beat traffic, and it turned out to be an easy ride out of the city. During the day we met up with Jorge, another ultra-long distance touring cyclist that we knew from La Paz. We ended up riding with him for the next couple of days. That night we decided to ride a bit extra to stay at some hot springs we had heard about. Well, ‘a bit extra’ turned out to be nearly 20 miles, the last couple of which were steeply downhill on a rough dirt road. The ‘hot’ springs were barely lukewarm, and packed with Peruvian families bathing themselves with Head and Shoulders shampoo. It was certainly an experience!

Small town just outside of Cuzco.

We found another Inca ruin with ‘human-sized’ niches.

Our bikes have a new look! We’ve downsized our gear to make the climbing easier.

The next day we made a new record for the most climbing in a single day: over 7,000′ of elevation. We were on the bikes at dawn, and rode up and up and up for almost the entire day before plunging back down. That night we stayed in the city of Abancay. It was yet another bustling Peruvian town. Most notably, it had an amazing restaurant with vegetarian meals and massive, delicious fruit salads. We had both a dinner and a breakfast there!

Jason is all smiles as we ride away from the ‘hot’ springs.

Almost at the top!

A hungry puppy we shared our lunch with.

We spent a rest day in the town of Andahuaylas, four days ride from Cuzco. We were pretty pooped, and spent all our time there eating out and reading articles on the internet. Sometimes we just get tired and overwhelmed from taking it all in. It’s times like this that we just hole up for a day or two and relax. Especially in this land of giant climbs, hectic city streets, crazy markets, and restaurant foods.

Sauteed stomach for breakfast anyone?

We felt much better after our day of rest, and the following day was truly a pleasure. We climbed 5,000′ and it seemed easy! It is remarkable to watch the ecosystems slowly change from the hot river valleys to the fertile agricultural hillsides to the barren high lands. It also helps that we’ve been listening to a new young adult audiobook that keeps us entertained. We also met a couple of local schoolkids biking back to their village after school. At first they were shy, but we got them talking! Their names were Fidel and Ernesto.

Did I mention we hit 14,000 miles?!

A couple more days of climbing followed before we arrived in the big city of Ayacucho. The city was the site of an armed uprising by the Maoist party called ‘The Shining Path’ in the 1980’s and 90’s. There was widespread violence against government officials, union organizers, and peasants. It was a dark and bloody time for Peru. We have found plaques in the city memorializing the fallen. Currently, however, Ayacucho is another lively Peruvian city with a historical city center and lots of pedestrian streets. Most importantly for us, it’s also known for its food. We are spending a rest day here to get ready for a few days of hilly dirt roads. Mainly, we are eating!

There are so many lovely pictures that we’ve taken these past few days, and it’s hard to fit them all into the narrative. Here are a few more for you!