March 10, 2010

Feeling a little bit better, I decided to ride BACK to the coast and go to Lima. I wanted to avoid Lima, and I was already in the mountains, set to avoid it, but my “intuition” told me I needed to get the bike checked. I’d been trying to find a 525 master link everywhere I went (what a pain!) and never could. Ben Slavin (www.AFewMoreMiles.com) had told me about a good motorcycle shop where they fixed him up good, and with Gaston sending me detailed maps of Lima, it all looked pretty straightforward.

Getting out of Huaraz, however, was not so straightforward. More construction.

Blowing sand…

Ahem. Take a close look at this picture. What’s wrong here?

Looking over my left shoulder as I headed South and West, gollee. What a panorama (Cordillera Blanca).

First St. Francis statue I have ever seen ofhim with a llama. Bespeaks where we are…

I am just loving this ride this morning. Kinda makes up for the fact that I have to head to Lima.

My THIRD encounter with the Peruvian Police…there’s a small town in the middle of nowhere. I’ve been looking for breakfast for over an hour. I stop and ask a Policia Carreteras (highway policeman) where to eat, HERE he says. He’s a little shy and a LOT curious, so after about 5 minutes he comes in and orders breakfast for himself as well, sitting at a table across from me yet facing me.  He asks all the questions everyone asks: what country am I from? Am I traveling alone? Where’s my husband? Do I have kids? Why not?  Did I come here ALL THE WAY ON THE MOTO?? etc. I enjoy watchign the waves of shock roll over their faces as I give the same answers I have given hundreds of time.

Breakfast.  am pleasantly surprised by the fried banana. I haven;t had  any in a while.

How many miles on down the road in the US do you think he’d get before being pulled over.?

I’ll see him again…I stop at this gas station on the left and get gas.

My pottie 🙂

Now sure how to navigate the mule train, so I just go s-l-o-w.

here’ something new: glad I finally got it on film, even if fuzzy.  In the mountains I’ve seen a few of these cars announcing “X” number of trucks following. Handy.

I descended a very long, low descent and except for the blue sky, the entire world turned a sort of pale beige and white. This green valley came as quite a shock.

Crop dusters. Who’d a’ thunk it?

Definitely back on the Panamericana.

Get this: There’s no sense of lane propriety in Peru. Colombian traffic was crazy, but this is insane. In this case my lane is obviously not my lane. Nor is it my lane when they are coming t-o-w-a-r-d-s me. Oncoming Buses flash their lights and honk at you when they are passing–and it’s up to you to get out of THEIR way!!! A good many trucks and cars follow this practice as well.

The Pacific again.

Sugarcane.

Shantytown.