COOKING AND BRAAAAPING AROUND THE WORLD: EPIC FEW DAYS HEADED FOR CUZCO

DAY-174

4/24/2012

Today I got on the road not until 10 or so taking my time, I was pretty tired from the day before. I knew I had about 6hrs of all pavement today, the only pavement day I will have all week. I passed through a couple of police checkpoints just getting waved through. I finally got waved over stopped and talked with them for a seconds showed my permit but nothing else and they told me to have a great day. I got pulled over again and this time we just shook hands and talked about where I had come from and where I was headed. Then they shook my hands and sent me on my way without ever looking at my documents. I filled up a few more times just to be on the safe side because I still do not have mileage. I got into Huancayo where I knew where to go to sleep from another traveler, I got there but they had moved so I was shown the new location; although I couldn’t get in the door. So I traveled around the city as it got dark looking for a cheap place with parking, I started to get frustrated and then relaxed, went back to the same placed asked for help and they knew a place with inside parking and cheapish rooms. I got a private for 12bucks, expensive but not a lot of choices.

DAY-175

4/25/2012

I have not been in a rush to get on the road super fast the last couple of days, each day have been about 8+hrs of riding so if I leave by 9ish at the latest I will be good. So I headed off today around 9am, I got pulled over twice at police checks. We just shook hands and talked for about five minutes each time without checking my documents they sent me on my way. The first time I was stopped they really liked my amigo Animal (from the Muppets) that is zip tied to my front crash bar.

The road was paved for about 10 minutes and then turned to a bumpy, rutted out, muddy, creeks, potholes, washed out, AWESOME dirt road. I just went for it, the map I had was okay for this area but I mainly depended on asking people along the way. The road stayed at high elevation and then started to climb higher and higher. There was over two hours of riding desolate high altitude dirt roads, just winding through abandoned villages. It was amazing riding, I was truly riding solo to the world what an amazing feeling. It was snowing/ hailing/ raining on me, and so cold. After a little detour I found my new dirt road and made my way up and over a few ridges, until I started dropping down to the world of heat, cactus, dried river beds, and a river. I was whipping down the road, so many switch backs through the start of the desert. I came around a turn and a cop coming up the other way was surprised by me but I was on my side and it was safe, but he slammed his brakes and held his horn at me staring at me trying to get me to stop as I went by so I waved and kept on going. When I checked the mirror they were still stopped looking at me ride away. (The road was too narrow for them to turn around) I passed a few more cops without an issue. I made it into the next big city and grabbed some gas and it all of a sudden started to rain cats and dogs. It was pissing down rain hard; I threw on my rain jacket and went for the last 70km stretch. It was raining hard I was staying with a truck taxi, when another taxi started to ride my ass, like really close. I passed a few cars and it started to stop raining. I saw a police check point coming up I slowed, the taxi caught up and was on me as we headed into the check point. No other cars were pulled over and one cop standing in the middle of the road started to wave me down I slowed but he was looking at another car and he was waving me over but it also looked like he was waving everyone behind me through. All of a sudden the taxi started to pass me, screw this I am going so I followed the taxi and the cop started blowing his whistle loud at me I played dumb and just kept on going waving as I passed. I checked my mirror and he was walking over talking with the other cops all staring at me but nothing else.

I have come to the conclusion if there are a group of cops standing around and not pulling anyone over until you come into view then they pull you over they are going to try and rip you off, play dumb and pass through if possible. I pulled into town and saw three cops stopped and asked them where this particular hostel was, after a few minutes two of them got into their truck and told me to follow them. It was an unmarked crappy Nissan, I followed it and they would pull in front of traffic stopping it and let me through. They got me to the hostel and dropped me off with a hand shake they were off. The cheap room was gone so I had to do a little haggling with the owner to get it down to a cheaper price. I have my own room, safe parking for ten bucks not to bad for this place, it should be a 20 dollar room and parking. I grabbed some pizza and water I am very dehydrated. I will head out tomorrow morning trying to get the best of the last 20hrs of dirt tomorrow to Cuzco.

DAY-176

12/26/2012

Started off this day around 8am on a beat up 4x4 road, I was hoping to make it to Abancay a supposedly 16hr bus ride. For the first two hours of riding I was alone except for the occasional truck. I bounced my way up toward a ridge up and over. The road was rad just winding through the country side farm after farm, I wasn’t sure I was on the right road but felt I was going in the right direction. The 4x4 dumped me onto another road, a smoother well used dirt road. I stopped and saw two vans headed my way; I waved down the second van and asked which way toward Abancay, they pointed me in the right direction then asked if they could take a picture of me.

I made my way down until I hit construction; we waited in line for about 10 minutes and then were told to go. Although half way through they stopped us again a truck was getting loaded with dirt, he kept waving me over then forward and then over and so on. Finally I saw an opening with the truck and blasted past the stop sign guy and made my exit. This new road I was on was nicely maintained and not bumpy but still dirt. There was at least 100 switch backs down to the river and crossed over to a town where I had lunch (two packs of cookies and a bottle of water). My map showed all dirt until Abancay, although after another hour of dirt the road went to brand new asphalt. I raged this through the mountains; the road constantly would climb up over mountains freezing cold and raining sleeting, and then switch back down to the floor of the desert so hot stripping off my layers. I made it to Andahuaylas which was supposed to be a good place to sleep, I asked how long till Abanacay as I got gas, I was told by Moto rapido it would take 3hrs, and it was 3pm. Not going to lie that last three hours was gnarly I was getting exhausted. At this point I had ridden close to 40hrs of 3/4 dirt in the past 4 days. I climbed two more passes and a few long straight away hugging to a side of a mountain. I topped out on the last pass and could see the city of Abancay, It was way down in the valley at least another hour. I raced down the dirt switch backs well over a hundred of them, finally dumping out at the river then had to ride down the river away from town for about 5km cross the bridge and start to climb back up toward the city via asphalt. Man to be honest I have not been this tired or beat up from riding thus far on this trip, four long hard days of riding and I am only 3-4hrs away from Cuzco. I found a cheap place to sleep after bargaining. I grabbed some food but because I was stupid and hadn’t eaten anything real all day or drank enough water I felt sick after eating and ran for the toilet. I went to bed by 8pm, dead to the world.