Fine weather in Lima

On Wednesday the 5th May I left Cusco in the direction of Lima. Because the city is lying in a basin, it went up really steep. Within the city through narrow alleys, there was hardly room for cars, so there hardly was traffic. After that it got worse because the street was wide enough for buses. At some point I had climbed the first hill and stood right in front of an Adventure Park.

Thats what you need if you are not traveling by bike! The roads and traffic in South America are enough adventure for me, since I do not need anything more, which drives up my adrenaline.

A wonderful descent was waiting for me for down to a wider valley leading to the city of Anta. At the exit of the city, I drove past a house with a big sign · Queseria Suiza Andina ¨. Two young women were waving to me from a window and indicating to come there. Once again a great opportunity for a break, I thought.

Florentina and Felicity from Switzerland are in the area since 1 ½ years, the newborn twins for a week. Jesus, the Peruvian cheese master is a local. Together, they develop concepts how to prepare a better, more ecological and healthier cheese. They offer workshops and would like to create more jobs especially for women.

The cheese that comes out is delicious, unfortunately, because that added a kilogram of cheese to my supplies, which I had bought in Cusco. As promised, the cheese lasted a very long time, almost to Lima (just to Pisco) and the last piece was just as good as the first. At first I feared that when it was warmer that the cheese melts, but that was not the case. So I can really recommended, cheese is a brilliant cycling diet anyway.

Thank you very much to the team and good luck for the future.

Freshly strengthened I went on. This strengthening was later also sorely needed. The road started flat at the beginning, then it went up and up and up, always higher and around countless curves.

Right before the summit was a construction site, one lane was closed, the vehicles heading in my direction had to wait obviously for a long time, because they sat on the roadside having a picnic. I also had to wait at first, but the lady who stopped the cars to continue, had the feeling, as I did, I could pass the site safely but she could not let go without permission. Again and again she said in her Walki Talki ¨ Tourista con Bicicletta ¨, until they finally allowed me to pass through. Cars also made themselves ready, but had to wait. I do not know what happened to them, I didn´t see a car all the way down and I could enjoy the view.

Not only on the route of the construction site. So I had the most brilliant of all downhill trips and the road completely on my own. It went down from 3800 to 1800 m (all data without guarantee, but approximately). Then I was down in the gorge. It was mad how the road went along the rocks.

After that I passed over a bridge.

And I had to climb all those meters up again. When I went downhill I didn´t realize how warm it was, but I did when I rode up again.
The nearest town was still about 50km away and I wondered for how the ascent would go. I tried to identify the course of the road, but I could not. Children on horses without saddles rode first behind me, then overtook me at a gallop. How I envied them. With the last ray of sunshine and 1000m higher again, I reached the next town. Luckily the man from the apartment helped me to carry my luggage to the room. I wouldn´t have coped to do it on my own.

The next day was like the day before, still going up the mountain. Still I was not out of the gorge. I practically went right into a wall of stone and wondered how and where to go on my way high? But somehow it went.

The road must have been destroyed not too long ago by a landslide. Again and again I went past construction sites. In Cusco I had bought a new German flag, the old one was totally bleached and torn. Peru was the first country in which at last it showed an effect. Not constantly I was asked where I came from, but every construction worker shouted after me: ¨ Alemana, eh? ¨ Unmistakably, these are soccer-playing and -loving people.

Still, for me it went up in countless zigzag curves. No idea how many times I passed that sign.

Meanwhile the landscape remembered me a bit of Switzerland.

After 34km I reachd 4000m of altitude. Nearly vertically down below Ilike lying in a hole was the city of Abancay.

The road was a masterpiece of the art of building a road. As it went up 34km before, it went down again for 36 km, only much faster. The distance between Abancay and Curahuasi is 22km. Mileage today:, 72 “Welcome to Peru”

I heard many cyclists complaining about the many mountains in Peru, but no one has raved about the brilliant runs.

When I was in the city I was looking for an accommodation,when a young woman asked me in German if I am from Germany. She was quite amazed to meet a German here. She was born here 20 years ago and was, until she was adopted by German parents, here in the orphanage. For nearly a year, she was now in Peru to see the country and to make contacts with her biological family. She worked at the orphanage in which she stayed herself 20 years ago. But it was clear that after a year she would go back to Germany. I was very much impressed by the woman and the story.

After long ascent on the next day I passed villages and cows,

(by the way, who has the bigger horns?!?)

I reached a even plateau. For a longer distance you are travelling in heights between 4200-4500m. The landscape was changing quite often.

In the villages I noticed what barking dogs and whistling men have in common: If one starts, eveyone else comes running as well.

After I set off from one of the last settlements, dark cloudspulled up, but though I drove on. Then it started to rain. When I stopped to get out my rain jacket because it´s always terribly cold at that altitude, a truck driver came over to me, who just checked his vehicle and asked me iif he could give me a lift.
At first I refused, but then it started to hail and it was getting colder, I thought maybe I ought to accept the offer. So until the next settlement where I could maybe set up my tent. I was hardly in the car, when a snow storm broke loose. In the next village, I still did not get out because it looked not very inviting and the second ddidn´t either.. So we went straight on and in the cold and wet my desire to sleep in the tent passed away anyway. So I was up to the next city to sit still. Unfortunately it was too late when we arrived above Puquio, by bike, I would have not arrived there before dark. So I remained in the car and enjoyed the beautiful descent there.

From there it went up a small hill and then I passed my last 4000m pass for some time. And I have noticed that I'm getting fit again, I must finally no longer breathe hard in this altitude.

In this area there are many stone walls. Sometimes animals are in there, sometimes it is a field.

I was surprised that they are usually found far from any settlement and were circular. The Summit is the Pampa Galeras National Park,

Full of Pampa-Grass and Guanacos.

A Lama-Species that is endangered.

Then came the brilliant downhill-ride, a lenght of 100 km going down from 4200 to 680m, although at the beginning it was not as steep because it was a plateau. As it was already quite late and cold, I divided this trip into two stages. My goal was to come just under 3000 m, so it wouldn´t get too cold at night in the tent.

A restaurant was situated in a curve so I stopped short and thought it would be a nice place for a rest. Someone from the restaurant called me and asked me to come across to camp there. Apparently many other cyclists pass who set up camp here for the night, Japanese, Chinese, French, etc. Of course I complied!. The view was magnificent.

Below me the hills behind which the sun was setting and 2000m lower the lights of Nasca.

Today the desert had me back again.

And I zigzagged in many bends down.

Shortly before Nasca I have heard for the first time of the Nasca lines, mysterious figures-lines in the sand, their meaning is still completely unclear. They date from the years between 900 BC to 600 AC. The German mathematician Maria Reiche has dedicated her life to these lines, I spent at least a few hours with them.

I just arrived in Nasca, and I was already offered flights as the only way to see all the lines. Since a week ago, I still knew nothing of that so now I was not willing to pay 80 U.S. dollars for that.North of Nasca are three figures right next to the street and a viewing tower from which you can see them.

In order to appreciate the work of Maria Reich, I went to the museum. I was interested to get an idea who she was and why she spent her life in the desert taking measurements of the figures.

In the end all I could see was Nasca - lines, even on the cat.

The desert is again very fascinating and more varied than in the north of Chile, there are many more oases in between. In a Orangeplantation I set up my tent on beautiful green grass.

After I had eaten all my cheese of 1kg I was given at least two kilos of oranges on the next morning. But they were soon gone.

The next evening I was back in an oasis, but an entirely different kind because it was a small tourist center, I found it very funny, when I arrived there. In the middle was a small lake

With many sanddunes around it where you could sandboarding.

The only people around I noticed were some local youths. A bit later I saw hordes of dutch tourists who came through the desert in sand-buggies.

It offers something for everybody, for me again a little piece of grass for my tent.

At some point I went to Paracas, bent towards the sea, where the real guano fertilizer is produced. Even though I had finally seen the sea once again, it was not a good idea. Only briefly, I could take a glimpse of the ocean between the fish factories. Otherwise, it smelled very strong.

Pisco was not worth the detour, even if the Pisco, the grappa of South America, is made there. A few years ago there was an earthquake. Not only is the church lay in rubble, barely a road was paved, all sandy and dusty.

After that the Panamericana had me back again.

First passing cotton-fields,

Then desert again. I began to understand why all those signs indicating “Zona de niebla” were standing around. There hardly was any sun, only fog.
It´s supposedd to be so on the whole coast.
Today I had a break. Actually, one should think that the higher you get, the less fog. But down here it is the other way around. Down in a valley and a wonderful oasis of orchards, was bright sunshine.

I met a czech biker named Petr. He was a sunshine on his own and in a very good mood. Somebody who didn´t scold about people and landscape, but was very optimistic. Unfortunately he went off in the other direction.

It wasn´t far to go to Lima anymore. At first I reckognized the beaches,

Not very inviting, but the main thing was that the “Naionalbeverage” was back in the foreground.
I never saw somebody in the water, except fishermen. As I learned later that summer is here now over.

Traffic was still moderate right into the city. Even in the city, the streets are nice and wide. Only once there was a bigger jam.
I queued up, of course, once again the only bicycle in sight. Amazingly, no one honked, they probably understood at last that I am stuck in traffic just as fast as any other car, probably even faster.

Relatively quickly, I arrived at Anibals place, not only member OF THE hot shower list of Lima, but also founder of the Peruvian cycling touring club. And (still) owner of a hotel. Not bad, I was amazed when I stood in front of the Hotel Mont Blanc in Lima. For cyclists, there is room for disposal. Very nice.

The Hotel is situated behind the “Parque de Reserva”, which is full of fountains.

I stayed longer than planned because of the bike club on Monday night didl ike to have a presentation. So I had plenty of time to do some sightseeing in the very beautiful city.

Germany seems to be very popular in Peru, many have approached me talking in German, English or Spanish. In the latter, I simply smiledand just nodded and said ¨ Si, Si ·.

Unfortunately the weather was not very sunny. It apparently never rains here on the coast, but in the morning there was a light drizzle and not much else to see of the sun. A really cold wind developed later int the day. Unmistakably, winter was approaching, because all people were buying long and warm coats..

So I decided to visit the museum. On the very first day I have seen many flags and portraits withh “Mali” on them. I asked myself what Lima had to deal with Mali, because in the exhibition there was not much to see from Mali. It took a long time until it came out that Mali was an abbreviation for · Museo de Arte Lima ¨. So I have seen works of Peruvian artists from different eras, from Inca ceramics to portrait photographs of a Peruvian Starfotograph.

Bicycle tours in Peru are, as in almost all South-American countries, at the very beginning. Almost hopeless to get good equipment. If you want something, you have texactly to know what in advance and let it deliver from the U.S. or Europe. Even so it can be afforded by only a few. Therefor the group of bike-enthusiasts on Monday evening was quite small, but the interest all the more stronger, and infinitely many questions, and of course, my bike stood in the cente of interest.
Also for me there was again much to learn.

OnTuesday 18 May I went further north, along the sea, apparently the depressing route in South America, just fog and desert. Which I could not agree, however.

The route out of Lima was a hard piece of work.. I do not know how many universities this city has.
In general, in direction of North there have been quite a few traffic jams. Where there is no university, there is a shopping center. Probably 90% of all shoppingmalls in Peru are situated on this 15km-stretch. Who the hell is buying there?

After Anchon, the beach of Limone, ( you can not imagine the muddy soup!) the picture suddenly changed. An road-toll agency minimized the already reduced traffic even more. There also were no more villages, and it went up like on a sand dune. In the outskirts there omly remained newl y created slums , Pueblo Joven.

Now and then we saw estate staked in the sand and one wonders who will live there? Later, the desert became green again. Through the fog on the rocks, a green carpet formed lichens, other rocks were red, and the yellow of the sand, everything was colourful, in general when the sun came out.

The Pan-American Highway is newly built, 4-lanes and passing leads to the villages. What makes it seem very dangerous, too isolated,
I was told that there are robberies from time to time, but have not noticed anything like this.

In Huarmey in a small seaside town, I talked to a young woman and she asked me if I was from Germany. She was very excited, she is here since nine months , absloving a Volunteer from the Archdiocese of Freiburg, and I since was the first German she met here, except for a German nun who is living here. She looks after working children, who have to earn the money, because otherwise the whole family would collapse. It is her job to make sure that at least they still go to school, helps them with homework and also provides them with food, why some children must no longer have to work because they have to earn only for their own subsistence. It sounded very exciting and interesting to me.

Because of tailwind I made a quick progress. In a roadhouseI stopped and was immediately greeted warmly. Apparently I was not the first cyclist, who came stopped here. Even a German newspaper clipping with a photo, beautifully framed, was shown to me. The Restaurant of Clemente is truly an oasis in the desert. After I had eaten and drunk two glasses of soy milk, biscuits, he did not even want anything for that.

Thus fortified well it went very quickly to Chimbote, the largest fishing port in Peru. By no means it was smelling after fish, as one might assume. The most productive years are over due to overfishing. Nevertheless still hundreds of colorful fishing boats romp in the harbor.

Here I was overtaken by a cyclist who stopped and said that if I came to Trujillo, I needed to have to go to Lucho in the “Casa de Ciclista”. Beforehand I already knew that this place was famous in the circles of bikers, but that he is famous among the locals surprised me. Then I only meant that he is waiting for me.

After Chimbote I had to go through a tunnel. It was not too long, just about 300m, but there was little light in it. I thought that cardrivers would see me with my light jacket and the reflectors, Before I entered the tunnel, I noticed that a police car was behind me. First I wanted to stop, but they indicated that I should go on. So I did this and they went after me, not only giving me backing but also light. Very nice! After the tunnel, I thanked them and theyturned around again.

On the road to Trujillo, there are some sugar cane fields and therefore also a few trucks with the harvest.

This smells very special.

With virtually no break, I drove the 130km to Trujillo, where I had become so hungry that I stormed the first food stall.

It then didn´t take me much longer and I had found the legendary Casa de Ciclista.

Immediately I signed in the ¨ Golden Book of cyclists ¨. I was number 1323, and that is not even from the beginning, as Lucho has founded it 25 years ago. Except me a Yugoslav, an Englishmen, two Frenchmen and one Colombian were there. Except the Colombian all cyclists headed in southern direction. The Colombian, Lazaro was in a wheelchair. The day before, he had set the world record in riding the whheelchair, 33 hours, about 350 km, an extremly interesting man. He was on his way from Buenos Aires to Colombia, and was then asked by the disabled people in Peru, to do something for them so he instantly decided to break the old world record. His next project is to go in the wheelchair in four months from Colombia to Canada. I wish him continued success and good stamina.

To celebrate, there was a party in th night. Not exactly what you need after a long day cycling. At midnight I was so tired and had enough sangria to drink, that I could sleep with any noise.

A little parcel was waiting for me, my Rohloff oil, thanks to Manuel Dapp of Veloshop Steinen. I had lost my spare-oil on the way to the Andes because of the air- pressure. So I was finally able to improve my gears.

Trujillo also has a historical center, but for me after I had visited Lima wasno longer so interesting. But I did some sightseeing in Chanchan, the largest pre-Columbian city in America.

Very impressive, acity, where once up to 60,000 people are said to have lived. Unfortunately there is not much left of it, but in parts the thick walls up to 4m and decorations.

I left on Tuesday, 25 Again in May further north in the direction of Ecuador.