As usual we find ourselves far behind on writing but we are doing our best! We are in Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca. It is both a climbing and hiking mecca here in Peru. There are something like twenty plus 6000 meter or more peaks in just this small area. But first we had to get up here.

We left Trujillo and rode along the Panamerican for about 70 kilometers before turning off onto a private company road that allows cyclists to use. The road was really beautiful and quiet. It went through the dry desert foothills of the Andes mountains. Literally nothing more than rocks, sand and occasionally bigger rocks. We wild camped in a river bed because we were pretty sure it was not going to rain and we enjoyed the nice peacefulness of the area. The next day we continued along the road until it came to a small town where we were accosted by thousands of sand flies. Sand flies leave the worse bites ever and for about the next 20 kilometers we tried to avoid being completely devoured by them. My legs still have the telltale small droplet size scabs they leave. We finally did leave the sand fly area and got to a small town where we enjoyed a menu. A menu is a Peruvian set meal that includes soup, plate of food and a drink. We had just consumed a whole papaya as well so we left the town a little belly heavy.

We crossed the bridge over Rio Santa and continued into what we though was the Canon del Pato. After about 15 kilometers of climbing a truck pulls over to ask where we are going. Well, we find out we have taken the wrong road. Whoops! Anyhow we went back downhill and since it was so windy we were in our lowest gears just trying to ride downhill. That is the best definition of frustration I can think of. Anyhow, we make it back to the bridge and see it is a small gravel road we have to take to go to the Canon and Huaraz. So with our lovely road bikes we head out mountain biking. We slogged our way through the gravel for about 10 kilometers until we found a small rest stop/restaurant thing. There a man named Coco immediately said we could camp and shower. He then told us stories about all the travelers who have stayed at his small stop. In the morning he presented us with apples and membrillos to take with us on the road. Happily, we set out to the sandy gravelly road. The scenery here though was spectacular. We just kept following the river higher and higher through the gorge. The higher we got the steeper and more treacherous the canyon became. There also began the tunnels. There were at least 40-50 tunnels in only about a 40 kilometer stretch. Finally we left the canyon and found ourselves on paved roads again and winding our way through a wider river valley. From here the views of the Cordillera Blanca are supposed to be the most impressive, but it was clouded in. It was still a very peaceful road to ride through all the farms and small villages. We stayed the night with some firefighters and they gave us a recommendation about staying in Huaraz and we headed off after eating breakfast with them.

Along the last section to Huaraz the road was littered with potholes and finally I hit one and gave myself a flat tire. As we were stopped fixing the tube and man came up and invited us to have a soda with him. So after I fixed my wheel we went inside and attempted to down a liter of coca cola at 10:30 in the morning with this guy who was already a little drunk. Then we continued on to try and make it to Huaraz but the rain set it. So we set about finding a place to stay the night. We found a hotel that was being renovated and we found the owners who immediately asked for 10 soles to stay. Merilee and I waffled on this because it would be sleeping on the floor and taking a cold shower for 10 soles. Not really that ideal. Soon enough though the owner lightened up and decided to let us stay for free. Maybe it was the party taking place in a big hall or the beer he was drinking, but Juan invited us to a drink and a plate of food. He told us about his travels in the USA and drew us a map of Lima. Which he said he would give us in the morning. Except, next morning, he was too drunk to wake up and we waited until about 11 for him before we finally left to ride the final 20 kilometers into Huaraz.

Along the road there we met some old friends. As we stopped for a construction site some folks we met a few days earlier drove up and then Antonio, a cyclist from Trujillo, also rode up. So we chatted together and rode into Huaraz. Since then we have been hanging out with Antonio and Nat, another cyclist from Trujillo, who made it into Huaraz the following day.

By some strange force of the universe, as we were entering a cafe Merilee ran into an old Online Cafe co-worker. Joe, it turns out, and his wife Nina are volunteering in a community school that helps students who are falling through the cracks (i.e. can't pay for books, school uniform, family doesn't even have space for them to do homework, etc.) here in Huaraz. Anyhow, Joe and Nina immediately invited us to stay a few days to work at the school and spend Christmas with them and their roomates Jan and Shelly who also work at the school. Merilee and I decided it would be best to spend Christmas with a bunch of good people instead of riding through Lima (which had been our previous plan). Yesterday we had our Christmas dinner because in Peru the 24th is Christmas dinner day. We had a huge feast of american and welsh food. We had cheesy leeks and nut loaf, two welsh classics. And, of course, a turkey. At midnight we went up to the roof to watch the town explode in fireworks. It was pretty awesome to see everyone shooting off their own individual fireworks.

Trujillo and Fun

Well we have had to jump on a bus for the first time here on our trip. Between our last stop, Guadalupe, and Trujillo there is a small town named Paijan. This time is famous for cane fields and cyclist robbery. Some people decide to attempt to pass the city and have no problem but many people have been robbed recently and many have narrowly escaped. Anyhow, we decided that getting on a bus for about 130 Km is not too bad to avoid this, and the massive expanse of desert that is the coast of Peru. Now we are resting in Trujillo enjoying the company of other cyclists here in a casa de ciclistas. We have met very few other cyclists on this trip and the casa de ciclists here in Trujillo is kind of a cyclist mecca. Everyone goes here.


Me and Merilee had plans to leave today but we had some work to do at an internet cafe this morning so we headed out to do it. As usual, we were up too early and the cafe wasn't opened. Merilee walked into the hardware store next door to see if they knew what time the cafe opened. Before she had the chance to ask some random kid walks up behind her and grabs her butt and starts to take off. Merilee turns after the kid and grads him by the hand and demands an apology. He spitefully says he's sorry. But, by now passerbyers and the hardware store guy have taken note of the situation and are telling him that he is disgracing the people of Peru by his actions. Then the police drive by and hop off their motorcycle to join the fray. It was good to see some people on our/Merilee's side in trying to give this kid a message that what he did was complete crap. Anyhow, the police took him and us down to the station to write up a report on what happened. They told us that they were going to call his parents (he was 17) and hold him for 24 hours. Never has anyone really taken that next step of assault on us like this kid did. It was a bit uncomfortable though because the police while detaining the kid proceeded to assault him as well, by slapping his face mostly as asking him what are you doing/thinking? They also rather roughly pressed him against the wall the. I think Merilee and I agree it may have been better had the police never showed up because local people were seriously offended by his action (Still harassing/yelling at women appears alright) and talking with him. Although one guy also landed couple of slaps on his face. But, still it was pretty poor actions on the police side of things in how they treated the kid.

So, after all this fiasco we finally made it to the internet, which had opened by then. Since it was getting later in the day we decided not to leave because the afternoons on the coast just bring too much wind to really ride too many miles. It just goes to show you never know what kind of road blocks we will meet!



Photos; Streets of trujillo, Church in Guadalupe, lunch in Guadalupe, Classic car for dad

Outta Ecuador Into Peru!!!!!

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OK, alright we are back on the road finally!! We have crossed into Peru and are aways into the country staying with one of my old professors from Evergreen. He and his family have let us stay at their house during a very busy time of year. The whole town is filled with people attending the festival for the patron saint of the city. Last night we attended a Cumbia concert and danced until 3 and left
before 99% of the crowd. But, let's rewind!

We descended out of the mountains of Ecuador after leaving Cuenca. We rode through miles and miles of banana plantations and arrived at Santa Rosa and stayed with our last fire station crew. Many thanks to the firefighters of Ecuador!!!!!

But, I think I will just write interesting stories that have happened to us, because that is more fun!

As we entered the border town in Ecuador (called Huaquillas) we saw a Colombian bakery, and since we wanted bread we stopped. As we were sitting enjoying bread and yogurt a man walked up and proceeded to pull his 2-year old son's pants down and allow him to pee on the pan-american highway. CooL!

Crossing into Peru consisted of walking down a crowded market street and all of a sudden a welcome sign to Peru shows up informing you of the border. Then, we are surrounded by moto-taxis and the chaos of the Peruvian highway.

We have camped out a lot so far here in northern Peru. The coast of northern Peru is mostly a dry sandy desert dotted by small desert towns. We have enjoyed amazingly clear beautiful skies for star-gazing and the dead silence of the desert...punctuated by braking semis avoiding potholes and oil derricks.

We have also weathered some of our worst riding conditions here in northern Peru. Many of the towns are separated by 20-150 kilometers of pure desert and sand (oh and plastic bags). This creates two things; wind and sun (and the pleasant sound of bags waving in the wind). The past several days we have spent the afternoon riding into a driving sandstorm of a headwind. Literally sand dunes are blowing across the highway and we have to drop into our lowest gear and ride about 3-5 KPH. Those of you planning this trip...start in South America and go South to North, you will thank us. Our faces, bags, sleeping rolls, bikes, everything you can thinkof (yes everything) fills with sand. Ask yourself, how to urinate? Good times!!

Peru is the first country where people really try on swindle us on our money. Some examples; "I give you 13 breads at 10 cents a piece...that will be 1.50". A woman tried to sell us 1 banana at .50 cents, the going rate is 8 for 1.00. People sold us honey mixed with sugar water, thus the honey tastes like smoke because they cooked it on firewood to melt the sugar into the honey. When we are on our bicycles people yell incessantly at us, when we get off people shut up.

We have had a mixed experience to start Peru. It is not an easy place for two women to cycle through (very few people recognize I am a guy). We are on the receiving end
of both positive and negative comments. Bicycling is interesting because we tend to see both the extreme best places have to offer, but also the worst. The trick is to take it all in stride and attempt not to be negative towards the next people we see on the side of the road if the previous people have been disrespectful. The most interesting thing we have heard up until now is about two bikers (guys) who rode north. They told us nobody hassled them. Maybe Merilee and I are more sensitive or maybe as "women" people feel it is ok to hassle us. We don't know.

But now we are staying with the wonderfully generous and nice family of my professor. We greatly appreciate their support as this is a very busy time of year. It has also been great for me to see old friends and for Merilee to make new friends. Hopefully we will be graced with tail-winds soon. And if not, we are headed into the Cordillera Blanca in a few days!!!

Photos; Merilee eating CUY!!!! (guinea pig), scenes from the North, Eric silhouette, Lima is FARRRR!!! yarrrrrr, Merilee pushing her way through where the Panamerican used to be....DEMOLISHED by 1000 meters of pure rock slide!

Video! Time to spread a little Christmas cheer! Cheers! Happy holidays from the Bomberos of Santa Isabel in Ecuador! Actually it was pretty funny because they were decorating the tree when we rode up and the strung the lights and let the songs play until the wee hours in the morning! Rockin'! But, really I got fed up and turned it down, but it still drones on in my head.