Are we to Bolivia yet?

Sorry Peru, but I'm ready to say goodbye. We've had some good times with some extraordinary people, but I've had enough. Enough of the constant harrassment by men. Enough of people yelling 'gringo' and 'hey you' at us. Enough of wild gesturing because people assume we can't 'aspeaka Spanich.' Enough of being assaulted. Enough of being run off the road by bullies. Never in any country have I ever been treated with as little respect as here in Peru.

Peru had long been one of our two most difficult countries to ride through in terms of people next to Nicaragua. Peru took the cake two days ago when three teenagers on a motorcycle armed with large rocks and bottles tried to rob us. They cornered us on the shoulder and tried to grab my bags/push me down as they went by. I pretty much had a Nothing to Lose Tim Robbins moment, threw my bike down and went after them, screaming non-stop at the top of my lungs in Spanich. The saddest part of the story is that some random guy on a bike passed by the scene and just laughed when I asked for help. Unbelievable. The second saddest part is that, when I wound up with one of the boys' shoes, he actually put down his rocks and broken glass in the hopes of getting back his threadbare sandal. He ended up getting ditched as the other two panicked and took off leaving him alone and with only one shoe.

On top of that this week we have had the good fortune of losing our tent poles, not receiving our shipment of tires, our camera chip losing dozens of photos, and Eric's bike throwing yet another temper tantrum, this time in the form of the frame breaking completely in half.

OK, now is when I tell y'all DON'T WORRY! It's all just part of this crazy adventure that we signed up for way back when. Sometimes we feel fed up when everything seems to go wrong at once, but we also wouldn't be anywhere else doing anything differently with our lives. We are safe and sound, Eric's bike had a nice spa day at the weld shop, and we'll be heading into the mountains soon where things tend to be more low-key. Plus, all of our hard times don't diminish the value of the truly wonderful people we've met here and the experiences we've had with them.

First and foremost, a huge shoutout to the firefighters of Peru!! They have been absolutely amazing and have helped us out at almost every turn. For example, after plumeting 4100 meters out of the mountains in one day we found ourselves in Huacho. We knocked on the station door, were immediately welcomed in and invited not only to stay as long as we liked but also to join them for New Year's Eve! We stayed with them for two nights enjoying their company and taking it easy. We all starved to death on the 31st as per tradition here - you don't eat until midnight! And it was so tough to wait while a delicious turkey was filling the station with the most wonderful aroma! At midnight I got to be the godmother of the new year, which meant sounding the siren for 60 seconds. We all ate 12 grapes each, one for each month and each wish for the new year. And then it was on to dinner!! Turkey cooked in a pot (sounds odd but it's delish!), rice, yucca, panetton, hot chocolate and wine. By this time it was after 1 AM and Eric and I waddled to bed with full, full bellies. In the morning they stuffed our panniers full of leftover panetton and turkey, and one firefighter gave us a bunch of cookies for the road. On January 1st we ate like kings, as did some freeway dogs.

The next firefighters to help us out were in a town about 200 kilometers south of Lima. Roberto, our main contact, was super friendly with us and made us feel right at home. Shortly after leaving in the morning was The Event. Eric's bike got wobblier and wobblier until...crack. Shit. So we walked back to the station where all of the firefighters immediately took matters into their hands. They took the bike to a nearby shop without us (because two Americans tagging along would make the price too expensive!) and got it fixed. Then they helped Eric fix his front brakes that were damaged in a crash (which is what damaged the integrity of the frame). Basically I went to have a cup of coffee, and when I got back we were more or less ready to roll. So here we are in Pisco, still rolling.

Photos: Eating panetton along the coast; all the firefighters and their Dalmation Candela; Eric's welded frame; firefighters and Eric plus constant canine companion Toby fixing Eric's front brakes; battle scars from the motorcycle showdown