Through the South Coast

We stayed for about 5 days in Pisco really enjoying getting to see our friend Maria again and meeting some nice firefighters. It was too bad that she had to work a lot while we were there, but we hung out with her for lunches and she invited us to dinner a couple of times. So thank you thank you thankyou Maria for everything!!! After our lovely stay in Pisco with Maria, Merilee and I went on a mission with only one goal in mind; kick ass on the Peruvian coast! We were both feeling sick and tired of wind, and endless desert so we pedaled our hardest to get to Arequipa as fast as we could and we had several wonderful experiences on the way.

First, was the day we left Pisco. We landed into the town of Ica and there we could not find anywhere good to stay. Finally, we stopped and asked at a small store if they knew of anywhere or anyone that may be willing to help us out. The storekeeper immediately sent us to the next street over because "they are good people". And sure enough there we met Lourdes who, after about 1 minute, said of course we could spend the night. That evening as we ate some bread and cheese she invited us to stay and see the sights of Ica. We agreed, and the next day we saw the oasis of Ica. Think palm trees and lagoon in the middle of sand dunes. Pretty cool. We then wandered about the plazas of town both in the afternoon and during the evening when the fountains become illuminated with colored lights. It was a very beautiful day, so many many thanks to Lourdes, Zuly and Luchita....we will see you guys when you make it to Washington!!

From there we set off for Palpa. And for once we found ourselves in a seemingly tranquil Peruvian town. There was no incessant honking of horns or life flashing before your eyes while crossing the streets. We ate menu at a restaurant and asked if we could sleep in their courtyard and they said yes. There was even a shower! It was just peachy. We continued our assault on the Peruvian desert, but it continued to wear us down. At the end of every day we were covered by a layer of sand. People told us that in some areas the road becomes completely covered by sand and cars cannot pass until the tractors come to move it away!

Anyhow, we stayed at several more memorable towns. One being Agua Salada. Here we met a man named Juan who agreed to let us sleep on his floor. He showed us his olive orchard! And the GIGANTIC vat of olives brewing away. By gigantic I mean the size of a hot tub filled with olives!!! We got to sample some and the olive oil he makes at home. Very very cool. When we left the next day, he filled our tupperwear for leftovers with olives. thanks Juan!! We also passed through Nazca where the famous Nazca lines are scratched into the desert. Apparently, nobody knows who made them or what purpose they serve, but I am pretty convinced it is a hoax. Kinda like crop circles really. But, they were pretty cool to see. It was kinda sad to see bulldozer trails over the edges of two of the figures we saw though. One night we ended up at a gas station in Puerto Lomas where Miguel and Jim let us crash in a small empty room they had. They were excited to talk with us about our trip and they fed us some fried fish for dinner. We also met a Brazilian family traveling about in a renovated garbage truck. It looked quite comfy.

So, since there is not much going on in terms of agriculture on the land in southern coastal Peru many people who live along the south coast make their living farming the ocean. Gathering seaweed that is. We went through several towns built around this, and sporadically placed along the whole coast are temporary houses where people stay while harvesting. One afternoon, as we were looking/needing for somewhere to stay, we stopped and asked at one of the houses where a family was playing volleyball. Kindly, they said they had a spot and allowed us to sleep on an empty floor in a living room. They told us all about pulling out seaweed and how it depends mostly on the luck of the ocean. How strong the waves are and where the tide is. They have to pull in 1 ton of seaweed to make 800 soles, which is a little less that 300 dollars. Foreign owned companies buy the seaweed to process it into things like shampoo. They, as well, graciously fed us fried fish for dinner. Another thanks to Alvaro and his fmaily!!

Now, we are finally climbing into the mountains again where we will probably stay for the rest of the trip. We are in Arequipa enjoying a day off from riding and soaking up the last bit of heat the coast has to offer. We will be heading into Puno in the next few days which will entail 4000+ meter riding, and that means COLD! Cold we are not used to at all. Merilee and I are pretty wimpy when it comes to cold because we have spent so much of this trip in the warm tropics. Tootles!



Photos: Not much here but sand and blue skies, need i explain, nightfall over Agua Salada, Us with Lourdes, Zuly and Luchita in Ica, Maria and Merilee and I