5. Change of Plan
Day 126
It was a very cold night. I couldn’t sleep at all. It will be a long day. Before I went to bed I checked all my weather applications and websites and it looks like the wet season is upon us. The idea was to go to the mountains but the temps there are in single digits. And that’s in the valley. And rain for the foreseeable future. It will probably be snowing in higher elevations. Under these conditions there is no point to even attempt to go there. It won’t be fun, it’ll be wet and cold and I won’t be able to see anything.
So what now? I’ve talked to myself and we have collectively decided that it is better idea to hit the coast. I will be coming through Peru on the way up anyway and at that time it should be way into the dry season. I’ll skip the mountains now and will hug the coast. Most probably will completely bypass Bolivia as well for the same reason. My next big “destination” is now Atacama Desert in northern Chile. I was thinking about different scenarios all night which probably contributed to my sleepless night. The coastal route will be also good as I can stop in Lima and get my bike checked at BMW dealer shop there. The next chance to do that is in Santiago in Chile.
My friends Kathleen and Jesse decided that they will try the mountain route. However, over the breakfast in the morning they changed their minds and said they will ride with me on the coast. Awesome, lets go. We all bundled up as it was very cold in the morning. And looking at the map ahead, we will be climbing to altitude over 4,000m soon.
We said goodbye to a place by the lake which must be really nice when the sun is out. Maybe next time. We have 200km to the coast then another 100+ to Chimbote on the coast. The road is very nice, one of the nicest so far. And the scenery is getting better and better. We are riding away from the clouds hanging around the Andes. But we are climbing and it is getting colder and windier. We are soon out of the tree line at 3,500m. Very rugged hills with some rock peaks among them. And alpine lakes. Very nice scenery. There is a Kodak moment at every turn. But it is cold. We climb all the way to 4,300m! That’s high. And at the top of the pass there is a huge open pit mine! Absolutely gigantic. We take our “summit” pictures and continue down on the other side. Some of the hill sides are absolutely cover with tarps of private mines. Hundreds of them. Very tough way to make a living. The stores in tents there are selling mining equipment and food. The scene like from a Gold Rush at Klondike. Bizarre. The road down is beautiful. I stop to take few pics of my buddies riding the switchback bellow me. I am trying to catch up with them but I am stopped by police in one town. Oh oh. But they are only interested in my bike. How much it costs (they roll their eyes), how fast it goes. They are just bored an envious. I would be too it their shoes. After few minutes they shake my hand let me go.
Pretty soon the valley we ride through narrows to a very tight canyon. It is only a two lane road with a minimum passing opportunities. There are a big trucks ahead of us all in their low gear crawling down the hill. And it is a long descent. We need to descend 4,000m vertically to the sea level. Peruvian drivers must all have a death wish. They pass anywhere they feel or park the cars or trucks in the blind corner. I am surprised that I don’t see more accidents here. The scenery is out of this world. The valley is several thousands feet deep and there are dirt roads there everywhere. I am scared shitless on the paved road here. Absolutely amazing. I have no pics from there which is the downside of riding in the group. I’d have at least a 100 pics by now. After what feels like an eternity we get out of the valley. Only about 30 km to the coast. It is dry and very dusty and windy. Closer to the city we get, the worse it is. Before we get on the coastal highway we stop at a roadside fruit stand. Watermelon slices for $0.50 taste delicious.
And then we get on the highway. It is Panamericana which goes through both continents. It is the fastest way to get anywhere from North to South. I’ve read lots of reports and have seen many vids saying how bad, dirty, busy and boring the road is. After spending two days riding it I can say that none of it is true. There are massive sand dunes along the way, beautiful views everywhere and the road itself is a 4 lane freeway with perfect tarmac. And of course there are many beaches along the way. The traffic is very light and we are moving along. The temp is low to mid 20s = perfect. It is sunny here, we left the clouds in the mountains.
It doesn’t take long and we are my destination. Since it was my idea and the guys are “just riding along” it is my responsibility to find accommodation for us. I didn’t book anything so I select one of the hotel in my Garmin GPS data base and head towards it. Well, it turns out to be a very nice hotel, cheap, clean in the safe hood. I look like a rockstar now …
It was awesome riding through very different climate zones. But the main thing is that the Panamericana is actually a nice road worth exploring.