Lima Peru

My first morning in Lima and straight to the KTM shop.  I had a scheduled service with my bike and most importantly, to make sure Kevin's bike is going to be delivered.  So much orange and black I can hardly see my own bike.. but it's in there!

It's always fun to wander the big shops and see what else they've got.  This one had just recently finished the Dakar Rally.  I like it..

Kevin spots a bike he would like. The KTM 990 Adventure.  He's recognized on the journey down on the Buell that he didn't particularly pick the right bike for the job.  He wants to ride more dirt roads which is far more fun and adventurous.  For one, it's nearly impossible to get anything but street tires for the Buell here in South America.  Secondly, the Buell has very low clearance we often need on the rough roads.  Plus, he's been commenting that he's jealous I can get KTM service nearly anywhere and the guys I deal with are always so nice.  Colombia, Ecuador and now Peru.  He's only found one mechanic for his Harley engine in Ecuador and that didn't go too well!

When he sat on this bike, I think it suited him.  He must have thought so too, because not long after he's forwarding messages of 990's for sale in Canada online to me and wanted to know what I think.  Ha! Good man.  Not that I could be much help about mechanics or prices.. But I love the blue! 

The guys at KTM are super nice here as well, but they said 'no way' for working on the Buell. After some research we did find a possible Harley mechanic in Lima.  While my bike is in the shop we took a taxi to meet him.  I'm not great at Spanish but I acted as translator as to what sort of problems and work he needs. And then made a plan to bring the Buell over once it arrives on the big truck.. IF it arrives.  Just kidding.  I like to wind Kevin up.  The guys at the KTM shop have had contact with the truck driver and it's still on its way.. Good news!!

The following day, we made it back to the KTM shop for the anticipated arrival.  And there she is!!  Big smile and relief for Kevin!

Not sure what the story is with the remaining thorny cargo.. but the bike looks fine up the front as far as he can tell.

Kevin balances as they bring it down with a fork lift.

We rode both bikes over to the Harley guys house, Kevin sputtered and stalled a couple times, but we made it slowly.

Together in translation we figured out a few things that needed to be ordered from the United States.  The good news, it was easy to do online from our room.  The bad news, it will take a minimum of 2 weeks to get here.

I can't wait around as I've mentioned before, I need to be to Copiapo Chile to meet the adventure team in only a few short days!

I had my google map going often, planning the 2700 km, how many days I needed, etc.  Kevin kept dragging the little purple line on the map over to Cusco Peru and Bolivia.  This was the original plan to ride together until we did Galapagos.  Doing Galapagos meant forfeiting a fair bit of time needed for the other roads we wanted to ride.

He's playing the "How could I leave him in a time of crisis" card in a joking way.  His better idea is that I still do Cusco and Bolivia and not meet the boys in Chile!  Sure!  It's only a small agreement I have had for months long before I met Kevin, but I actually considered it....!

We ran around for the next 3 days.  Making sure everything was organized in Spanish for Kevin when I go.  Where he goes to collect the parts from the USA.  Approximately how much he needs to prepare to pay for customs.. where I'll be, where can we meet up after I'm finished with the adventure team.. All sorted.

Even though the parts are on their way, one of the days Kevin decides to take his Buell apart without the Harley mechanic (whom he's a bit frustrated with because he doesn't seem to have the sufficient tools for the job) and try to fix it himself again.  And again, all I can do his offer a small hand.  This was a clever one.  He dropped a nut.  So he had me find a rubber glove and he put a magnet inside one of the fingers.  Then I need to run my hand into the deep of a Buell motor until I got it.  Kevin was so pleased he took a photo of our achievement! ;-)  Entertaining ourselves in Lima..

We discovered the most awesome city park in Miraflores.  It is FULL of cats! What was super cool is they are all HEALTHY!  They don't belong to anyone, but the city locals actually take care of them with food and water.  Some are friendly, some are not, but it was amazing to see how well they live.  Kevin loves cats as much as I do, so we stopped into the park every day (and every night).

This one was my favorite.  It reminds me of a cat I used to have in Indiana many years ago.

 

All up, I was in Lima for a week. We enjoyed the last few days just living a somewhat normal life.  Going to the movies, nice Italian dinners, wandering and shopping on the streets of Lima.

While on a walk, I went in to a beauty shop.  I have been telling Kev the one thing I would like to do in Lima myself is get a hair cut.  The last cut was all the way back in California and I'm desperate!  He said no way, we are only one block from the beach and he wants to show me these guys he saw hang gliding.. and I can do my hair later.  "But they are available now!"  How long will it take.  About 2 hours. Mmm, he was not keen about it.  He was making a point that I can get my hair done later, rather than during our last day together.  I agree, but I can see the amount of desert I'm about to ride through, it really should be done here, now, in the city. He said he will be back in exactly 2 hours and walked away.  Uh oh...

I got done early and I waited outside the shop.  He was back literally at 2 hours on the dot.  For a minute I thought he might still be grumpy, but instead he just kept telling me I look hot.  Ha! Grumpiness gone and whole lot of you look hot's to follow.  I was surprised, but happy he was happy.  We had a long walk along the beach, sunset, wine.. so that worked out well!

Why take the designated walk path when we can instead take our own lives into our hands and walk along the edge of a cliff!  I think that man has no fear.  For me, just like a dodgey bridge, I go slow, I'm scared, but I get there... and well worth it. The sunset is great!

One last night out on the town.  Tomorrow I have to draw the line and begin my 2700 km marathon number 2 to Copiapo Chile.  I don't know if it's the right decision, but it seemed okay at the time, since Kevin absolutely must wait for bike parts and actually fix the Buell problems before he can go anywhere.  The project in Chile was going to take 2-4 weeks, depending on what conditions we came across at high altitude on the mountain. So at this stage, we even expected it's possible he could be to Chile by the time I got off the mountain.

Kevin made an enormous wonderful breakfast the next morning as I wanted an early start, so nice!  We said our goodbye's with a plan to see each other again in Chile soon.  Little did I know this would actually be the last time we'd see each other again....

Piura Peru to Lima

I totally didn't know what to expect on my ride from Piura Peru (far north) down the 1000 km to Lima Peru to meet back up with Kevin.  This was the first photo I took. Looking a bit bland around here compared to all the green scenery of Colombia and Ecuador.

Little did I know, the entire 2 days to Lima will look pretty much like this.. ONLY.  Not much change, not much to look at.

It was important I get there as soon as possible, because we've asked the truck driver who has Kevin's Buell to deliver the bike to my KTM contacts and their warehouse in Lima.  Kevin's Spanish is still minimal and he wants me there.  If you can imagine the worry of sending your baby away on a truck, not really knowing when or if it will show up at the other end.  How would you know, the drivers might see a nice big pretty bike and sell it off on the way down.  We hope not, but we are in a foreign country and taking our chances.  No insurance to cover it if it goes missing and they would not let Kevin ride down in the truck with it.  So I will get there quickly to be at the shop and help with communication if possible.

Sand, sand, and more sand...

I saw this often and it was worth a photo.. sort of.  It's warning of a dangerous curve ahead.

Below is the dangerous curve.  The tranportation department of Peru should experience the Espinazo del Diablo (Devil's backbone) in Mexico to see what dangerous curves really are.. ha!

Unofficial fuel stop if you really need some gas from a plastic jug.  Luckily I don't have to use them.

A super nice man we met in Piura told me of a cheap place to stay in Trujillo Peru (about half way).  Parking was minimal but we made it work, and it was in a great location.  Always happy about that.  Just knowing where to go and not having to stop and ask prices everywhere before choosing is a huge savings on the road.

The street I ended up staying in Trujillo.  Early morning start to get to Lima in time.. get out before the big traffic starts, I have another big day ahead of me.

I quite like this town, wouldn't mind staying a little longer to get a better feel for it, but not going to happen this time.  And a quick view of the plaza before meandering my way back to the main road south.

Ahhh... good morning boring highway! ;-)

I'd normally choose my motorcycle over a bus any day.  But at this point I'm feeling a bit jealous that Kevin is enjoying a nice air conditioned ride with movies, meals, accomplishing kilometers even while he sleeps.  Poor poor pitiful me!

Every now and then I'd come up to a bit of green.  From what I could work out, somehow, somewhere in the desert water runs through.  These little patches of green usually mean a little town and an opportunity for much needed fuel and water.  Um.. maybe not for them.  Really must have been a hard life for the people here.

I passed 3 restaurants on they way to Lima with the name of Kevin.  I only took a photo of the one, but what's that about?  Kevin is a popular Peruvian name??  Only on this day in all my travels I have seen so many Kevin signs.  It must be a "sign"... (???)

The road is pretty and interesting in it's own way.. It's just after two days of riding I feel I'm starting to go a bit cross-eyed.

It's a 500 km day. As usual on the long boring roads, I tend to look at my gps far too often.. How much longer?  How much further?  Oh man, I've only done 2 km's since the last time I looked.. ;-/

Still that far to go??? Ugh..

Thank goodness for the lunch stop.  I was riding and riding in the desert, feeling really thirsty and hungry (must be a mental thing).  It was late though, I saw a big truck parked out side this one, so it must have good food.  I ate as big a meal as I could knowing, no more stops until I'm in Lima.

Got a message from Kevin that he's arrived OK, he said the bus was far more comfortable than we thought it would be (thanks for telling me that now, Kev..). He found us a place to stay and left me directions.

After riding another hour or two on the highway, a policeman pulled me over.  He wanted to see my documents which is normal.  No speeding as much as I wish I had a supersonic bike about now.  He was a really nice man.  Behind us was this neighborhood which I see often.

He looks at me and goes.. "Oh, Australia.  Is Australia a nice place?"  I said, yes, very much so. "Is there enough work there?"  I said yes.  He pointed at the neighborhood of shacks behind me, and said, "The people here are very poor.  There is no work."  I felt really bad.  I just looked at the policeman and said I am really sorry.  I hope that will change for them soon.

I have wondered often as I have passed many shacks in the last two days.  No work, of course, but also no farming.  No land to grow your own food, no cows, horses, sheep.. NOTHING.  How do they survive?  What do they eat?  The one thing I did see a lot of was chicken batteries, but interestingly on their own in the desert, which confused me even more.  No town nearby for me to assume they all went to feed the people close by.

Got a kick out of ALL the directory arrows!  They certainly want you to know there is another dangerous (?) curve.  Road safety as a priority in this part of Peru!

Getting into Lima was a nightmare.  The traffic was horrendous.  I managed to arrive at rush hour.  Buses, cars, taxi's, it was all I could do to keep from getting hit.  This lasted about 2 hours until I found my way into Miraflores, the center where I need to find Kevin.

Luckily he had a nice room and a couple ginormous beers waiting for me.  And then I collapsed from my Peruvian desert marathon... I made it.

Quito Ecuador to Piura, Peru

After nearly 2 weeks around Quito and the Galapagos, we are finally loaded up on the bikes and ready to head south toward Peru.

As usual, after a few days off the bike, it feels so good to be on the road again.

When in Rome...Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get around the crazy traffic.

Ummm.. Kevin?  What did you do!?  Double yellow line?  Nothing.. The cops often stop us just to admire the bikes and ask where we're from..

We're taking the curvier route to the south, always a top choice for Kev.  But he's having more and more trouble with his Buell.  The power comes and goes, sometimes he can do normal speed and sometimes he's lucky to top out at 70 km/hr. 

We ride through one small town/village and along the road they had many large dead pigs!  I only saw it here, so it must be local regional specialty.

Kevin got his lunch.. I personally was happy with just a drink and a Snickers Bar.. Snickers has always been my back-up. I couldn't bring myself to try the pig.. ;-(((

The rough building behind has table and chairs to enjoy your meal.  Right..  I'm not including the photo but on the back table was a white plastic laundry basket with another pig's head and pig pieces and parts hanging over the edge.  Kevin still liked his lunch though!  It's culture, it's normal here, just go with the flow..

This is a gorgeous country to ride a motorcycle...

Kevin's panorama shot..

One of my favorites..

We meandered our way through the hills and pulled off early to find a place to stay so as to not get caught out with the moto problems.  Turned out it's Friday night on a festival weekend and every little place is booked out!  Love these sort of traveling surprises!  The staff at this hotel was so nice and after asking the boss lady, put us in a room that may have actually been meant for staff, we are guessing. One tiny little single bed and hardly any room other than to stack our gear on top of each other. But we were happy, it was super cheap and then enjoyed exploring the small town for dinner.

Alausi, Ecuador

Here in Alausi, I am noticing the indigenous Ecuadorian culture showing up a lot more, which is kinda cool!

One last photo before riding out of town.. and on to another day of gorgeous roads... and bike problems! ;-))

This is only a little one, but there are no shortages of land slides on any road.. in any country.. in South America!

We came to a cross section in the road where we planned to ride straight south into Peru.  However, Kevin's bike is getting worse and he's not happy.  So we decide instead to head west toward a large-ish town, Machala on the Ecuador coast, in hopes there might a mechanic or motorcycle parts.

The rain started pouring, so camera tucked away.

Machala was an experience to navigate!  Wish I had photos..  This town is torn up!!  Lots of the streets were blocked off by piles of dirt, rubble and trash. It felt very uneasy for me, as if it were an old war zone.

We searched for a cheap hotel in the center, many were closed and boarded up.  One was open but it had no electricity or water.. Okay then!

Finally came up with the one and only solution, a bit more expensive but it did have water, electricity, internet and air con!  Plus an undercover garage so Kevin can work on the bike.

Kevin was really ticked off with the bike and he got to work straight away.  I set off on a mission to find food and a couple beers for him.  The hotel staff would NOT under any circumstances, let me walk on the streets by myself.  I made it clear that we need a few things, I have traveled in dangerous areas before and I will come right back.  They insisted to send one of the staff to walk with me.  I have never had that experience anywhere in the world, but given the looks of the rubble, trash and uneasiness of the town, I went along with it.  For nothing else, the company and a bit of direction.

Second challenge, it's a holiday weekend, and there are no shops or restaurants open anyway!  There was one little man selling street food, so I ordered a plate for Kevin.  (again it didn't appeal to me, and nothing like digging into my stash of emergency food for dinner).  The man was able to go into his house and sell me 2 of his own beers.  Very important.. I know this will make Kevin feel better for sure.. ;-)

By time I was back in the garage, the bike was in pieces.  He thinks he found a chaffed wire in the fuel pump.  But not sure and really wished he could consult with a mechanic.  So I put a message out on facebook for any one to talk to about Buell mechanics, and friend Mike Kieber piped up right away.  I set Kevin and Mike up on my skype (thank goodness for internet in this town!) and off they went with ideas.

Kevin worked late that night, the entire next day and in to the following night.  There is not much of anything I can do mechanically, but offer my smaller hand to reach things he couldn't, or hold things when he couldn't.  Other than that, he just kept telling me it simply made him feel good that I would sit there in the garage with him while he worked for moral support.  I can do that, no worries!

I was very impressed by how many pieces he took off the bike and then put it back together perfectly. The bike started up on the first try.  I'm amazed because I can't do it!  So far so good!

The landscape has changed here in the south west corner.  A bit more dry and brown.

Lifestyle change, climate, housing, etc.  You can see in the photo below that Kevin's power problem returned and it's totally annoying him as he keeps looking down at it.

Not long after we managed the Ecuador/Peru border crossing. Another easy one compared to the lengthy Central America crossings.  Nice men, but as usual we showed up on their 2 hour lunch break and answered a bizzillion questions by other Peruvian travelers and truckers, before the aduana people returned to work.  All good and we're on our way!

I've seen plenty of truckers with their own stash of bananas hanging off the side of their truck, but wasn't real keen when I saw this one.. ;-(

Regardless of his Buell frustrations, Kevin always has a smile.

No more photos for the day. After 360 km and a border crossing, we pulled in to Piura Peru in the dark.  Kevin slams on the brakes.  I asked what's up?  He saw some large trucks and got the idea that maybe he could pay one of them to take his bike down to Lima for him, where he should certainly get more luck with a mechanic.

We stopped, asked several people, and finally introduced to a trucking manager to do just that.  Good one, Kevin!

After that was organized, we rode into the center to find a hostel with parking.  This proved to be difficult as not many places have any parking (estacionamiento) at all.  The rain started pouring!  Here, Kevin's bike completely died right there in the street! This is an even bigger worry. So I left him there and went on the hostel search myself.  What I discovered, I took back to Kevin and there was no way his bike was going to start again and it was too far to push it in the traffic and rain.  So we opted for the hotel right in front of us, a 4 star and quite expensive.  Oh well!  Live a little and get out of the rain!

Somehow Kevin needs to deliver his bike to the shipping yard at 4 AM and make plans to get himself to Lima on a bus.

We went to bed at 1 AM, and at 3:30 AM, a very tired Kevin left the hotel room with plans of seeing each other 2 days from now in Lima.  At 6 AM, my hotel door was moving, I panicked but relieved it was only Kevin returning unexpectedly however, very grumpy. The truck left at 3 AM, not 4.  He was REALLY ticked off, and from what I could tell, it was loaded earlier than they expected, so they just left ahead of schedule.  (The good news is that the bike started after cacking it last night so he could get it to the shipping yard) I called and talked to the trucking manager by phone in my dreadful Spanish and we made arrangements for another truck at 9 AM.  If we only knew this before, he could have slept in a bit more!  Oh well.  We did have a wonderful buffet breakfast in our fancy hotel, and I was glad to have him back, if even for a few hours.

We got Kevin back to the trucking yard in time. All is well, on schedule, organized his bus and I'm cleared to make my own way down to Lima, 1000 km of flat desert riding.. ALONE.  ;-(( No way I am going to get that done in one day as I have the worst headlights on the planet and can't see at night.

So.... See you in 2 days!