Huancayo to Abancay

A while since the last post but it's been all work and no play! We've moved from Huancayo to Abancay over 12 days by various means. Firstly we took the train to Huancavelica; an aged and bumpy affair that left late and arrived later still. Then there was a three-day leg to Ayacucho. The first day turned out to be a bit of a marathon and we caught a big hailstorm at 4200m in the afternoon. How we laughed as we descended for 20km on 2" of hail, which then turned to mud covering us thoroughly. That evening's beer was well-earned. So we skipped the next day with a taxi trip over some more seriously rugged terrain (NB: In the photo its brakes are being worked on before we set off. Actually quite reassuring.). We wrapped up with three solid bike days and an intervening 10-hour bus journey from Ayacucho to Andahuaylas. The Peruvian Highlands are the same profile as an egg box; i.e. it is all up and down (with part of the winding 56km descent to Abancay shown). However we are nearing the Altiplano (high plateau) of S. Peru and Bolivia, so the legs should get some relief soon. And if you think we're making life difficult for ourselves, check out the tandem picture - an Austrian couple 40,000km into a three-year round the world trip. Too much!

The Central Highlands

We´re now in Huancayo, the bustling capital of the central highlands, having cycled a whole seven days in a row without a day off! A total of 381km, though all on lovely tarmac and some days were quite short. It was essentially a three-day climb from 1,800m up to the delightful (not!) mining town of Cerro de Pasco at 4,300m, our highest and most freezing hotel so far. We spent two days crossing the Junin plateau, a bleak and windswept place but with its own kind of beauty (and oddly popular with British bird-watchers ...). We had some interesting weather conditions, the coldest yet, with horizontal hail ... but things brightened up a bit as we started to lose altitude. A number of road signs promised us llamas but we only saw one herd and that was in the middle of a hailstorm - we weren´t in the mood for photos and nor were the llamas.

In contrast to all this, we stayed in what must be the ugliest town in Peru, La Oroya, home to the smelting plant for all the locally-mined ore. See photo from bedroom window above ... the pollution made us cough and sneeze and we were only there for a night. I dread to think what health problems the residents must suffer.

Leaving the smog behind us, we had two very pleasant days of gentle descent down the Mantaro valley and in contrast to the mining horrors, a very relaxing stay in Jauja, the first capital of Peru - see photo of very civilised German-run hostal with colonial-style patio.

The plan for the next stage is to take the train to Huancavelica tomorrow, though information on the subject of departures is characteristically unclear. Then we´ll be back on the dirt roads to Ayacucho.

Cycling over Mont Blanc

So it was ´Hasta Luego´ Huaraz as we pedalled further up the Santa Valley and past the rest of the splendid Cordillera Blanca. The midpoint of the leg was Chiquian, the village used to start the 10 day trek around the next mountain range: the Cordillera Huayhuash. (This is the location of the mountain Siula Grande in the Joe Simpson epic ´Touching The Void´.) Sadly the trekking season had concluded, but the scenery even from a distance was tremendous. The road then crossed the Andes by the Yanashalla Pass at 4700m; about the height of Mont Blanc. This is the continental divide so now we´re on the East side of the range. Liz took the climb in her stride but Clive was puffing like a steam train by the top. (My excuse was the air pressure is at less than 60% at that altitude!) Then it´s been generally downhill to the low and warm city of Huanuco for a breather and, after touristy Huaraz, a return to mainstream Peru (i.e. no other gringos about). Tomorrow we return to the altiplano and mines of Cerro de Paso at 4300m. Brrr!

(Hint - Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

On foot in the Cordillera Blanca

We´re back in Huaraz (roughly the Peruvian equivalent of Chamonix) after our four-day Santa Cruz trek in the northern Cordillera Blanca. Luckily the winter (i.e. dry) season hung in long enough for us to witness some spectacular mountain scenery en route. Characteristically we decided on the more demanding option of backpacking with our gear, rather than going on a guided trek with pack animals (like other, more sensible, travellers). Although Liz really wanted to take a mule with us so she could have some intelligent company along for once. There was fine scenery throughout of azure lakes, lush woods and ultra-snowy classic hills like Alpamayo; thoroughly dramatic all in all.

Now it´s change again from two legs back to two wheels (no rucksack - lovely) as we continue south to Huanaco (in about a week).

No pain, no gain

The first month or so on the road has definitely been a challenge (physically, logistically, culturally, linguistically, digestively, etc.) but when we looked out of our hotel room this morning and were presented with the view in the photo, all those hours in the saddle suddenly seemed more than worth the effort. We are in Huaraz, mountaineering Mecca of South America, surrounded by 23 peaks over 5,000m and with a clear view of Huascaran, the highest mountain in Peru at over 6,700m. Heaven! Even though we are a little late in the season, the forecast is good and so we are planning to do a five-day trek (up to a 4,700m pass) to get us even closer to these stunning peaks. We´ll pedal up the valley to Caraz tomorrow, which should be a lovely day out in itself, and then store the bikes before heading off on foot.

Some statistics, for those who enjoy facts and figures ... we´ve now spent 20 days in the saddle, covered 993km, and climbed a staggering 16,630m (twice the height of Everest).

La Vuelta Ciclistica al Peru welcomes The Cycle Diaries

Just as we left Cajamarca we had the good fortune to see the national cycling tour of Peru which started that day. Compared to our labours they were only doing 900km, all on tarmac and no-one had panniers on. Pah! However it was a fine sight with speeches, brass band and a mass start.

Meanwhile back at the coal-face, we have had three days to Huamachuco through continuing hilly scenery and rural scenicness (see photo of typical roadside diner for lunch). We have a rugged bit of Peru next before we reach Huaraz and the mighty mountains of the Cordillera Blanca.

A day on the road

We´ve pedalled (and bussed a bit - shh!) from Chachapoyas to Cajamarca over five days and are now in the Northern Highlands. The highlight of the leg was from the River Utcubamba to the (big) River Maranon - an Amazon tributary. There was a six-hour climb to a pass at 3700m (Clive was puffing here) then, after a night camped at a local´s ´farm´, a massive 50km descent into the huge valley. Next destination: Huamachuco.

Thought an overview of a typical day in the saddle might be interesting, so here goes: Life starts early in the Andes, with the cockerels crowing hard by 5am and the locals up and about by 6am, so there isn´t much of a lie-in. We´re normally on the road by 9, ´road´ being a dirt affair of graded stones and grit. The main factor each day is not the distance along, but the amount of climbing involved, as one big ascent becomes the dominant feature of the day - 1500m is our limit. Hopefully we pass a ´restaurant´ sometime for lunch (chicken and rice are the recurring staples), then it´s more pedalling and a lookout for accommodation by 4pm (as being near the Equator it gets dark early and quickly at 6.30pm). Overnight is a hospedaje, typically simple but serviceable places, then more food (cycling makes you very hungry). Yes, it is demanding, but the scenery has been generally impressive, sometimes spectacular, and a bicycle soon breaks down barriers with locals and really allows you to see, hear and smell a country up close.