Peru

7-30-2024 – Say It Ain’t So!  We Entered Our 10th Country..Hello Peru!

Done with Ecuador and up onto bridge to Peru!

After crossing the border and clearing customs we made a mad dash to the town of San Ignacio which was only supposed to be 45’ away – it took over an hour and it was dark, but still got treated to more amazing views.

We were both pretty tired after a very long day on the road and just wanted to find a hotel for the night.  But San Ignacio had its own surprises for us.  The town was filled with tuk-tuks, motorcycles and pedestrians all sprinting around like they were in some video game.  NO RULES.  It was a complete free for all on the road.  It was dark, lots of folks didn’t use headlights- crazy.  We stopped at a gas station so Matt could get gas and we could figure out where to stay.  Edels was backing up to get gas and a tuk-tuk sneaked into his space- well Edels backed into him.  No real damage and the language barrier kept things calm.  Edels bought the guy his gas and all was good.

We luckily found a place to stay and proceeded to have one of the worst nights sleep due to the noise from the street, a disco, animals – you name it.  We couldn’t wait to hit the road in the morning and go to Yumbilla Falls.

7/31/2024 – Drive to Yumbilla Falls

It was another long day in the car.  45’ waits at road construction sites, 90+degree temps but also stunning views and towns with more tusk tusk running amok.

Late in the afternoon as we climbed up a dirt road to cooler temps and the trailhead to the falls where we were going to camp -Google Maps failed us  – not the 1st time mind you.  So as Matt was speaking to a random guy on the street about how to get to the falls, a local woman (Maria) walks up. She is carrying a hose on her back and starts talking to the same guy Matt was – only in spanish.  Basically, she told him to tell me to give her a ride up the hill and she will show us the trailhead.  Such a deal!  She hops in Matt’s front seat and off we go.  Conversation was rugged, but she was such a gamer- living up on this mountain by herself.

After she directs us to the trailhead Edels gives her a ride back down a bit to the trail up to her house.  She talks him into coming to see her house.  She bounds up this trail a half mile with Edels in close pursuit trying to catch his breath.  They cross a creek, deal with angry dogs and arrive at Maria’s home.  Edel’s describes it as a really nice home that Maria built 2 years ago – and she has 4 cows, some pigs, ducks, all kinds of critters.  They chatted for a few and then Maria disappeared and brought back some bananas and Quesito (some form of milk/cheese folks put in coffee locally).  You can see it in the video.  Anyway – she is one independent gal living up on the mountain for 30 years.  What a champ!

Our buddy Nick and Gus Gus also rejoined the trip.  They pulled in late and it was goood to see them.  We will likely hang together for the next several days.  We had the trailhead to ourselves and a great night sleep was had by all.

8-1-2024 Yumbilla Falls

The hike was about 3 hours out and back and was some good exercise with the trail’s ups and downs.

There were 3 falls along the trail and Yumbilla was the last.  The 1st few were nice but not overly impressive by any means…

And Yumbilla, 5th in the world in height, and falling over 2,900 ft. over 4 stages, was fun to see – but we could only imagine what this falls would look like in the peak of the rainy season.

After the morning hike to the falls, we packed up and made it to a campground south of Chacapoya for the night.  It was here that Nick brought up the highway Peru 3N that we didn’t know anything about, but which is famous for its magnificent views and very challenging climbs/descents and lack of pavement!  Further exploration of the route for 8/2 showed another famous, yet challenging road called Peru 8E.  Climbs to greater than 12k ft (and then descents!), super narrow roads a chewed up road with some pavement.

8-2-2024 – 1st Half of Peru 8E Highway

There is an ancestral site on the road to Cajamarca called the Mausoleum de Revash.  It was set high up on a mountain and Nick thought it sounded cool.  The road up the mountain to Revash was unpaved and bumpy, but more cool scenery.   Revash is a 14th century set of very well preserved cave dwellings with paintings on the outside of the dwellings.  It was a short hike from a cute village and worth the side trip to explore it.  It’s funny, there isn’t an altitude limit in Peru where people decide to settle down – amazing really.

After returning from the hike to Revash, we set out with Nick and Gus Gus to an informal campground at the top of a mountain pass called Calla Calla.  It sits at 12k ft, was VERY informal and as a special treat packed 30+ mph sustained winds – but also beautiful views!

The road was partially paved, very bumpy and came with crazy Peruvian drivers who don’t like sharing a narrow road.  Matt ended up in a roadside drainage ditch thanks to the insane driving we ran into.  No damage, but a glimpse of what is to come.  A very rough 50-60 miles trek today.

 

Sunset with fog clouds rushing by…

At night…

and the beautiful morning!

The road may be rugged, but the views are worth it!.

8-3-2024 – Off to Cajamarca!

We had another 100-120 miles left to go to reach Cajamarca, a small city with a deep Inca history.  The road from our campsite to Celendin (~half way point) was about 60 miles and this 1st half of the drive provided spectacular views, but a perilous drive,  We put a video together to try and capture the road, but the iphone doesn’t do the road justice nor capture the 1-2k ft drop offs that were present at times, or the crazy Peruvian drivers.  Basically the road is 2 way, but 1.5 lanes wide, often shrinking to 1 lane at times, infrequent guardrails, rugged/chewed up road and yes, oncoming traffic.  We left early enough in the AM that we didn’t encounter a ton of traffic – which was fortunate.

As you come into villages, towns or even cities, we noticed the ladies and sometime men wearing these large white hats.  We have no idea the history or how they became so big, but ere is a smattering of hat shots.  Edels did some research and it turns out, the bigger the hat, the more wealth has been accumulated or the women is the matriarch of the family.  Based on the size of some of these hats, there are some wealthy Peruvian women out there.

We made it into Cajamarca mid afternoon and settled in at a farm within the city limits.  A 3 generation operation where the families still live and work on the farm.  There are 3 daughters and they run the show along with their kids and husbands.  There are a small number of cows, horses, llamas, goats, chickens, ducks, etc. – all raised using organic methods.  They have school kids come in and show them how farm is run – even students from as afar away as Lima come to learn from them.  Pretty cool. Here is a video showing a portion of the farm where we camped and where it sits in the city.

 

 

 

We walked into the historic center to check it out and grab a nice Peruvian dinner.  There was a hill above the historic center that gave a great view of the city overall, of course up 300-400 steps!

A view from the top of the hill…

The plaza of the main square and surrounding had a very relaxing Saturday vibe and was pretty.  If you could lose the Tuk Tuk drivers it wouldn’t be a half bad place! lol

8-4-2024 – Hanging Out in Cajamarca

With Nick still under the weather with a stomach bug, Sunday became a day of laundry, cleaning, organizing, grabbing a nap and walking into the old town to get some soles (Peruvian cash).  If everyone is feeling up to it, our journey on Peru highway 3N begins Monday.

8-5-2024 The Peru Highway 3N Trek Begins

There is no way to complete the epic portion of the 3N highway in 1 day.  In fact, today we got ~100 miles done in 6-7 hours and the only thing that was epic was the crappy condition of the road.  Massive potholes, 100’s of large tupelo’s/Giga/Topes (remember the speeds bumps?), more crazy Peruvian drivers…actually exhausting today.  Tomorrow we hope to start the epic portion and so photos-videos should be great.  Today was just more of the same when driving as you tend to see some odd stuff.

And as we grabbed our spot to camp in Sausachocha alongside a lake, Gus Gus went out and rounded up a bunch of street hounds to hang out with.

   

It was a long day and a very chilly night alongside the lake at around 10-11k ft.  Nick was still battling his stomach bug and hit the hay early hoping for better health the next day.

8-6-2024 More 3N

The group rallied and left around 8:30 to tackle more of Peru 3N. Nick turned the corner and we headed out to see if we could make the epic mountain climb at the Tabalchaca River where it intersects 3N.

The road was once again crazy rough and the normal suspects making it interesting were all present during the day (Peruvian drivers, speed bumps, ruts/holes/washboard, animals, etc.).  We passed a mine at around 13k+ ft; based on the fence and double razor wire rows on it, we assume it was a gold mine.

The mining town supporting the mine was rugged and the there were 100’s of what looked like individual mines from people trying to hit the big one.  Sad living conditions and busy drive through the town. We were near nothing so people likely born and raised here, work the mine or a supporting business and then fade out – crazy.

 

 

The drive beyond the mine was OK scenic wise until mid afternoon at which point the views of the mountains were incredible.  We also passed through several small towns and while the people didn’t always look so welcoming (looked at you like you are an alien), the towns had a welcoming appearance.

And then came the late afternoon and the scenery was amazing.  We got to go down one side of the massive switchbacks to the Tablachaca River where we camped.

We can’t wait to go up the other side tomorrow and keep going.  We camped along the Tablachaca River in a gorgeous valley right below the road.  Too bad the water was almost orange from leaks from the leaching ponds of mines above.

There was a road crew camp down the dirt road and a few fellas who had drunk a few too many beers by 4 pm wandered by…Edels captured this video…must see video!

8-7-2024 – The Climb and Finishing 3N At Caraz

Morning was quick fro breaking down camp – but it was a gorgeous in along the Tablachaca River.  We wanted an early start as Caraz and the end of the most scenic portion of 3N lay 8-9 hours in front of us.  So up the huge switchback road we climbed…and the view from the top was sweet.

Much like yesterday, the route took us through small villages with narrow streets  – and the 1stone we hit also came with very steep streets as well.  On one right ruth Nick went 1st, then Edels who had to use a 3 point turn to swing it and then came Matt.  The Sequoia was too long and wide for the street and Matt got hung up 20” off the street on a step – and since the right hand turn went onto a steep decline, Matt’s rear tires couldn’t get enough grip to back him up….stuck- much to the amusement of the 2 fellas guiding him on the turn.

So Edels had to work his way back above Matt on the hill/street and winch him off the high curb.  All told a 40’ delay, but a great urban recovery.  The fellas below were with us the entire way…made their morning.  The white spot on the curb above the guy in the white jacket was where Matt got hung up.

OK – more 3N – the road provided epic views, but was punishing in the bumps, dirt, dust, potholes, suicidal and irresponsible Peruvian drivers and steep climbs and descents.  A Great day!  And the Canyon Del Pato was magnificent – too bad iphone just can’t capture it fully – the canyon is a geologists dream and was incredible to drive through.

 

We also had had 1 lane tunnels for 2 way traffic.  A view from the front where you need to blast horn and flash lights so no one else comes in…

And the rear…

It was nice getting into Caraz unscathed.  Great day, great challenges and great views.  We also got a sneak preview of one of the snow capped mountains in the national park we will be visiting.  We found a nice campground south of town and settled in there for some needed rest.

Oh, and Edels made a new friend.

8-8-2024 – Hanging Out In Caraz

After running hard the last 6-7 days we decided to rest up for a day, clean the rigs, do laundry, hit the grocery store, and get organized.  Also, Edels noticed some clutch performance issues today and so has an appointment tomorrow to have it looked at.  Good news is he has the parts so the work should be done before noon.  After that we  will head to a national park near some awesome mountain peaks close to Caraz and meet up with Nick who is heading up there earlier in the day tomorrow.

8-9-2024 Mechanic and Rest Day

JOhn had his clutch issue worked today.  Mechanics (3) worked on the rig for about 6 hours and got it about right.  Edels still not sure it is all correct, but we drive tomorrow south to break it in and take any further corrective actions as needed.

   

Matt spent the day hitting the open market for food and doing some miscellaneous other errands…and doing some relaxing.  He found this one chicken vendor who is an artist with the cleaver.

Tomorrow we head south directionally towards Cusco, but that is about 6-7 days of driving – so we remain flexible on our plans.

8-10-2024 Off To Huanuco

Huanuco is about a 9 hour drive from Caraz and so with the gas and “health break” stops added, no way we make it in a day.  So we headed off to see how far we could make it.  The drive for the 1st part of the day was on pavement- oh man have we missed pavement – and so we cruised along and the themes of the day evolved into animals, gorgeous mountain peaks and the normal roadside scenery.  Animals?  Yeah- one of those days..

The mountains were epic, but the iphone was again overmatched in trying to capture it all.  Maybe the iphone doesn’t like the altitude as we were driving at times at 15k ft and we even got a little bit higher.

 

14k ft peaks are a big deal in the US and here we are driving at 14-15k ft – really crazy.  Oh, and we had some of the normal scenery, just gets lost when you have the sights we had today.

As the day came to a close, we did not have a place to camp. We entered this little town and found a lot next to a school and a river.  Nick talked with a local (for awhile as the local was a little buzzed) and we got the OK to camp – still not sure it was the local guy’s call to make, but he lived across the street and seemed like his heart was in the right place.

8-11-2024 Dive Top Huanuco and  The Landslide

Since the road we are traveling on to Huanuco is under construction  and a mess the last 60+ miles into Huanuco, so we got off to an early start thinking Sunday morning wouldn’t be too busy.  Things were going Ok until they weren’t and traffic came to a halt – turns out a landslide earlier in the morning (thinking 1-3 hours earlier as only 3 cars were waiting when we showed up) closed the road and the rod crew (working on Sunday btw) was waiting for the slide to stabilize before clearing the road.  So we hung out waiting…

After about 2 hours or so the road got cleared and we were allowed to cross where the slide occurred.  There was a guy standing along the side of the road giving you the go signal right before the slide area – turns out rocks were still fallling occasionally so they wanted that to stop before letting you pass (very nice of them!)  Right as Matt is about to cross he stops Matt as more rocks came tumbling down…here is a video from inside Matt’s car…

We all got through unscathed and finished the last 3 hours into Huanuco, surviving not only the landslide but the drivers (once again).  Huanuco is a town of about 200k and it was a mess this Sunday.  Lots of shops closed, but people were out in force on the streets creating chaos.  Most folks can’t afford a car, but Tuk-Tuk rides are cheap and so folks use Tuk-Tuks like their own car – creating the need for 1000’s!

The city did not have a great vibe- we walked around for a few hours and decided to start our trek south towards Lima.

We got a few hours in before stopping at a roadside restaurant that allows camping – so a noisy night coming, but the chicharrons they served were very tasty!

8-12-2024 To Lima?  Change of Plans

Edels feeling better about his clutch and so instead of Lima, we are headed to Cusco -about a 4 day drive from where we stayed last night.  We hit the road and had the pleasure of winding our way through a very high mountain plain.  Amazingly, there wasn’t the endless up and down steep and windy mountain passes.  This portion of the road for most of the day was relatively straight and it made the views even better!  We actually got to drive at 45-50 mph for short periods of time – felt like we were flying!  Not much caught the camera’s ye today, but some of the names of towns seemed worthy of a photo – we have seen lots of names like these and even more complex – makes you think more indigenous then spanish.

And there a few normal oddities…

We wrapped up the day at a campground high above a small village overlooking a river – very scenic and it was called Agra Caliente Thermal Springs – and were the springs caliente?? Sadly no, but cool anyway.  The owner is Domingo and he walked us out to his favorite vista point on the property. His grandmother’s 200 year old house is still standing and there are Inca ruins above his house.  Good dude…

It was super windy when we arrived, but it died down and it was a very sound and quiet night sleep.

8-13-2024 Day 2 of Drive to Cusco

As nice as the road and drive were yesterday, today was 180 degrees in the opposite direction.  1000’s of potholes ranging in depth from 1” to 15’+!  Hard to call it a road.  Same drill though –  1.5 lanes that go to 1, no guardrails, steep drops offs at times, horrible Peruvian drivers, heavy dust -absolute mess.  And the towns we went through were equally disappointing. Congested, trash all around – just not a good travel day for 9 hours! lol

Hopefully tomorrow will be a calmer drive.  We did get aftermath of a landslide across the river – dust still coming up from the debris field.

Oh…and goats…so cute – just showed up!

8-13-2024 Day 3 of Drive to Cusco

Roads were better today and we made good progress, but no way to make Cusco.  Scenery was nothing out of the ordinary, always great mountains, but after seeing so many beautiful landscapes since being in Peru, today just didn’t differentiate itself – except roads were so much better!

We camped near a farming village below the road – so no road noise and surprisingly no other animal noises…if you don’t count dogs!  It was a good nights sleep!

8-14-2024. Clouds and Cows…

Another good driving day towards Cusco.  Roads remained good so only have to navigate passing cars/trucks in front of you, people passing constantly from behind you and oh yeah – passing coming at you :0)

The clouds we saw coming off one pass at 13k + ft were cool.  Always nice to be above the clouds and then go through and below them.

Cows…seems like we saw them in and along the road all day.  They just always seem so confused along the road.

 

Oh and let us not forget some cool mountains off in the distance – so massive.  They never get old when you see them.

We camped at a mountain top/near mountain top spot overlooking the city of Abancay.  Unfortunately the winds were again 35-40 mph+ sustained until9pm -so we had to make do for dinner with Edels delivering his world famous hot soup!

Sunrises do wonders to get you going, always awesome, but for such a short time.

8-15-2024 Cusco

We arrived mid afternoon and are near the historic old city in a nice campground.  The drive had its normal elements…and was only 4 hours- ish (so nice!)

But we did see the emergence of a new regional hat for the ladies…check out this stovepipe!

It is not clear what we will take away from the drive to get here – such a mix of physical beauty, grinding out the driving on long stretches of crappy roads, Peruvian drivers, Tuk-Tuks, mix of animals or the very high altitudes.  But it will forever be something we are glad we accomplished.

We’ll spend 3-4 days exploring Cusco and the getting ready for the 3 day trek down to Lima later in the week.  The driving in Peru since coming into the country end of July has been nothing short of challenging.  Nice to take a break.  A local dog was cozying up to Edels to maybe grab a treat – you don’t think this hound knows how to work humans!

8-16-2024 Exploring Cusco

The campground we are staying at is a great example of what an overlanding campground should be.  Lots of other overlanders to meet up with, clean bathrooms, HOT shower, wifi and a family who will go out of their way to make your stay a wonderful experience.  They allow for vehicle storage, handle TIP 9vehicle permit) extensions and more.  They really have a good thing going and in a perfect. location.

We met up with a couple we had been following on Instagram and who were helpful with route info (Maple Leaf Drifters (yeah -Canadien of course!) -Very nice couple..

Nick met up with a couple he had camped next to earlier in his trip and he met up with a nice family from Utah on a 2 year journey with their12 and 8 year olds kids.  We walked around Cusco today doing some simple exploring.  Matt was on the hunt for an Alpacan blanket for some added warmth and of course some coca leaves which you put in your mouth like chewing tobacco to help with the altitude of 11k+ft.

While very t0uristy, Cusco has a nice vibe in the old town and it comes with all the requisite Spanish influences seen in the architecture, all of the churches and of course open markets and street vendors.  Tomorrow we will do a walking tour to get a better historical perspective.

Yeah, huge snails they make a gel out of for…who knows really!

The main square in old town…

8-17-2024  Cusco Day 2

A nice relaxing day.  A slow morning waiting for the sun to hit the campsite and raise the 35 degree temps quickly.  Today, Matt, Edels, Nick and Gus Gus walked into Cusco to check out a walking tour.  Ceasar was our tour guide and he did a great job hustling our small group around the Cusco old town for 3 hours weaving together the pre-Inca, Inca,  colonial and post colonial history of the city.  It was a good way to spend an afternoon.

This rock bears the original name of Cusco (Qusoo) – the Spaniards changed much in Cusco when they strayed running the show, including the city’s name.

Cusco is the center of the Incan empire which was divided into 4 quadrants.  This stone captures the center point front which the regions emanate outward from the city.

We ended the day hosting a pot luck at the campground with a couple in from Auston, Texas, NIck and Nick’s friends from Utah (Scott, Carie, Lillian and Case).  Everyone brought something and it was fun chatting it up with different travelers and surprisingly all from the US – not so common this far south.

8-18-2024 – Day 3 in Cusco

Another relaxing day spent warming under the sun in the morning as it rose above the trees protecting our campsite and then most of the group from last night’s pot luck headed off into Cusco to wander through the shops, check out a local parade celebrating the 200 year anniversary of a school and completing the search for a great Pisco Sour.

The school is a boys school founded by Simon Bolivar who lead the independence fight for Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela and Panama. Its 200th anniversary celebration had students from prior years marching in a parade for the event – their marching stride is a bit interesting, but a cool celebration.

The flags of the school (CC), Peru and Cusco (rainbow colors) were raised above the parade.

 

More oddities caught our eye during the day, but very much reflected the character of Cusco.

LLama and guinea pig are very common in the area on restaurant menus.  We had our 1st llama burger today which was very good cooked medium rare!  We ate the burgers at a restaurant called Limbus Restobar.  We got the recommendation from a local guide as we were in search of the best pisco sour in the city.  The restaurant has an awesome view of the city and packs a very good pisco sour…is it the best in Cusco – hard to tell but it was VERY good.

We leave Cusco tomorrow to begin a 2-3 day trip to Lima where we will one again clean the vehicles, do maintenance in preparation for the last segment of the trip and get the TIP’s for the rigs suspended/extended.

8-19-24  Day 1 of the Road to Lima

Got off to a casual start to the day and said goodbyes to a great group of fellow overlanders: Overlanders for Good (Scott, Carie, Lillian and Case), our new Texas buds Sam and Phil and of course to Nick and Gus Gus.  We hope to reconnect with all or at least some later on when we start segment 3 in November.  Sad to say goodbye, but time to move on to Lima.

Nice, uneventful day driving and we only put 5-6 hours on the road.  We have a solid 2 and most likely 3 days left to arrive in Lima, without a particular rush at this point in time.  We camped at a facility with a large grassy area, pool, hot showers and bathrooms.  They really only get people to come on Fri-Sun, so on Mon we have the place to ourselves.  Now only if the roosters will cooperate so we can get a good nights sleep!

8-20-2024 Day 2 Drive from Cusco to Lima

We got off to an early start and said goodbye to our sweet host Xena – she was so interested in us having a good experience.

And then it was off for what turned out to be a roughly 10 hour drive day. The 1st half to 3/4 was nice – climbing up and down mountain passes and almost touching 15k ft…just 90’ short!  The mountains and high mountain plains were very dry but road was not busy and we really cooked along for Peruvian driving.

 

As we crested a high mountain plain we saw a bunch of “somethings” crossing the road in front of us – this absolutely  made our day…

We saw llamas all during the day in smaller herds and in the wild spread across the plains – always over 10-11k ft.  But this bunch was special.

Also not sure what this was about at the entrance to a high mountain plain national park:

Then the last 1/4 of the drive wasn’t awesome – we were almost run off the high mountain roads several times by crazed truck or car drivers and multiple construction delays made us anxiously look for a place to camp – which we found.  A nice camp area, similar to last night in that it is a place busy on weekends and not so much during the week, surrounded by the owners farm.  Rosario was the host and she helped us feel right at home.

 

8-21-2024 Day 3 Drive from Cusco to Lima

We had a small delay leaving as Matt backed into a railroad tie that broke a faucet head and was shooting water into the sky – had to wait for someone from the family to come and get it under control. Always something…and it all happened under the watchful eye of dog Thanos – lead pack dog that roamed the property.

What a change in roads! Leaving Nazca it was the same ‘ol 2 lane road we have seen and n some areas and/or towns we went through things got a lil bumpy.  But once we climbed out of this valley, man we are talking new 4 lane “real” highway all the way to Lima.  What a refreshing change.  Now the scenery wasn’t awesome- even though you could see beach and ocean, the sky was overcast, winds high and you were stuck in an eternal dust cloud.

But we’ll take it!  We located a guy who performs logistic support for people who want to store vehicles and need documentation help and a place to store the vehicle while in Lima.  He is a lawyer and nice guy who stores vehicles in his house’s garage.  You can camp there as well as he built a bathroom in the garage or you can stay in one of 1 room apartments he built above the garage.  Super helpful and nice guy- Oh and can’t forget momma Virginia who makes sure everything runs smoothly.  🙂  We grabbed dinner and caught Edels claiming his 1000+ gram Argentinian meat plate wasn’t just for him –  yeah- we know better.

   

8-22-2024 Day 2 in Peru

Today we cleaned the cars before they both head to maintenance and repairs on Friday.  It is great to get all the dust/mud off it and even some of the dust out of it. Mechanics tomorrow will thank us …

We also picked up needed propane and other supplies and treated ourselves to a incredible Peruvian dish for lunch (that will also cover us for dinner)- Spiced rice loaded with plantain and chorizo bites – it was money.

 

8-23-2024  Peru Day 3 –  Maintenance Day

John and Matt spent the day at their respective mechanics.  Delays in parts availability, mechanic availability and let’s say maybe a lil of the “Gringo Affect” – not necessarily a priority customer :0) (At least in Matt’s case).  Matt was able to get back to the “camp house” by 6:45PM after leaving for the appointment at 7:45 AM, while John spent the night in the mechanic’s yard because the work wasn’t done and the mechanic was a solid 1-1.5 hour drive – no fun in Lima on a Friday night!

 

Life is funny -as soon as Matt pulled up to open the gate to the Camp House after leaving the dealer…this happens…crazy.  Matt and John leave for the states late Saturday so we know what Day 1 for Matt looks like when he returns 11/4.

8-24-2024 Final Travel Prep and Flights to the US

Uneventful day – John’s work on the rig was almost completed by mid-day (one item to be completed upon his return) and both of us used the day to organize the rigs so we can hop in and go when we return 11/4.  John Sanchez, our host, went selfie crazy before we took off for the airport – but is a good guy and is attentive to your needs, with the help of his mom Virginia and his wife Cristina.

Check back 11/14 and we’ll post what the rest if Peru has for us and the final leg of the joinery through Chile and Argentina.

Ciao for now!

11/4-8/24 – We’re Back!

September and October flew by and we are all back in Lima.  John and Roz landed 11/3 and Matt and Tracy on the 4th.  We are staying in a nice condo in the Mira Flores area of town in a penthouse no less!  Gotta love Peruvian prices!

The cars were inspected and released from customs on 11/5 and we went about the process of readying the rigs for the last segment of the trip.  The good folks at El TIP Viajero where the rigs were stored were a great help in helping us manage the process.

John will have his suspension worked on and Matt will get 2 new tires on 11/6 and the rigs will get loaded up and readied for departure on Friday 11/8.  During John’s long day at the mechanic he made a few friends to help pass the time.

But John had to return on 11/7 so the mechanics could finish up – Lots of love went into Edel’s rig in 2 days.

And of course we have taken full advantage of the great food in Lima while getting ready to leave.

Thursday 11/7 Matt and Tracy walked through a neighborhood or two to check out the surrounding areas.  The stroll took them to a park where the city employees staking care of the park have adopted lots of stray cats.  Cats are everywhere and they even built little “cat houses” throughout the park – we counted six of these!

The walk took them to the beach where they watched some surfers before heading up into a pretty tranquil hood called Barranco.  I think Matt needs a longboard!

Our last night in Lima we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Pinchita – classic Peruvian dishes done really well.  It was a great way to end our stay in Lima as we headed out to Inca the morning of the 8th.

11/8/24 – Ica

After packing up the rigs we headed to Ica which is only a 4 hours drive from Lima in an area known for growing the grapes Peruvians make Pisco from.  Pisco is a liquor, some say like an Italian Grappe (but with a kick!)

We stayed at a Pisco Winery called Sotelo.  A cute little place where you get a wine tour & tasting with your camp stay.  We were hosted by Hector, who spoke no english but was able to use the phone translator to give us a good tour.  No phone needed for pouring Pisco at the end though! Gorgeous little winery.

We cooked up an amazing meal after the tour and was treated to a great sunset.

Ciao Hector!

11-9-24 Off to Nazca

It was a quick trip Friday down to Nazca where we returned to Sol De Cantayo to camp.  John and Matt stayed there on their way back from Cusco towards the end of August.  Rosario,  our host, connected us up with a local flight company for a Sunday morning flight.

The goal was to grab a flight over the Nazca Lines.  The “Lines” were built between 200 BC and 500 AD by the indigenous Nazca people.  Basically folks removed the top layer of desert rock to form very accurate portrayals of different animals and yes even an astronaut – which is part of the supporting narrative that aliens help the Nazca people construct these given how accurate the “Lines” are to the real thing.

11-10-24. Flying the Nazca Lines!

We hit the airport early Sunday AM to get connected with our pilots.  The plane was bigger than we thought it would be and couldn’t wait to get airborne.  We must say, our flight was awesome! The plane was great for viewing…

Our pilots loved their bracelets and of course we felt they would fly safer being new members to our tribe!

Now for those lines…then cooler ones are shown below and it is amazing to think folks carved those out of the ground without the benefit of a birds eye view…or is that where the astronaut comes in???

Flower

Hands

Spider

Condor

Hummingbird

Dog

Monkey

Astronaut

However the Nazca Lines got built, they are a sight to see for sure.  The rest of the day we spent heading down to a little beach resort called Puerto Inka.  Things got a lil windy along the drive as the entire region is a massive dune for 100’s of square miles…crazy!

It is off season so the little hotel was vacant but we were allowed to camp right on the beach.  There were a few Inca ruins nearby that Tracy explored and we settled in for the evening.

11-11-24  Off To Colcha Canyon

Colcha Canyon is one of those natural wonders Peru is blessed with.  The peaks surrounding the canyon reach 19k ft above sea level and canyon is over a mile deep ( we believe).  The mountains looked crushed together and the canyon is home to the Andean Condor – which you can see soaring in the valley.  We can’t reach it one day from Puerto Inka, so we stopped at a little beach town called La Punta.  The drive to get there toook us along gorgeous coastline views.

The town appeared deserted in some areas but had a massive beach that stretched for over a mile along the front of it.  We camped on the beach before heading up to Colca Canyon on the 12th

10-12-24 Colca Canyon

The drive to Colca Canyon was a bit of a surprise.  We knew the drive would take us up to over 12k ft, but we (foolishly) thought the road would be paved.  A portion was, but the 50 or so miles of unpaved was classic Peru – equal parts teeth rattling, bumpy, dangerous and dusty and flat out gorgeous scenery.  This country never misses a chance to impress.

Can you see the faces in the mountain?   Eeerie!

Lil video of scenery, some vehicle cruising and a lil surprise tossed in…Baa  Baaa

 

While a long drive, man it was worth it…And late in the afternoon we arrived and caught a few condors flying…but the next morning was special.

   

11-13-24 Condor Viewing and The Start of Our Trek to Chile

We camped in the parking lot of the Mirador Del Cruz Condor viewing site.  Peru built sites to overlook Colca Canyon where the resident condors nest and spend mornings and late afternoons soaring 1000’s of feet above the canyon floor.  The canyon is a sight to see and you toss in majestic Andean Condors and it completes the day.  The birds are crazy big and soar endlessly on the up-currents never needing to flap their wings.

so graceful!

After viewing the condors we headed towards Arequipa hoping to get far enough south that we can cross into Chile on 11/14.  The drive took us once again through amazing scenery and almost up to 16k ft!

We reached Arequipa towards the end of the day and found a boutique hotel that let us park on the front yard.  We grabbed a great meal at a restaurant called Zig Zag, a hot shower and a good night sleep.

11-14-24 Chile Here We Come!!

We made the drive to the Chilean border just south of Tacna, Peru and arrived at the border mid afternoon.  After some confusing steps in the process, we crossed into our 11th country and drove into Arica, Chile for a bite to eat and some rest.

That’s it for Peru.  What an amazing country!  Hard t imagine what we will remember most.  The incredible scenery?  Crazy roads?  Suicidal drivers? Wonderful food?  ALl of the mixed indigenous cultures?  Damn – I think all of it.

Hop to the Chile page to see what that country has to offer….

Ciao for now