Day 37 To Huancayo after being Kidnapped!

May 7^th, 2018

VERY hot and sunny

Goodbye to Moises after the usual superb breakfast. He cycles with me to the main road and waves me goodbye. What a host! I haven't been with such a hostel proprietor before, one where he does everything he possibly can to make sure that one;s stay is totally enjoyable. Thanks Moises!

The cycle ride to Huancayo is reasonably quick, well, except for a moment when I am kidnapped by a group of black masked men with whips! They grab me and take me through some large metal gates into a courtyard full of people. They are all there to celebrate a birthday and I am a guest now. Given beer and food, I sit with a group of Peruvian ladies and watch as colourfully costumed dancers cavort to music played by a band of musicians. I love Peru! Always expect the unexpected.

Cycling on I pass another unexpected, incongruous item, a ferris wheel is on the slope of the hill to my right. To my left there is an old fashioned fairground, the sort I remember visiting the recreation ground behind my parent's shop in Redditch when I was a teenager. It is the sort that has tatty stalls and the rides are gaudy and look old. There is one modern ride that is being dismantled as I pass, a huge circle of red metal within with a caterpillar of seats would go around and around at great speed. 'With my excentrifigal forz!

Reaching the city limits, the road crosses a bridge and then climbs steeply. At the top there is a large junction and the mayhem of the city truly begins. A funeral procession is holding up the traffic and there is no respect paid by some motorists for the deceased as the honk horns. On reaching my turn off point, the road has leaking sewage covering it and one has to walk through the effluent to get to the pavement heading uphill. I have an address to find, the home of the in laws, well soon to be in laws anyway of Jungle Jimmy McSparron. They have invited me to stay and rest for a couple of days. I find their home and the welcome is wonderful. The kindness of strangers.

Green Year list : 185 birds average new birds to list per day : 5.00 birds

Distance walked : 26.14 miles

elevation : up 875 feet, down 1117 feet

altitude : 8,667 feet