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April
16th,
2018
On
the road at last
Hot,
28 Celsius, sunny with very little wind, if any
So
the time has come to leave Lima, to leave my friends and start the
lonely trek. The bike is packed. I would say it is packed. It has
seventeen cuddly toys, The Lads & Lasses on it! Everything I
think I will need is packed into the four panniers and the back rack
holder. On top of this latter item there is a sleeping bag, a tent
and an inflatable mattress. The front box mounted on the handlebars
has tools and talcum powder for my poor feet.
The
stitches from the nasty tooth extraction have been removed this
morning and there is no excuse to delay other than procrastination.
It is incredibly hot and the thought of Lima's traffic and unknown
roads does tend to have one searching for any excuse not to start
pedalling.
Staff
from Mani and Katia's office come out to take photographs of the Mad
Englishman, about to set off in the midday sun. Smiles, handshakes
and the opening hatch, as of Avatar's craft arrival or Saving Private
Ryan's landing craft opening, and I am on the bike cycling along
quiet, tree-lined roads.
Five
miles later, after crossing major highways by pulling the too heavily
laden bike up stairways to access bridges, the dual carriageway that
is the planned route stops being just that and the next three miles
has me negotiating packed streets and road works. Mamma Abuela,
Manuel's wonderful Mother, had told me to be careful in this area of
Lima. “Cycle through it and don't stop”, she had had said looking
extremely worried. Now here I was with no road to cycle along, just a
long slog of crowded streets.
I
give the first cuddly toy away to a small boy who looks bemused but
whose Mother gives such a delighted face at the gift that I
understand exactly why I love to do such things. Goodbye Sam the dog,
a rucksack, now with a better owner than someone who would have him
suffering the heat from on front of a bicycle.
The
road, once it becomes free of the extensive roadworks, is straight
and very busy. Almost constant car horns blast as cars, buses and
large lorries all head the same way as me. The road is constantly but
steadily uphill, a slight incline means that my calves receive the
exercise they have lacked recently.
I
stop at a hostel late afternoon, Sunset Hostel, which has a poster
saying rooms are 20, 25 or 30 Soles; about £7.50 for the most
expensive room. I take one after the bike is stowed away in the
family owner's kitchen and find a basic room with en-suite shower and
seat-less toilet. A large double bed is overlooked by a large
flatscreen TV, a fan that works and a large mirror. Something tells
me that the clientele of this particular establishment have things
other than sleep on their minds!
An advert for sex TV channels
attached to the Wifi code for the hostel seems to confirm suspicions.
12.72
miles 1,055 feet ascent 39 feet descent
Actual elevation 1,351 feet
17th
April, 2018
Very
hot, cloudless and windless
Up
and out early, the cycle to the next town, the first place where I
will be stopping to bird the area, Chaclacayo, seems to pass by
extremely quickly.
A stop at a service station for coffee helps break
up the nine mile uphill trek in the early morning heat. How come
sweat pours out of one once inside a air-conditioned environment.
Rose, the lady behind the counter, is amused at the bike's occupants
and makes a superb creamy cup of coffee and presents it in a large
paper cup and all for less than an English pound. No plastic tops to
waste here. Horrific to see Starbucks in the news for having two
black men arrested for doing nothing in Philadelphia, USA.
I
find a hostel in Chaclacayo, one that is twice as expensive than last
night's salacious abode coming in at sixty five Soles. I book for two
nights and wheel the bike into my beautiful double room. Same
arrangement as last night's room but better quality and there is a
toilet seat. This has a banner on it saying 'disinfected.' It'll doo!
Still
earlyish, mid-morning in fact, I head off to explore the hills to the
north. I notice that a zig-zag road ascends the dry, dusty, stony
hills and decide that that is where I will go. I don't know why but
whenever I see hills I have the urge to climb them. I cross a large,
noisy river and find some waste ground beside the road that has a few
butterflies on scrubby flowers and a family of six Groove-billed
Anis. Two dogs make me feel unwelcome and dust kicked in their
direction tells them that bare teeth aren't welcome either.
Through
a steep-sided village and along the dirt track road, I ascend the
hill and see exactly no birds other than the occasional feral pigeon
and Black Vulture. A couple of small lizards are on the rocks and the
road has no vegetation, no grass, no flowers just stunted and dry
pine trees and ubiquitous Eucalyptus.
The
views of the valley are long and smoggy and the road eventually is
barred by a large barb-wire topped gate with Privado signs. Beyond is
a pipeline leading into a hydro electric power station far below.
I
walk down again after sitting and contemplating and stop at a dirty
water tank which has some flowers and vegetation. Butterflies,
dragonflies and a couple Southern Beardless Tyrannulets are here and
a small lizard hunting along a bushes twigs. A bird new for the Green year list, a Collared Warbling Finch is in a small tree.
Through
the village again and down to the river. Across a footbridge and back
to the hostel.
