Lima
Trujillo - Lima : 370 miles
The idea wasn't to make it all the way to Lima at once, especially after leaving Trujillo as late as eleven. But after a long and windy ride among sand dunes and more of the same, I really did not come across any place I wanted to stay at, so just kept going.
Look, the ocean! I took the exit to Tortugas to have a closer look.
There's a strong police presence on Peruvian roads, particularly on town entrance and exits. Between Chimbote and Lima, there's also the strong presence of Police corruption. This is where you will get stopped for a shakedown. You don't want to run as there's one road, and he has many friends. The going rate for a corrupt cop is 5 Soles, equivalent of less than $2. If you were a local, you might get by with just 1 or 2 Soles. Of course there's always the option of being the uber-cheap tourist and talking the guy to death as well. But that would cost you at least 20 minutes per stop, and at two incidents or more before reaching Lima, you'd be looking at a lot of wasted time. In my case, I paid one off and killed another of frustration.
Sixty miles to Lima we rode into very thick fog. It was already getting dark and the wet road surface was the icing on the cake. Later I was told that that fog layer is always there. For quite sometime I followed somebody's tail lights with crossed fingers. Then, we were in Lima.
I knew I was heading to Miraflores, the pretty and safe part of town, but I had no idea about how to get there. The Panamericana turned into a freeway type deal, and it seemed to go on forever. Ultimately, it wasn't hard however. You exit at Avenida A. Benavides, and follow it all the way. Hotel Solis Dies had a garage, WiFi, and a rock solid bed for $20. (Calle Porta #245, Miraflores. Tel: 628 1040)
Lima is where Peru ends. Had it not been for the distinct driving style, you could call it a nondescript city by looking at the Ztarbucks and Svendonalds stuff all over the place. And as for its driving style... Elsewhere it would be considered a criminal act. And I'd thought the driving in Istanbul was terrible.
How I had missed decent coffee! Of course, I was at Starbucks first thing in the morning. They even brought a lock for my PowerBook so I could easily go for seconds. Then, Jorge showed up on his XT. I almost didn't recognize him. But never having met him before, perhaps that wouldn't be so weird either.
At the Colombia - Ecuador border, I had met a Brazilian rider. Until we were distracted by the incredible and typically Colombian cleavage of the mamasita customs officer, he was giving me some pointers and contacts. That's how I had Jorge's email, and I had sent him a message before heading to Lima. And here he was, without even knowing that I'd be at Starbucks! Well, ok, maybe wasn't that hard to guess.
In the following hours, Jorge helped me buy new tires (Pirelli MT60s @ $110 for the pair), introduced me to his friend Carlos, and they took me out to lunch. Then, they found a place to get the tyres mounted and kept me company. By evening, the whole gang was together. They gave me a quick city tour before treating me to dinner in a very swanky place. Then, we went for a night ride in the empty streets of Lima. It was us and our wheels, and we owned the city! The historic town center is such a beautiful place to hang out at with no one around. It was a truly incredible time with more laughter than I'd had in a long time.
Our gang in Lima.
Lima is magical late at night
Even I can't believe I could leave Lima the next day. I didn't even ride around the city in daylight fearing that it might mar the beautiful image in my memory. Here is the part that really sucks about traveling: you meet wonderful people, make new friends, then leave them behind without even knowing whether if you'll be able to see them again.
Katirga and me through Jorge's pen :)
Next : Huacachina
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