Barranca to Lima, Sunday, 30 December 2012, Day 180

Get a room!!!

A bit of a strange day first thing was that when I went to pack the bike the dog of the hotel had left us huge steaming present right outside the door nice and pongy!

We hit the road a short run into Lima which started a long way out of the center so running through the burbs or shanty towns dual carriage way but utter chaos people and car buses lorries and various other forms of transport all wanting that small bit of road that you where on. We had skipped breakfast so I was peckish and a bit light headed but not really a nice place to stop so we pressed on to an address we had of a Hostel. When we got there no room at the inn so we headed down the coast to another address we had which also had no room. Alex has had enough and is ready to go back to the Hilton, which we had also scoped as a possibility as he had a loads of points that he had accumulated as an Accenture consultant and he could get this free so we tried for an apartment but they only had rooms so A & A where going to stay there and we found Philly and Daisy a Hostel bed in Barranco which turned out to be a really cool place in a great neighbourhood.

Great walk along the cliff tops nice 🙂

Alex and Andrea headed of to posh Ville I will see them tomorrow. Joop who we had agreed to meet for New year had not checked in yet but I was not really expecting him as he was a good days ride behind us but I booked him a bed for tomorrow night. I did my laundry then had a great walk along the cliff tops from Barranco to Mira Flores and treated myself to a McDonalds and watched the sunset and then walked back to the hostel. I had been informed that it was a safe walk around  in the dark and it has security guards from all the posh houses all over the place. I got back at about 8.30pm and I had been walking for a good 5 hours so I was a bit tired and as I had handed in all my trousers to be washed  I was wearing my swimming trunks/ shorts and they are were not designed for walking in so I was suffering from some slight chaffing 😦 (to much info :-))

Mira Flores Building Art

I hung around the hostel chatting to folks and then beddy byes a sleep in and a nothing to do day tomorrow yes I need it

Should really give this a go

Lima, Monday, 31 December 2012, Day 181

New Year in Lima

I had a bit of a lie in which was nice and then a leisurely free breakfast, which was not bad for a hostel then on to the Internet, as I had been trying to locate some new tyres for Daisy, but the sizes we need are not readily available in Peru. I Have been offered some Pirellis in Arequipa from a Dutch bloke Lars who runs a motorcycle rental business down there and he has some available so that is a 90/90/19 for the front and a 140/80/17 for the back. Daisy needs 110/80/19 and 150/70/17 so the question is will what’s offered fit and work so it is on to the forums and e-mail to some people who I know may be able to offer advice on this dilemma and as usual when you ask multiple folk you get conflicting answers so I am still none the wiser so I will have a go to see if I can get the recommended sizes here in Lima as I had found some dealers and one was just round the corner so I tried there first but I could not found the place or the address I had was wrong.

Star wars Franchise is not overing any work to R2D2 so slumming it as a bin in Lima

So back to the hostel and more research and dialog and then Joop turned up and I had also been talking to Alex and Andrea and I had arranged to meet them for New Year Eve so I got Joop settled in then me and him walked to Mira Flores to try and find another tyre shop and get some dinner and then to meet up with the Romanians later at the Hilton. Long walk to the dealer I had got my trouser back from the laundry but yesterdays chaffing was acting up 🙂 Dealer had nothing in the sizes I wanted there was one rear road tyre that was the right size but I did not fancy running road tyres on the roads that where coming my way so I need some sort of off road capability so I decided that fate had decided what tyres I was getting are the ones offered in Arequipa he has a fleet of BMWF800GS running this combo and a mate who’s judgement and knowledge I trust said the offered combo should work it would be taller (that is all I need with my stumpy legs) and feel weird but doable so I may regret this decision but this can be rectified down the road if needed. The next question is have I got enough meat left on the existing tyres to do the 3000km to Arequipa and can I find a Suzuki Oil Filter in Peru and if I cannot is that a real disaster mechanically wise. All these questions can be dealt with next year it is time to say goodbye to 2012 so it is off to KFC for dinner and a beer for Joop and a Inca Cola for me (my latest soft drink addiction and yes I am still off the wagon so that’s 73 days without a drink :-)) watching the sun go down.

It does not really feel like New Years Eve ish so we head to the Hilton for a bit of posh and to meet up with Alex and Andrea. Hang around there posh room for a while then head down to bar as they have some complimentary drink vouchers and there is a live dance show going on so we hang around there for a while then head to the cliff overlooking the sea as we have been told fireworks are best seen from there.

Every one in national costume

Very pleasant New Years loads of folks and loads of fireworks and I was sober. We walked back to the Hostel and around Barranco so again I had walked miles again chatting with folks back at the Hostel and finally to bed late night it has been a while since I have been up this late.

Bye bye 2012 I lost a great job but look what I got in its place I am now riding down the Pan American Highway on me bike fulfilling a long time ambition so I guess 2012 was not so bad 🙂 I wonder what little surprises 2013 has in store for me.

Happy New Year faithful blog readers hope this is keeping you entertained if not tough titties 🙂

Lima to Huacachina, Tuesday, 1 January 2013, Day 182

Oasis in the Desert

So this the first post of 2013 not much different from the last post of 2012 I never understood the fuss made about a new year and new year resolutions you can change your life any day of the week or year why do it specifically today why do folks decide that this is the time for a change it beats me. So today started the same as most travel days on the road up shower, breakfast, pull kit together load bike pull bike out of awkward parking space the last two can be swapped if the place is really awkward plug in destination into GPS curse GPS as destination cannot be found hit road find fuel and or breakfast if not provided at place you are staying. So today start no different from many others on this trip.A bit slower as I am not in a hurry as I am not planning on going far today only to an Oasis in the Desert which is only 300km away.

Leisurely breakfast with Joop say Tata and I am heading out of Lima back into the Desert. Not sure that todays run was that interesting I have been in the desert for what seems to be ages there is sand everywhere. I roll into Huacachina at about 3pm its an Oasis in the middle of a desert surrounded by huge Sand Dunes and streets full of Mad Max buggy’s taking tourist on a blast in the dunes.

      

Loads of Mad Max Buggy taking folks into the Desert I walked!

I head for a Hostel I have the name off and check in there and it is the usual attempt to get double rate price for the bed as it was a public holiday but after a chat with me saying the fiesta was yesterday the price went back to normal so that 13.50 Sols or less than 5 EUR so that’s more like it.

I went for a walk in the dunes doing my usual impression of mad dogs and Englishman go out in the midday sun I walked quite away into the Desert getting funny looks from all the tourists on there Mad Max dune buggy excursions as they blasted past. I had fun mucking around in the Dunes except for all of the sand, which I have mentioned a couple of times it gets in everywhere.

Mad dogs and Englishmen!

I am having dinner when I spot Alex and Andrea it looks they had the same destination in mind as me so they join me and we agree to go and see the Nazca Lines together leaving at 7.30am in the morning not sure why agreed to that time but it is cooler at that time.

  

Curious as to what the Nazca lines will be like my expectations are low so hopefully will be a nice surprise 🙂