Celtic Adventurer - Riding the World

The Lima files

Still stuck in Lima!! been here about a week and a half now. But have been making the most of my time. Today i was on the phone to BMW and they assured me the parts had arrived in Miami and they were in the process of getting DHL to send them down to me!

Last few days have been exploring the town, The main plaza is not bad as squares go, but nothing special to write home about. Just North of this is the Church of San Franciso, a Franciscan Friary which turned out to be a surprise treasure of a visit. Apart from holding a great library, and some paintings by Pieter Paul Rubens and Van Dyck, It is also home to a nextwork of catacombs. These tunnels run under the church and essentially were the public cemetery. They were closed after independence from Spain and were all but forgotten about. Back in the late 1950's they were rediscovered during excavations to install electric lighting at the church. It was a little gruesome walking along the passages peering into pits of assorted bones, bodies were thrown in and covered with quicklime. 

South of the church i took in the Museo de la Inquisición. Total disappointment. Considering this was the central office of the inquisition for all of central America, it was lacking in exhibits and generally badly put together. It was more of a torture to follow the "guided" Spanish tour around with a bunch of Peruvians who hadn't washed in a year! The Inquisition museum in Mexico City is a hundred times better.

From Peru - Lima o...

(me on top of a pile of rocks .. aka Huaca Pucllana Pyramid)

Today I started off with a visit to Huaca Pucllana, a pre Inca site where young virgins were offered up in human sacrifice to the sea gods. Now days its a crumbling pile of earth, but what is impressive is the style of building. The mud bricks were arranged in patterns and with space between them to absorb the impact of earthquakes. I guess it worked as the building is still standing today. But sadly there are no young virgins sacrificed here anymore.. think you will have to check out the nightclubs of Miraflores if you are looking for that type of thing.

From Peru - Lima o...

(note the building technique)

On the tour I met a nice Canadian couple, Michael and Kitty. They were down from Calgary for a two month break. When looking at the hopeless guidebook aka the Rough Guide (more rough than guide) it described the barrio of Callao as Quote "a none too alluring place - its slum zones, infamous for prostitution and gangland assassins, are considered virtually no go areas for the city's middle classes - but if you are unworried by such associations, you will find some of the best ceviche restaurants anywhere on the continent". .mmm  bit like Dunlaoghaire really. Thought this place sounds interesting so lets give it a look. So leading our posse of 3 haggled down the price of the cab fare and we arrived in Callao. Actually its a quaint little place. Sadly we were 5 minutes late for the Military Museum, so we set off in search of some ceviche, which is fish cooked by soaking it for a few hours in lemon juice (for those who don't know). So while lacking on gangland assinations we did find a great little restaurant who serve raw fish! Ate my fill and not dead yet! actually it was nice, and we made it out of the guidebook's version of Beirut in one piece.

From Peru - Lima o...

(..one more payment and its mine)

So few more days here and then I hope this sensor will arrive and i will be on my way.   

Accident Update and Lima

Hey guys, as promised a few pics. The accident occurred coming out of a corner at 50mph when the bike decided it didn't want to lean anymore... So instead I am on my ass following it along the road through the corner into the ditch. Next think I remember is hitting the bike and coming to a rather abrupt stop.

I was straight to my feet in an attempt to pick the machine up! amazing what adrenaline does to you. Straight away you could see the bike was in worse state than I was, apart from a few tears in my gear, I was fine. But the front subframe on the bike was bent, and the console and windshield support was fractured in multiple places. In addition all the glass in the lights was broke, the panniers were a little deformed and the LCD display on the dash was broken. Worst of all the EWS sensor was looking a little worse for wear.

From Peru Accident

So just after getting it upright

From Peru Accident

Close up of the new racing, slicked back front.. maybe a little agricultural

From Peru Accident

From Peru Accident

Pickup truck bringing it to Jaen

At first we tried to start the bike and there was not even a geek out of it. Oh no.. this is not good. But while Simon was on the Satellite phone, with a stroke of luck i somehow got it to start. Nearly cried for joy.

We drove over 100 miles back in the direction of civilization, then we stopped of gas. Bike stopped and hasn't started since!

While i frantically tried to call people and get someone to do something instead of just look and ask stupid questions at the side of the road. For example How big is the engine... how fast does it go.. Answer: f**k off! its not going anywhere now.. help me push. Or get me a new EWS sensor..

Simon rode off to the next town and later came back with the Cavalry.. Ihe guy with Toyota pickup and a few locals to get it in! And then we were off to Jaen, biggest town in this area in Northern Peru.

From here we setup accident HQ and got stuff moving. Truck to Lima was secured, and following that , my bus ticket. On my last night there was in the hotel room, and the ground starts to shake! Yes an earthquake..this coupled with being asked out on a date in a shop by the two ugly sisters (had to think fast to get out of that one!!) and I was starting to think that Peru really didn't like me.

But next day was looking up. I was on the bus to the coast at 1.30 and by 8.30 I had transferred to the VIP coach to Lima. VIP was cool. Had a fully recinable seat with footrest, dinner was served, and so was breakfast just before we arrived in Lima in the morning.

Giacomo met me at the bus station and we towed the bike to a local Honda garage here in Miraflores, Lima. Guido was instrumental in getting the new sensor organized with BMW Miami

From Peru Accident

In the Garage in Lima.. looking a bit cleaner. Work begins tomorrow.

So now i am waiting here in Lima for a sensor. BMW Miami took payment today so hopefully wont be long. The guys in the shop are supposed to straighten and weld some of the metal bits tomorrow. Until I will have to make do cruising around Lima with Albert in his 1983 pimp my ride Oldsmobile! classic wine colour with plastic walnut and suede trim!

More tales to come, even the one about the sexy midget army! hasta pronto!

Intermission!!!

Right guys! Well as some of you are now aware, I wiped out on a curve on the way to Moyobamba in the Amazonia provence in Northeastern Peru yesterday. Firstly I am okay. Not even a scratch on me, but not sure my Rallye Suit will have much resale value at this stage. Thanks to all the great guys on ADVrider for the advice so far. Hope I can get the bike going in Lima.

After the crash the bike wouldnt start, so we were in the middle of nowhere with the rain coming down trying to contact BMW on Simon´s Sat phone. No too successful. All they could do was tell me they couldnt find a number for BMW Motorrad in Peru. Then when i was fiddling with the bike magically i got it to start. We were over joyed and thought we were home free. With some El Ducto the console was reassembled. Miraculously although every lens was smashed all the bulbs survied intact as did the headlight protector from BMW. The composite mounting however died. Only other bike threatening damage it seemed was the clutch reservoir. But we cleaned it out and found most of it in the dirt. the rubber seal with some DOT3 and duct tape had the clutch working again.

So we set off back in the direction of Lima to see if we could get a more permanent repair. We stopped a few times. Then after about 100 miles we pulled in for gas and the bike wouldnt start! This was when I got the EWS message on what was left of the LCD screen. It took a hit in the bottom left corner so some of it is cracked and doesnt show any info. All attempts to get it going failed. So in desperation i contacted Salvador in Nicaragua, who started the thread on ADV for me. Eventually Simon managed to get some old guy with a pickup out of bed, and we got the bike the nearest town which was Jaen. Where I am now.

This morning i got it onto a truck going to Lima and I will be able to join it when my bus gets in on Saturday morning. I have a few suggestions from people re the sensor, so will give them a try and see what happens. If not i will have to sit tight and wait for a new sensor.

Apart from that the last few days were amazing. Afer crossing the border and making our way to Pedro Ruiz, we took a day trip down to Gocta Falls, which while always known to the locals, were "discovered" by a German dude about five years ago. They have been measured at 771m making them the third highest in the world. It is a 2 hour hike into the base (we did it 1.5) and its really worth it. Most of the path is lik something out of Indiana Jones. Hanging vine and jungle trees, even snakes and monkeys. Actually we nearly stepped on two on the path. Horrible Green things.

But as for the waterfall I have never seen something so big. The temperature and wind change at the bottom is amazing. The force of the falling water makes its own wind.

From Ecuador & Peru

We had planned on taking a dirt track all the way around to Tingo Maria and on down to Cusco. But now this is not going to happen. Simon is on limited time and money so after we got the bike on the truck to Lima this morning he set off. Hope we can catch up again soon. Top bloke Si.

But now my next task is to get to Lima and get the bike going again. So if anyone is in Lima send me a mail. Oh and when I get wireless access.. (i hope Lima) promise loads of new photos.

Enter Peru - On Dirt!!

Well here I am in Pedro Ruiz Gallo in North Eastern Peru! You will be pleased to know I have now washed, and have a bed to sleep in! Its been a great few days. Hardly know where to start. Taking up after Baños we packed up the bikes, and set off with the intention of reaching Loja in a day. Things went wrong from the start, the oringinal road we planned to take was destroyed by a Volcano two years ago, so we had to take a slight detour. As we climbed the mountains the rain started and it got bitterly cold, down to 7 degrees with snow on the side of the road at one stage. By now you could really tell we were in Rural Ecuador, everyone was 4 foot nothing, dressed in Wellington boots, a pair of black pants or a colourful dress, a bright cardigan, and topped off with a bowler hat. All the girls had two long picktails (a la Heidi) and most of them rode around on horses. We stopped for lunch where everyone stared at us, you´d swear we were the first whites they had ever seen. but given the area maybe we were. Its such a contast to Quito. After this The the road started to get really bad, with mud followed by pot holes, by even bigger pot holes, and even more mud. I have some great pictures to share when i get a proper connection. Then we witnessed a strange and cruel act, the butchering of a pig at the side of the road. (no clean shop here) But this was not how i imagined it, not cutting its throat, there were three guys holding it down, with another trying to stab it in the chest. First time he missed the heart, and the pig was kicking and squealing, in one last effort to escape. We didnt dwel here! the noise was terrible. But maybe the sacrifice of the pig worked. By now we were getting really tired, and it was clear we wouldnt make Loja, so we decided to camp just outside Oña. As if by magic, the cloud cleared and we spotted a dirt road leading up the side of a hill to a perfect campsite. We pulled up, hid the bikes behind some huge rocks, and put up the tents. Next got the Machette and collected enough wood to get the fire going, cook some rice and tuna, and crack open a beer. After a long day of riding at that moment, it seemed so real, like nothing else mattered. Really great sitting beside the camp fire having a beer with your mate, and listening to Bob Dylan and Arcade Fire on the Ipod. (speakers and bike battery are great!!) Next moring we got up early and quickly covered the distance to Loja, where I stopped at a filling station and set to work changing my tires. Mike the lessons were worth it, only took an hour to do both. Washing-up liquid works a treat. So all equiped with my new TKC 80´s we were ready for the dirt. After asking the locals about the road and ignoring every bit of advice not to do it we being stubborn fools decided to push on. So glad we did. What we found was possibly one of the most picturesque and greatest dirt roads in all of Ecuador. For over 60 miles the road winds up over mountains and down through deep valleys, we had to cross three rivers (no bridges) and drive everything from loose gravel and sand to big boulders.

From Ecuador & Peru

But it was so worth it. When we finally arrived at Zumba it was another hour to the border crossing. It must go down as the funniest crossing we have done to date. On the Ecuador side the customs offical was absolutely plastered. He while stamping our passports he insisted we join him for a drink. So after a beer or two and posing for some pictures we made our escape. If your passing by this way look out for out stickers in the office. Then it was across the bridge to Peru. To say this is the crossing time forgot would be an understatement. It is located in a deep river valley, with high mountains all around it. One dirt road in, and another out. The crossing is just a loose collection of buildings huddled together, little bit of a deliverance feel from the place. After getting our imigration stamps and convincing the lady my passport was not a fake it was time to get the bikes in. Talk about a slow process. There were two guys in customs, and I dont think either of them had ever done it before. He got out the manual and read through it, fianlly locating a page filled it out, double checked it, got us to fotocopy it, then double checked it again, transcribed it all into another book then realised it was the wrong form and started all again. By this stage it was getting dark and there was an almighty thunderstorm coming in. I asked if there was any camping nearby and the response we eventually got was no.. this took like two hours, if you picture this guy, he has glasses, is about 60, and has alseimers. As a half joke I asked if we could stay there, and to my surprize he said of course. Next thing he was our best friend and was out with the coke bottle and was offering us a drink. Actually there were bunks in the back of the office, and a cover to park the bikes under, and best of all it was free! Despite the killer Spiders in the bathroom. I was begining to feel like che guevera sleeping in police stations. The customs guy turned out to be quiet nice, and let us have a look at the books. We were only the 23 and 24 vehicles through the border in the last year, and only the 4th and 5th bikes. Seeing the road I know why. Its actually amazing they even keep it open. Today we were up at six. The storm the night before had made an already difficult road a nightmare, but the new TKC´s on the bike were loving it.

We raced over deep wet sand, rivers and deep slippery mud. After a few hours of riding and driving around some mud slides we passed through a few villages where the houses were made of mud it was really third world. Really was fun riding on the dirt but after another 70km of hard dirt roads we were glad to see tarmac. Another 100 miles of tarmac later and we arrived in Pedro Ruiz Gallo. The valleys and mountains here are something else. The towns themselves are dirty and really let the place down. Then again we were grumpy, hot sweaty, hungry and a little bit fed up of the staple diet of fried chicken bits and rice. I mean what happens to the good bits of the chicken. We only seem to get the crap ones!! grrr. Cuisine here is definetly not 5 star Egon Ronay. But bad food aside it is really nice here. Tomorrow we are off to see Gocta Falls, supposedly the 4th highest in the world, and this some Mummys at Chacapoyas.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Woke up this morning at 3.30 am on the morning of my birthday, in my sleeping bag, under my mosquito net, under an Indians house, in the Amazon near Tena, to noise of a cock crowing, and Graham Norton on TV in Spanish .. How surreal.

We set out from Quito yesterday and went over a 4000 meter pass and down to Beaza in eastern Ecuador. We had to say goodbye to Guido who was a great host to us for the past few days. The views are pretty spectacular, but the road is unpredictable to say the least. for most of the road to Beaza its perfect tarmac, then you enter lottery country. One minute of tarmac, next its sand, next its stone and loose gravel. To top it off we were driving in what was possibly the heaviest tropical downpour I have ever seen! It was great.

After a few hours on the road we arrived at Tena, which is strange. We were riding along on dirt for a good hour then we enter this large town, with perfect roads and its own airport! With a tourist industry based on bringing paying tourists on trips into the Amazon. Being cheapskates we didn't really want to pay, so we made our own way on the bikes. Its really different to Quito and the other side of the Andes. Strange the effect on the climate these mountains have.

When it was getting dark we tried to find a campsite. We located a small airfield in the Jungle, but the guards wouldn't let us pitch on the field. But after some talking and realizing we weren't America, a local Indian guy let us set up under his house, which was up of the ground on stilts.

It was far too humid for the full tent, so with the Termarest and the mosquito net we set up camp. The situation was a little strange, local Indians were coming along to check us out, but they would just stand and stare. Any attempt to engage them in conversation was futile. It was like talking to a brick wall.

It gets dark here at around 6 o´clock, and in the jungle at night there is absolutely nothing to do. So at seven we went to bed. Then next thing Graham Norton!! Don't know where the guy got power because there was no lights, and no power lines.. yet they all have mobile phones!! actually what is it with poor people, some of them can barely eat, yet everyone has a mobile. Actually a guy the other day thought it incredulous that I didn't have one. But back to the story. Yeah Graham Norton and crowing cocks. Life in the Jungle is weird. Was going to ring the neck of that damn bird but I was sure the owner would not appreciate it. So a fitful sleep was had, not helped by the intense humidity.

We got up with sunrise at 6 am and packed up. With the dampness nothing dries, so I started my birthday smelling like a dead animal and looking like something the cat dragged in. The road out of the jungle was fairly easy until we crossed the border into the next Provence, then it became rough gravel and rock. Riding standing on the pegs for most of it. Then it happened, about 10km north of Fatima, a bit too much pace, and a deep gravel patch combined into a front wheel skid, and I went down hard!

Damn it hurt. landed on my knee, and chest. No real damage, a real testament to the quality of good gear, just a bruised knee, and some ribs, but the camera is totaled (will have to use Simons now). The bike got off lucky also. Bend the engine bars a little, but they did their job protecting the boxer head, and snapped off an indicator, so along with a few more battle scratches the bike was fine. I was able to reassemble the indicator from the broken parts, some super glue, and duct tape, and the pannier and engine bars after a few whacks from a good size hammer and good as new.!

So then we made it to the hot springs at Baños, where we soaked all pains away in the hot copper and sulpher water from the Volcano. Nice to be somewhere early when its still light. So tonight will have a few celebratory drinks and get ready to head to Loja tomorrow.

Also just found out that my sister graduated top of her class from University three days ago on what would have been my mums 50th birthday. So congratulations Niamh, I am proud.   

El Cheapo Fuel - & the Equator

Now we are in Quito Ecuador where fuel is so cheap!! cost about 6 USD to fill the tank! Our first stop was stop was at a roadside food stand where the choice was a delightful spinal cord stew, boild cow Udder, Potato and Stirfried Artery! Naked Chef you have some competition here!!

We spent the first night in Otavalo and then met Guido, a Rose farmer who has just finished his PanAmerican trip on a 1200GS Adv a few months ago. He took us to see the middle of the world monument and then we followed on into Quito

Guido was kind enough to let us stay at his apartment, and for the last two nights we have been do to Alberts pub the Turtles Head.

Quito its self is quiet a bustling town, much richer and with more nice buildings than I had imgained. funily the guide book mentions that you can go visit western prisioners in one of the cities three jails? Most of them are in on Narco offences. Strange attraction indeed. While wandering around the old town we came across no less than 4 seperate protests! The best one was the taxi drivers, protesting becasue they didnt want to get points on their licence for breaking the law..!! i mean what?

While wandering around we nipped into a shop to grab a drink. I picked up a bottle of Tome Tropical!" puro sabor nacional!" Nothing special to look at, but when i tasted it, it really brought back memories. Dont know if any of you remember the old SodaStream machines. Where you get the bottle add the water and syrup and then put it in the machine, and pull down the handle to gas it up and create your own fizzy drink! well if you do , this was exactly the same!!

Tomorrow we are off south! plan is to see some primary rainforrest and then cut across to Banos.

Leaving Colombia

Well today I arrive in a small town called Otavalo just outside Quito Ecuador! On my way down here as I gazed at the fantastic sites of the foothills of the Andes rising up out of the clouds of southern Colombia approaching the Ecuador border, I found myself thinking back and thought it would be appropriate to write a short piece on this fantastic country.

Before I arrived all the advice with some notable exceptions was, don't go to Colombia, you will get robbed or kidnapped, or killed. But really in reality it is a totally different country. I was met all the time with great friendliness, and genuine concern, or interest. It was totally different to a lot of the countries in central America, where alot of people were looking to see how much money they could get out of you.

From the first day when I was taken out to dinner by Pedro Sosnitsky and his family, after everyone was so helpful, giving me advice on places to go and people to see. So I Need to thank the people who gave me advice, along with Mauricio and Vanessa at Ruta 40, and the Guys at Moto Angel in Medellin.

Actually Colombia apart from being bike mad is really an adventure paradise, there is so much to do, from Rafting to Caving to Paragliding, to Diving. The landscape is so diverse, from the Caribbean along the north coast, to deep jungle, to the mountains rising out of the clouds in the south.

It is not trouble free, today in the southern mountains myself and Simon stopped in a rural village for food. When talking to the woman at the stall, we found out that most of the locals were working at a nearby cocaine refining plant. When we asked if we could see it.. "puedemos ver la" she said ¡No NO! es muy peligroso.. (no no , its really dangerous). So while the drugs and the guerrilla war still go on, its nothing like what it was or what it was made out to be. Colombia really is a great place to visit!

As for the last few days, after leaving Medellin with a splitting headache, and hours after we actually had planned to leave, (Halloween got a bit wild at LaCasaCasa night club then night before..(damn you Simon for suggesting we buy bottles of Rum!!!)) we headed for Salento, a supposed paradise in the Coffee district. Problem with leaving late in Colombia in rainy season, is it gets dark early and it rains!! So after a miserable ride in the rain we got to Salento just as it was getting dark. In fairness the Hostel at Plantation House wasn't bad, if a little basic, but the over priced Trout sitting on what looked like a deep-fat fried cat skin, was far from appealing at the only open restaurant on the town square. Next day the town was looking much better by daylight, and we made the most of it.

I got some exercise as we walked couple of miles to a local coffee finca, where we learned the whole process of how coffee is produced. Myself and Simon also attempted to bike up the Concora Valley with the Highest Palm trees in the World. Soon the road was turning to mud, and Simon had his revenge for me slagging his KLR over the last few days for not being able to keep up in the bends as the GS struggled and slid around in the soft mud. But it was fun trying to get the beast up some of those hills meant only for a horse, this was not made any easier by my road tires.

After we followed the road south to Popayan, a non descript stopping point, hardly worth its mention in the guide book, and today we crossed the border into Ecuador. 

Tomorrow we are off to see the equator and to meet our contact Guido in Quito.