The picture of the river crossing - leads me to a deeper scan of the thread :-)

Great Pictures and Report - hope to read soon more here

Surfy

__________________
About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

Happy to have you on-board Surfy! ... yeah that river crossing was quite something!! stay tuned!

Cheers,
Alberto

__________________
www.MotoLara.com

www.facebook.com/MotoLaraRides

Thanks for reading Surfy. We hope you stay along for the ride.

__________________
Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

So the rain that was off and on earlier in the evening turned into full downpour overnight. The tent held up well, good location choosing for once, and all that remained was some early morning fog when we got up. When I tried to make breakfast I discovered that the bottle we had so proudly purchased in Lima didn't quite work with our MSR stove. D’OH! We couldn't keep a seal, so there was no fresh breakfast this morning and we will have to try to figure that one out soon. We scavenged a breakfast from some our snacks stash.

Our campsite - Looking East

The day was already pretty warm by the time we set off, and both Alberto and myself worked up a sweat kick starting my bike to life. This is going to be a fun morning ritual. The road continued to follow the river down the valley, but at a distance well above the water. The terrain was still green and we were enjoying the ride with Chasqui and Apu. No traffic, nice views and an okay riding temperature. We encountered some muddy sections, most likely from the torrential rain the previous evening, but they were no match for our little engines that could. We were hardly fast and furious though, still riding in first gear the whole time.

Making sure we don't lose any more bolts, or at least trying!


Apu feels at home!


A wonderful day to explore the Andes



Beautiful landscapes all around


Pachamama or Mother Earth is simply amazing


It wasn't long before we reached a truck parked in the road and noticed a dynamite prepping station at the side of the road. The explosives were completely unsupervised by the way. So we parked the bikes and Alberto went to find out what the deal was. There was a medium sized excavator repairing the road just up ahead and luckily they would let us pass without a wait. It's always good to be a moto. We got lucky there, because it was a LONG way back to find a detour. Phew.

There was a bit more rough sections of road, nothing too crazy, I would classify it as intermediate level riding. Just enough to keep you focused. It was a nice day with amazing views of the valley. The bikes were handling everything really well, and so far my exhaust was keeping it together. We did notice another bolt missing at the intake, so it was leaking a bit and I could smell the exhaust. Not exactly ideal.

Leaving the dodgy weather behind...

Dynamite on the side of the road


Road work


Typical Andes road


Hey Naomi! wait for me!


We were happily cruising along, enjoy the remote road and peacefulness, when we noticed a loader working up ahead. When we got closer we could clearly see that the road was blocked by a landslide. Oh crap. We were in too deep, no turning back now, this could be a long wait. We drove further down the road where we were greeted by a rocky river. I could see that the loader was quickly clearing us a path so things were looking good on that front. The only issue I could see at this point was that the road was single lane and the Loader filled the road. Alberto, of course, dove into the deep end without hesitation. He crossed the river and scooted to the side of the road trying to let the loader pass him. The road was literally just the width of the loader. I watched the operator park his tire within centimeters of the edge of the road and somehow Alberto squeezed through on the inside. Oh god, not it's my turn. I waited for the loader to do his thing. He parked in the river, which in truth was the widest section of the road, but it was a bit tricky for me to navigate downstream of his machine. I gave it my best shot but I stalled it a few times on the slippery rocks, which was a hassle because I had to kickstart Apu back to life. On the plus side I was developing quite the knack for kickstarting. Alberto came to my rescue, which was good because I wasn't going to make it on my own. The line through the river left for me by the loader was too tricky for me to drive through. His bucket was in the way; I had to angle my handle bars severely to get through. So Alberto propped the bike up as I got past the bucket and then he just pushed me out of the water. Exciting times. After that whole ordeal we decided to take a break, just a few 100 metres up the road.

No margin for error...


Waiting for the landslide to get -somewhat- cleaned


Is it us or the road is getting narrower?


We had a few snacks, and it looked liked the equipment operators had swapped out. The guy who was driving the loader was now walking along the road in our direction. When he reached us he stopped for a chat. He asked us where we were going and asked to see our map. He showed us some spots on the map and said that the road narrowed a bit before the next town but that after that it was smooth sailing. Good to know. He also asked if we had been able to try the fruit from the area. We told him that we were planning to buy some in the next town. He's said that we wouldn't be able to and then opened his bag and gave us two avocados (two different types no less). Awesome! We gave him a Canada sticker and thanked him. He wished us a good trip and continued walking back to wherever he was going.

The road ahead was fine. It did start to narrow, and there was more greenery growing on the road but everything seemed fine to us. And then, to our surprise the road turned into single track. Just like that! When the man said narrow, he meant narrow! Anyone planning to take this route on a big adventure bike had better put their game face on for this section because it just got real! Thankfully we were on small bikes so it wasn't too bad. There was only one steep section that caused us real trouble. We had to push Chasqui up, which completely exhausted us. It was hot and we were sweating like crazy. Before taking Apu up we modified the hole that was giving us trouble a bit to make it smoother. That way Alberto could keep the momentum to make it up the steep hill. It worked and he was able to drive Apu up no problems. With both bikes safely at the top we needed another break. This was getting to be hard work. We thought we could see the town, so we hoped the end of this tricky single track section must be almost over. Just one last push through the tricky bits. With a lot of focus, and some skillful avoidance of a man on a donkey we popped out the other side, smiles on our sweaty faces. That was interesting.

Yep, the road is now a sing track


The town wasn't much of a town, so we didn’t stop. The people outside gave us some VERY strange looks when we emerged from the bushes. At the first sign of road side water we decided to stop. It was hot, and we were tired. It was a muddy little river but we didn't care. It was refreshing to us. We chomped down those avocados, and between the boost in nutrition and cold water we gained a new lease on life.

The road zig zagged through houses, turkeys and pigs running across the road. Again lots of strange looks from locals riding motos and people standing outside their houses. When we reached the end of the rural area of Tambo? the road got nice again and the view of the valley opened up. The terrain was getting drier, with more cacti on the hills than lush trees and bushes. It was a nice road that snaked along the edge of the mountain, and for the most part followed the river Huancay at a nice steady elevation.

Naomi going through town


Alberto has some tricks to deal with the rising temperatures


Those are some seriously steep switchbacks




Green Andes mountains


Following the Huancay river


Peru is full of surprising roads


Weeeeeee


Cacti forest


The riding was very fun and we were finally able to get the bikes into 3rd gear. It had been quite a while since the bikes had seen even second gear and now we were cruising in 3rd. Weeeeeee! As the elevation dropped the heat increased. At its high we reached 36 degrees Celsius, a little bit too much for our taste. Dust and sweat always feel so great at the end of the day.

When the road eventually connected to the bottom of the valley it was dry, dusty and there was garbage everywhere. The road conditions deteriorated and it became hard work riding. It reminded me of the Cañón del Pato. We were both exhausted and Alberto was ready to stop for the day. While I didn’t disagree, it was really hot and dusty so I was wanted to push on further in hopes of finding a better environment to camp overnight. We compromised and stopped for a snack at a corner store. That seemed to give him the extra push needed to make it to the paved main road that would take us to Cascas.

Mini-Cañón del Pato


Once on pavement it felt like we were flying, even though we were still doing under 70kph. It was nice to get off the bumpy road though. For the last little while we were riding on washboard and dust and it was becoming a killer. We quickly made it to Cascas where we stopped for gas and to ask where we could find a mechanic for motos. We got directions and I embarrassingly couldn't start my bike after the tank had been filled. I could smell the gas, as if the engine was flooded by my kickstarting techniques, and here I thought I was getting so good at it. The lady who pumped our gas was even quick to give starting the bike a try. Thankfully the town of Cascas is on a hill so Alberto just free wheeled out of the gas station and bumped it on the road. Easy peasy.

It wasn't even a block to the mechanic. Luckily he had time and was going to sort my bike today. He fixed the back brake, exhaust, installed a new battery and adjusted the chains of both bikes. It was over 1.5hrs of work and it only cost us $10. Way better than dealing with it ourselves at some remote camping location, so money well spent. The only downside was that it was getting dark by the time he finished so we decided to grab a hotel in Cascas for the night. The mechanic, Victor, recommended a place to stay and it ticked all the boxes. Sorted.

The town of Cascas, now lets get some local wine
[/B]

Moto shop
[/B]

Time to get some corrective maintenance done!
[/B]

Apu happy to be looked at
[/B]

Alberto went all over town trying to find a new battery for me bike. After searching nearby didn’t turn up anything one of the guys who worked at the shop took Alberto on his bike! Alberto rode around town pillion with this guy, hilarious!

When we were searching for the hotel I was left alone in the Plaza de Armas. I was approached by one brave kid, of the many standing and staring, and though I could only understand bits and pieces of what he was saying (everyone seemed to speak very fast and I was wearing earplugs) he showed me this cool game he was playing: trompo. Once he had broken the ice some more kids came over and asked questions about the bike etc. They thought I was in the Dakar, what a compliment.

Once we had a safe place to sleep sorted, we grabbed some chicken at a popular restaurant for dinner. This town is filled with friendly people, quite remarkably so. A sure sign we are heading into the Sierra I suppose. It could also be because this town is famous for its wine, so maybe that helps keep everyone happy. Another thing we noticed while we were out searching for dinner was that this is definitely a moto town. We saw tons of bikes ripping around the town two or three up.

It was a day filled with everything from the rewarding riding to the unbearable desert heat. With experiment number one in the books (we didn’t know if the road would connect through) it should be smooth sailing for a few days following Garmin and actual roads on my map.

Good night from Cascas!


Episode 03 Part1 Video



Episode 03 Part2 Video

__________________
Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

It was somewhat of a lazy morning, as mornings are when staying at a hotel. So many luxuries to leave behind (toilet, power, etc...). It was getting surprisingly warm (I guess it should stop being a surprise?) before we left, so we were in a bit of a hurry to hit the road. And here I thought we were continuing out of town on the same highway we came in on. Haha not even close. We drove the steep streets leaving Cascas and ended up on a dirt track. I thought we were lost since we had come into town on such a fancy highway but Alberto told me everything was in order.

Bikes were safe overnight!


New roads to explore!



No matter, the road was pretty nice and the scenery was even better. We were climbing again and we had reached eucalyptus elevation. How sweet it is. The road was pretty quiet, though we passed the occasional house or grape farm as we climbed up the mountainside. When we reached the top the view of the valley below was amazing. Also the temperature was much better for riding. Double win!

Some views!


Prickly Pear flower


Great day of riding!




Awesome views all around


Near the top


As we crossed the side of the mountain the road narrowed considerably due to the terrain limitations. It was a fantastic stretch of road, complete with a neat little tunnel perfect for a photo-op. The drop off on the left hand side was quite spectacular, though I didn't let my gaze linger too long. A very enjoyable and unique stretch of road, and thankfully we didn't encounter any other traffic. It wasn't long after that we reached Contumazá.


The narrow section


Some more 'average' views


This was a really fun road


Very cool rock tunnel



When we arrived in the town we stopped at the first store we saw to buy some snacks. We walked out of there with a bag of fruit (peaches, bananas, oranges, mandarins) and an avocado. We eat at least one avocado a day in Peru. It is glorious. We headed with our fresh goods to the Plaza de Armas to enjoy a mid-day snack. While we were stopped on our lunchbreak Alberto saw a stray donkey with a propane tank graze on some grass as he passed through on his daily route. Sometimes you see the strangest things.



The town of Contumazá


Having a bite at the Plaza in Contumazá


unsupervised donkey-propane delivery…


The road to Chilete was wider, it could easily accommodate two lanes of traffic. It was also smoother, indicating that someone maintained it, so we expected to see more traffic. We passed a Rhino money truck (camion blindado) coming the other way, so it must have been the major route in the area. Either way once again the riding was truly amazing. Too many switchbacks to count as we descended down the other side of the mountain with 360 degree views.

We only encountered one maniac driver, and Alberto gave him a taste of his own medicine. We also saw quite a bit of exotic wildlife, we almost thought we had got lost and ended up in the Amazonas. Lots of bright colored birds, and I saw a tarantula crossing the road. It was a far departure from the lifeless dust-scapes of yesterday.

33 kms of glorious views


Some wicked rock formations



Some weather coming...


Heading down again... awesome!





The further down we went the drier it got. It was trying to rain but it was only a few drops here and there and it was so hot we didn't mind it. By the time we reached Chilete there was no rain and the terrain was dry as a bone. We quickly gassed up the bikes and headed for the hills via the signs to San Pedro.

What a surprise that turned out to be. The rain continued to drop, but still not very hard so it wasn't a nuisance. The road however was a paved treat! It was curve after curve and we were carving it up, albeit at a gentle pace of 60kph. Still we felt fast and the twisties at any speed put a smile on the face. Up up up we went getting closer and closer to the black rain clouds. At this point we were hoping to avoid the rain and camp for the night but spots to camp were hard to come by. Besides it was hard to keep an eye out for good camp spots because the road was so much fun.

Paved road up to San Pablo - Kuntur Wasi


A bit of rain coming down



When we saw the sign for Kuntur Wasi we thought we might be able to camp. The museum was closed, so we were unable to ask permission regarding camping, so we kept following the road only to discover that it led to people’s houses and nowhere campable. Did we miss the ruins somehow? We parked and considered our options. We climbed up the hill a bit to see if we could see any ruins but no, we saw nothing. Then a gentleman came walking past and offered to show us the way to the ruins, 15min he said. We couldn't say no.

So there we were hiking up the side of a mountain, at 2,500m+ elevation in full riding gear. The old man was leaving us in his dust, and there was no dust. Needless to say we were both exhausted and we could barely keep up. The man set us on our way about halfway up, he could clearly tell that we were slowing him down, which was good for us because we could take more breaks haha. He continued along the foot path to his house. We eventually made it to the top of the hill, a little delirious from the exertion. There was a little hut where we paid our entrance fee (5 soles) and a nicer pathway leading up from the Museum (that must be the official way). We were able to leave our jackets with the guy at the hut, which allowed us to regain our breath somewhat. We toured the ruins, which were quite nice. Alberto said that as a child he always heard people talking about Kuntur Wasi. The setting was phenomenal and I can only imagine what the temple would have been like in its time. We got some tips from the guy manning the hut, Vasquez, on where to camp: the museum or the high school. He said we could camp at the ruins but it was hike in only. Thankfully the hike down was easier and took a third of the time. Just as we reached the bikes the rain started up again.

Finally found Kuntur Wasi! :feelgood



With some of the temple's rock sculptures



We checked in at the museum first, and while the police man (the only person on the property) was very friendly he could not let us camp there. He had an adorable dog named Blanca that we said hello to. She was super friendly and loved to be pet. Next stop was the school. They let us camp in their soccer field and gave us access to their bathroom overnight. The rain was coming down now, and we weren't going to find somewhere else so while we typically like to be remote with our campsites we were thankful that the school let us use their facilities.

Our campsite!


The sun is setting down... one more great day in the books!



Late soccer practice

Good night fellas!


It rained off and on during the evening, but mostly off. The man who guided us on our hike said that the rainy season had just come a few weeks ago and that January and February had been dry. We were trying to strategically plan our trip at the end of the rainy season, so his comment wasn’t inspiring. Another funny observation is that two of the people we asked about camping locations tried to deter us due to rain. To which we smiled and said that rain was not a problem for us. People are so friendly in the mountains.


Episode 04 Video



Episode 04 Extra Video

__________________
Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

Thanks for those amazing pictures.

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Thanks for the feedback. We love sharing our adventures and pictures are one of the best ways to help capture the ride.

__________________
Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

Nice photos! I am thinking of buying a similar bike, with the same engine (Honda CG-style pushrod engine, 200cc.) According to you numbers, they did about 4l/100km? Were you satisfied with them?