Today's the day we leave Ecuador and enter Peru. The group rolled out of the hotel around 8.15am and headed the 4 kms down to the border. At first we were all waved through the Ecuadorian check point only to be turned around and told to go back. We had to fill out more forms, and then cross over the bridge and into Peru.
Once we got our passports stamped and another form to complete it was time to start the real riding. It took close to 1 hr and 30 minutes to be processed across both border points.
It was now 10 am and we still had 120 kms to go, and the temperature was now 28 degrees C. The first thing that immediately hit us was the poverty, housing, dryness of the countryside and the pollution thrown on either side of the roadway.
As soon as we left the checkpoint we had a police escort all the way to the 65 km lunch stop. He pulled in with us and had a drink and some chips whilst we sat down and had some tasty bread rolls. We still had 60 kms to go and now the heat was 35 degrees C.
Back on the silky smooth road with the police officer right beside us. He would move on to the intersections an stop the traffic as we rode through. The little towns we rode through look like they are rapidly dying. Very little is going on, and plenty of people lying in their hammocks keeping out of the heat.
Many of the small villages consisted of no shops and mud/cane buildings. This reminded me so much of Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Very poor nation. They say 36% of the people live below the poverty line.
As the afternoon went on the heat was affecting me again, just like yesterday. I had put in some hard work up until the 90 km mark, but the last 30 kms I just hung in there and never saw the front of the bunch again. Barry and Tim were going really well today.
As we got closer to Chulucanas, I got to see hundreds of motor bike trikes, just like they use in Thailand. A lot of school children being driven home and others had goods from the local market.
The major town before the finish was Tambo Grande. It's at this town we had to take a detour along a sandy track and through the back of the village, avoiding mongrel dogs and not falling in the sand. Just outside of the town we stopped to get out of the heat and buy some drinks.
When we stop, our police escort stops.
We got going again for the final 15 kms into town. No hills, but Barry and Tim were causing me a great deal of pain on the front of the bunch. We made in into town around 3 pm and immediately went to the bank to get some local currency. Back to the hotel for the an amazing cool shower. There was no way you could have a warm shower considering how I was feeling. I was cooked.
The rest of the afternoon was sitting down in the square and then going for dinner. I'm sure I'll sleep like a bear tonight.
Tomorrow is 147 kms of the same, but we get to use our tents for the first time, bush camping. Due to the slow wifi, no photographs today.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
No comments:
Post a Comment