Tuesday, Nov. 18 - Well, if I was looking for adventure on this trip, today was the day!! Got up real early so I could fix my flat rear tire and pot in new brake pads, front and rear. Other than getting a complaint from the people sleeping directly above where the bike was parked (I guess 7:00 am is a bit early to be pounding on the tire trying to break the bead), I put 2 patches on the tube, new brake pads and I was ready to go. Left the hotel around 10:30 am in bright sunshine - it was great!! Jill routed me past Cusco so I didnt have to deal with that traffic and took me on some great roads with little or no traffic. As I climbed up in Altitude, it got cooler but the roads got straighter, sort of like driving across southern Alberta, but at 13,000 plus feet. Even though Puno wea 460 kms away, I was making such good time (I was speeding - NO traffic) that I could make Puno by 5:00 pm - easy. Tre first time that I noticed something amiss is when I saw masses of indigenous people walking down the hiway in the middle of a barren road. As I passed them, I noticed a long line-up of trucks cars etc. in the distance prarked on the road. As usual, I pulled into the left lane and went to the front of the line. There I found many more indigenous people and the road blocked by boulders and rocks strewn all over the road. I was able to navigate thru the mess and left the miles of parked vehicles behind. Over the course of many miles I came across identical scenarios usually as I approached a small town. A couple of times I got yelled at and thought I was going to get something thrown at me as I made my way thru the blockades. Finally, I came to a bridge that was blocked by ropes. I considered just breaking thru the rope but these guys looked serious. After 15 minutes or so of waiting, I let it be known that I was going so they lifted the rope and let me thru. By now the road, even thru town, was strewn with boulders, rocks and broken glad (lots of it) and garbage. I slowly picked my way thru a good distance of that until I came to the biggest roadblock of all. As I was trying to squeeze my way thru the crowd, avoiding the rocks and debris and driving over top of a banner (mistake) the crowd set upon me. An old lady started whacking me on the head with something and my bike was overwhelmed by about a dozen people who forced me back over the line!! Cooler heads prevailed and I apologized and they painted slogans all over the front of the bike!! After about 15 minutes, they let the motorcycles thru (there was a bunch of other travelers like me who had been waiting for hours) The road was now apparently clear except for the rocks and boulders which were easy to see (in the daylight. I still had lots of daylight left when just coming into Juliaca (a town you dont want to be in at night) about 30 km from Puno, my chain broke - oh darn!!! Good news I was able to coast into a large gas station. It had jammed up in my front sprocket, but after a while I was able to get it free. My link has broken - but I had a spare. Was just stitching things up when Blake and hid Dad, Joe on Blakes KLR pulled up to offer moral support. (They had seen me at the blockade). He had heard that Juliaca had the biggest protest of all so he was going to scout it out and report back ( he was familiar with the area ) and Puno so would lead me onto town and to a hotel. He came back and said all clear and off he went with me in hot pursuit ( it was now getting dark with a fake force cold wind) - wrong!! My bike wouldnt start. I took off the side cover and saw that the chain had cut the wire essential for the bike to start. By the time I just about had it going, Blake sowed up again!! Now we were on the road, mostly thru Juliaca, in the now pitch black when we came across the most amazing array of rocks, glass, boulders, garbage that one could imagine. This was partly in town but mostly on the autopista (freeway). This went on for over 10 miles, going almost dead slow as you also had those tuktuks coming at you on the hiway trying to find a clear path. Many trucks and semis had people walking in front to clear a path. It was a war zone. I was momentarily blinded by a kamikaze tuktuk and ended up sideswiping this massive boulder breaking off my rear brake pedal!! Darn - again!! Finally got clear off that crap and made it into Puso at 8:30. Jill was lost but Blake found this main square and I found an expensive hotel(first one I saw) checked in and was so relieved I could hardly see straight. Blake and his dad popped by and we went out for supper (I couldnt t refuse). Hot bath and Bed. Enough excitement for one day!! Pictures of strange hairless dog, hostal in Ollanta (my bike was behind stone fence), example how just about every building is painted with garish political signs, views of Inca terracing through many areas, my bike with custom paint and my guardian angels, Blake and his dad Joe - theyre from Ottawa!!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 22:02:58 +0000
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