First up, sorry about my hiatus for the past few days. I would like to have an awesome excuse but fairly simply I just never got around to whipping an update together, and now it feels ridiculously hard to try and catch up on the happenings. Lesson learnt, daily shenanigan updates from now on, pictures or no pictures.
28th – Puno to Cusco is first on the list. Our first complete day driving through Peru. And allready it is such a stunning country and the Peruvians are more than pleased to have us trundling across the countryside 25 cars strong waving at anyone on the roadside. It really does take at least 4 days or so to even begin to acclimatize to 12,000 feet and today was the first day that I wasn’t completely knackered and out of breath charging up a set of stairs. I just wish that given enough time a car can acclimatize to the altitude and run better, no dice though. Just have to wait for sea level to unleash Penny’s astonishing overtaking prowess. The good thing was that our destination for the night was at a more manageable height of 11,000 feet :/
Altitude this, altitude that! We all know how much it messes with everything. But it also makes mountains just so spectacular. The only aspect of the drive into Cusco and Urubamba that didn’t classify as one of the best drives of my life was the bloody clouds. The stupid clouds and rain simply blanketed everything. And when it wasn’t raining we couldn’t see any of the mountain peaks around us and we couldn’t grasp any sort of scale. Luckily just before our final descent into the valley within a valley the sun peaked through and the lush forested Ande’s were truly spectacular.
Reckless driving stories from today are at an all time minimum. Nothing out of the ordinary now, llama’s still do what they want, sheep run around on the roads in a herd and donkeys have no idea what the difference between asphalt and grass is. Donkey’s pose the least threat because they have zero amounts of care for a car or a rock wall, they don’t even flinch and eyelid as I beam past with horn on full and my foot down on the noise pedal.
1st – Machu Picchu. The rest day at Machu Picchu was dazzling. I honestly cannot describe the wonders of this place. Wikipedia does not even give Machu Picchu justice so I am not even going to link it. It is still hard to grasp that I can be at the bottom of a valley, still twice the height of the highest point in Aus. Looking upward to peaks still 1000’s of meters up. And EVERY surface and face of the Peruvian Ande’s is covered in the thickest and lushest tropical forest. No resting was actually had today as the 3 hour train departed at silly o’clock in the morning and would only return back to our resort at O dark hundred. Worth every minute! I would even come back again just to wander a bit more around the lost Incan city.
2nd – Cusco to Aeroquipa is the day of interestingness. I think I used my indicator for the first time since Rio de Janeiro today. It felt strange. But a policeman was driving behind me so I thought it might have been wise to do what I should do. It didnt matter anyway, he still directed me to pull over with his big long yellow baton. Good thing it was only for a photograph shoot. Police photograph shoot number 8 of 3.7 million soon to come. I know they aren’t pulling me over for a reason and just want a photo but after a while I just want to drive right on past them and pretend they don’t exist. Somehow I don’t think that would be an ideal situation and could instantly turn into an anti-party if he pulled out his six-shooter just to show off. I would not win that battle.
The bar-side rally briefing last night warned us all of quiet a long stretch of dirt roads and route amendments on the prescribed rally route, a longer yet asphalt route had been offered to the ones who wanted a hassle-free drive. Guess which way we took? The dirt road of course. Thats how I roll. This awesome dirt road wound its way past and through some giant mines and across a plateau and finally crested at a mind staggering 15,980 feet. The highest I have ever been outside of a plane. The highest Penny has gone. And undoubtably the worst Dad has felt. He had contracted what some people delicately label as a ‘gastric imbalance.’ The lack of air certainly didn’t help what South Americans call Montezuma’s Revenge.
Tomorrow we will visit the west coast and take a peak at the pacific ocean. But still we are in dense forestry that has annual rainfall of 70-90 inches a year and someone says that the other side of Aeropquipa is some kind of barren wasteland. No, not possibly, can’t change that quickly.
3rd – Ok I was wrong. very very wrong. The last 24 hours has changed more than anyone could imagine. Thunderstorms ad fog at 14,000 feet yesterday arve, sea level and dry hot desert today all within 150k’s of driving. The western coast of Peru has nothing but rocks and hills and dry ancient riverbeds. This place is dryer than Namibia, and I thought that was dry. Not even a scerrick of plant life, not even on the edge of the tarmac where any form of water runs too. Windy and barren is all I can say. The only thing that changed when we got to the pacific ocean was that on our right was water and on the left of still desert, still hot and dry. A beautiful tarmac test section today! Don’t worry, still placed 1st in class and subsequently have gained solo first position overall.
Border crossing completed in record time! Out of Peru and into Chile in a zoomingly quick time of about 45 minutes. Stamp stamp here and a stamp stamp there. everywhere a stamp stamp. Even plus kudos’ to the fixers who guaranteed us a private and exclusive window at the customs and immigration booth. You guys nailed it. Not only do we get our overtaking speed back from sea level we can also buy 95 octane fuel at any regular fuel station. Yay.
Thanks, James.
p.s. The crews of the Itala, Austin Healy and the Shooters form the model A have rejoined the rally in a hire car from Arica.
How many people does it take to fix a broken Bentley? About 7 apparently! Hahaha just kidding, it wasn’t broken, but just running badly with fuel pump issues. Word on the street is the problem is somewhat fixed. Good stuff.
We left San Pedro de Atacama A.K.A San Ped-nowhere de desert, for the border at zero dark hundred and watched the sun rise over the Andes while we waited. Fairly speccy. New highest height recorded yesterday for Dad, Penny and I – 4834meters. There were 2 stops on the way up to that altitude yesterday to simply dig out more clothes to put on. Small lakes and puddles of water on the high plateau had ice at the edges. Coming down the other side of the range was pretty much the greatest drive of my life. It could have been better in a car with slightly more efficient brakes but it was still utterly spectacular. It was literally just switchback upon switchback for 1.5 vertical kilometers. Stats, 28 switchbacks in 23k’s of road to drop just under 2km’s of altitude. Second gear and heavy brake usage the ENTIRE way day. Kinda glad we didn’t have to slog our way up.
Tonight our dinner is traditional Argentinean meat for dinner. And lots of it. Maybe I won’t need as much breakfast as per usual.
