Lord of Sipan Museum or a beer at the pool and a Chinese?

Our departure from Quito is a bit fragmented. Alvares Barba BMW have two of our bikes and are working furiously on them. Repairing one with some minor crash damage and also sorting a recurring flat battery problem on another. So the rest of the group set off south while these riders hang back for a day to get the bikes finished. However within a couple of hours another rider manages to lose their passport, credit cards and temporary import document for their bike. This could be a trip stopper!

After reporting the loss to the police, getting the report drawn up by a lawyer, getting it stamped and taking it to the Commisarrio they are then on the way back to Quito. As the countries capital it has the Embassy required as well as the head offices for immigration and customs. By the time all the local paperwork is done it is too late to get to the Embassy that day. First thing in the morning it is then. The whole Ecuadorian process is now recorded on computer and this means that the stamps and documents can be re-created in Quito and there is no need to go back to the border of entry, which is the way it used to be. However to do this you first of all need a passport. The Embassy is very helpful and recognises the urgency of the replacement as with each day the group are travelling further away, and manages to produce a temporary passport on the same day, and with enough time to spare to get everything else sorted as well.
As a result all the riders who had hung back are running just two days behind the group and catch up over just 48 hours in Chiclayo. The moral is, if you absolutely have to lose your documents do it within a day’s ride of the capital city. Do it elsewhere and your trip could be in jeopardy!

In the meantime the rest of the group have been relaxing in the spa baths of Banos Del Cuenca on their penultimate night in Ecuador. Most have been surprised at the affluence of a lot of Ecuador and the quality of the infrastructure and roads, which the current government are investing in heavily. In truth they have a shock coming as we cross into Northern Peru. Expectations are high with Machu Picchu, Nazca and Cusco only days away. But over a third of people in Peru live below the poverty line and this is never more obvious than in the north of the country. We cross the border and the scenery changes as we leave the lush green mountains behind and are quickly in the desert. The housing changes as well. Simple one room brick, or even wicker, built homes line the road in the desert. There seems little or no control on litter and the mixture of rubbish and scrubby desert makes the first experience of Peru feel desolate and desperate. Yet kids are on their way to school from these simple homes, turned out in pristine white blouses and shirts, and Peruvian flags fly from the roofs of shanty houses. National and personal pride certainly hasn’t taken a knock despite the hard lives these people have.

Our first stop in Peru is in Chiclayo to visit the Tombas Realtos or Lord of Sipan Museum. The tomb was discovered as recently as 1987 and had been unmolested or robbed and so was completely intact. It dates from between 1 and 700AD and is considered one of the most significant archaeological finds of the last 30 years. Of course you could also just relax in the afternoon sun by the pool of the hotel and go for a Chinese in the evening! Either is a pretty good way to spend the day.

We head off down the coast to Huanchaco to visit another important site and stay at the sea side. Local fishermen are out on their reed boats that are more akin to surf boards and the beach is busy with Peruvian sea side visitors. The unexpected thing in the scene is the pier. It looks just like a typical Victorian English sea side pier. I suppose that is because it was designed and built by a Victorian Englishman over 100 years ago.

After a few days focussing on the culture of Peru the next few are about riding and Peruvian roads. First we head away from the coast through Canyon Del Pato. It was originally built for a railroad, but this was abandoned after an earthquake in 1970. What is left is 70 miles of rocky road through a canyon up to 6,000 metres high where the Cordillera Blanco and Negros meet. The railroad ran through 32 tunnels and these are still the only way through. Single track but two way with no lighting, sand and rock floors and twists and turns. Emerge from a tunnel and you are on a single track road hewn into the canyon face with sheer unguarded drops of thousands of metres. This is not a road for the faint hearted. The canyon sides tower above us and at the same time fall away from us in equally vast measures. It is a day’s riding most people will remember and cherish for many years to come.

After a night in the small town of Caraz (only town to survive the 1970 Earthquake) we are riding still higher and higher. From our overnight stop at 2,500 metres we ride on through the morning to over 4,000 metres and our first taste of real altitude. But we are there only briefly as tonight we sleep on the coast. The road down is one of the finest tarmac rides to be found. Over 70 miles we descend from 4,000 metres back to the shore of the Pacific, through twists, turns, goats, villages and hairpins. Yes goats! The easiest way to get your livestock from one place to the other is obviously straight up the nicely surfaced tarmac road, so why go another way? It is no bad thing as it does keep every-one alert and on their toes so to speak.

South through the desert we skirt Lima the capital and head to Nasca to see the Nasca and Palpa lines. Pictures of birds, geometric shapes, a monkey and a spaceman carved into the desert floor, they can only be seen if airborne. Most of the group are off for the flight to see them and marvel at how they could have been created over 1,500 years ago? Theories range from a) Peruvians invented hot air ballooning long before any-one else b) Extra Terrestrials did it and the lines are landing strips c) The Peruvian tourist board did it all in the early 70’s. B and C seem very unlikely, but nobody really understands how they were done and that’s what makes then so fascinating.

From here we are back up onto the Altiplano and then onto Cusco and Machu Picchu. We still have 10 days in Peru and a lot to fit in.

Colombia!

The freight process of flying our bikes into Colombia is always long winded, but the process is eased by our excellent freight agent. As a result the riders land early in the morning and by the afternoon we are riding away from the airport to Autogermana BMW who have their whole team standing by to service the bikes.

We have a few free days to explore Bogota. As the capital of Colombia Bogota’s reputation as a dangerous city is overshadowed by that of Medellin. But two term president Alvaro Uribe instigated huge reforms and the security situation improved dramatically under his tenure. As a result the group are surprised by how welcoming, friendly and peaceful Bogota is. The city, indeed the whole country, has a strong Police and Army presence and there is still sporadically trouble but this is far less than it is past. Zona Rosa is the heart of the cities bars and restaurants. Formerly the home of a certain other sort of entertainment the “pink zone” was where the ladies of Bogota’s night plied their trade. Now it is upmarket shops and some great restaurants.

The bikes are all serviced in double quick time and after only three nights in Bogota we are riding away on a quiet Sunday morning heading north for Medellin. Medellin is the second city of Colombia and home to our friends at Ruta 40 BMW who are helping us with tyre changes. It was also the former home to the infamous Medellin Cartel. A number of the group ride the Teleferico to Santa Domingo which soars above the barrios of the city. When you see the maze of alleys and walkways, houses and shacks it is easy to see how the cartel flourished. The chance of an income, even if illegal, and little chance of being ever found or traced in the barrios must have been tempting to many.

Medellin is also home to the Foundation Botero and to many of Botero’s sculptures which are on display in the museum and also in the Plaza named for him. If you are British, much of it is reminiscent of Beryl Cook’s paintings of fat ladies, but maybe that’s just because I am a philistine!

With new tyres we are off from Medellin to the coffee growing heart of Colombia. We are staying on a little Coffee Finca with rooms and the opportunity to go zip lining through the canopy. For half the group this is a must do activity. For the other half the opposite! Colombia is already providing plenty of excitement and great scenery without having to hang 70 metres above it.

The roads in Colombia are some of the very best. Miles and miles of mountain twists and turns through lush green tropical vegetation. Some of the scenery looks like it has been invented by Tolkien for Lord of the Rings with almost implausibly rounded rolling hills pressing against each other, and sheer impenetrable mountain sides dressed in green foliage. If you glimpsed a hobbit being chased by black riders it wouldn’t be that surprising! The roads change from smooth grippy tarmac to gravel and mud and back in an instant. The roads are chopped into the mountain sides and the bases are not solid enough to withstand the traffic. At regular intervals the road has disappeared down the mountain and gravel and mud have been used to fill in the gaps. It is certainly a good way to keep you on your toes and also to keep your speed down.

In fact Peter has suggested that we should adopt Latin American road quality at home. He feels the conditions would reduce speeds and accidents significantly, and he is probably right.

As we ride on we drop from the coffee growing mountains for a day onto the plains which is sugar territory. You can smell the sugar from the bike. You also need to keep your wits about you when you meet a “cane train” The sugar cane is harvested and loaded into mammoth trailers, which are then coupled together in trains of 5 or more behind a truck. If the first trailer hits a pothole it shimmies down the line and the last trailer drifts around 4 or 5 feet left and right. To pass you need plenty of power and space. We spend a couple more nights in Colombia enjoying the hospitality and are soon riding for the Ecuadorian border.

The border crossing is another long and busy one. It is made even more challenging as our support driver is initially refused exit from Colombia. He has a bike on board as one of the riders had a minor fall and the bike needs some attention in Quito. Two minutes later another rider finds his battery is dead and the bike will not start. Then one rider cannot find their Colombian Temporary Vehicle Permit. One of the bits of paper that we have said “Don’t lose under any circumstances” It has the feeling that it could be about to become one of those days! However it all gets resolved, through 1) Negotiation 2) A local “fee” 3) A push start. I’ll let you work out which of these resolved which of the problems.

The ride down to Quito takes us across the Equator. For all but four of the group this is a first land crossing of the Equator. From here on all the waypoints start with S for South not N for North. We have passed the middle of the world and the middle day of our trip was in Bogota, so we are definitely now is the second half of the ride.

So here we are in Quito exploring this fantastic city which was one of the first two places to be named a Unesco World Heritage Site, enjoying the coffee and the idyllic surroundings of our little hotel. Another coffee I think….

Back to Reality

We’re in luck – no problems with power lines this year!

The Nicaragua / Costa Rica border is as always chaotic, exciting and all different. They seem to move the offices round the border compound at random to make sure that you won’t know where anything is and will need help. Our crossing is eased by our regular fixer who knows how to speed the process through. While working our way through the Costa Rica process Pete gets out his camp stove and cooks up some lunch. By the time the last of the riders are away it is mid afternoon, but we only have a short ride up into the mountains of Rincon De La Vieja. Our stop for the night is well off the beaten track. In fact about 15 miles along a track that has not been beaten in a long time. The hotel is a welcome sight clinging to the side of the mountains. Thunder rolls around the hills for several hours in the evening with distant flashes of lightening providing an atmospheric back drop to our evening.

We are in Costa Rica for a few nights and visit Volcan Arenal which is obligingly clear of cloud and smoking gently in the background. From here we head to the Caribbean Coast via Limon. Ironically Limon is the major fruit export port of Costa Rica and the road to the town is lined with tower blocks of Sea Containers with the names of fruit companies on the side. Trucks, customs and police are everywhere and a few guys get stopped but mainly for a chat about the bikes and where they are from.

We spend the afternoon riding along the Caribbean Coast to our stop for the night which is a little taste of Switzerland in Costa Rica. A lovely restful late afternoon is spent in the hotel pool, eating locally cured ham sandwiches, and soaking in the sun. The following day is our border crossing to Panama across the infamous Banana Bridge. Only one remains now and when we arrive we can see the new steel pylons rising from the water for another new bridge, and so we will probably be the last GlobeBusters group to cross on the old bridge. The bridge was really for trains but the line is now defunct. It is now shared with pedestrians, trucks, busses, cars and for today a host of BMW bikes. The base is three planks loosely attached either side of the railway lines. However there are tyre sized gaps between the planks and in places several of them are missing. The side of the bridge is chicken wire that will not hold up a falling bike and rider and so the stakes are high. However, every bike is ridden across and we have not one faller. I think this is a first, and something that the whole group are suitably proud of.

Once in Panama we have a beautiful twisty mountain ride through low cloud and light drizzle to our first night stop over. From here we are down to Panama City to arrange the freight of the bikes to Bogota and the start of the Northern Andes section of the ride. It is a straightforward ride and we arrive in the stunningly different Panama City. It is a skyline dominated by sky scrapers and tower blocks. This is the first time we have seen anything over five storey’s since we left the USA. It feels like we are back to reality. The city is busy with taxi’s, multi coloured buses and cars everywhere. Our first day in the city is spent at the airport arranging the export of the bikes. The second day is spent exploring the city and visiting the Miraflores lock and the Panama Canal.

And that brings to an end the Central America section of our ride. Jeremy and Wendy are leaving us here, but we are being joined by Brando, Mike and Margaret in Bogota. Central America has been full on. Full of colour and excitement; full of borders and changing countries; full of changing landscapes; full of Police and Military. All the riders seem to be very much taken with the whole of Central America, and now the next section has to live up to their expectations. I am confident it will.

Country, Country, Country

The smaller states of Central America seem to come in a quick succession of borders and changing landscapes.

As we cross into Guatemala we are confronted with steep green clad cliffs and escarpments with trees hanging onto the rocks and onto life in the most precarious ways. We are running valleys from the border that for almost a hundred miles leave us awestruck with the sheerness of the sides of the mountains. This is underlined when we arrive at a landslide where half the road is now 50 metres further down the side of the mountain and we are faced with a rocky descent and climb being used by trucks and buses or a slippery and muddy track. The rocky side seems the least bad choice and nearly every-one makes it through although we have one minor spill. This was not helped as the rain has started explaining why the valley is so green and lush.

From the valleys we join a new and nicely finished main road and most riders breathe a sigh of relief. However our destination is Lago Atitlan surrounded by three volcanoes which is at the bottom of a narrow, twisty and wet descent of 15 miles. After the border crossing and a great but wet and tiring day the town is a welcome sight and Alan, who is becoming the resident restaurant critic has a recommendation for a Uruguayan Barbeque, and very good it is too.

We have several nights in Guatemala and enjoy local markets and a couple of days in the former capital of Antigua. Short days riding, plenty of time to speak and interact with the local people, leaves us all with great warmth for the country. It is poor and life is tough but the people are genuine, friendly and seem only to keen to share whatever they have with you. We have been blessed by a Shaman, stayed in an old monastery, watched as the local people burn incense on the steps of the church and leave the aisles strewn with petals. We all feel blessed to have been here.

We leave Guatemala on a Sunday and find that the customs officers have gone for lunch at 11 in the morning and will be back about 2. Or maybe 2.30. So we walk through the border and go and see the Honduran guys who are quite happy to let us do all the paperwork to enter Honduras before we exit Guatemala, as long as we promise to go back 50 metres and exit Guatemala afterwards. Of course we do and are through the border relatively quickly. The timing was in fact perfect as there was a full tropical rainstorm, while we were in the border post for an hour, and it has passed when we leave to ride the short distance to Copan.

Copan is a must see site of Mayan Ruins with a small town existing really to service the backpackers and visitors who come. We have time to visit the ruins, explore the town and savour the cocktails at one of our favourite bars en route. Twisted Tanya’s - Tanya is from Cambridge and her hubby from the Honduran Islands and they can make a mean Margarita and a perfect Peña Colada.
Riding across Honduras provides a huge variety of landscapes and roads. Dirt, Tarmac, Concrete, Swoopy, Straight, Rocky, Mud, it has it all. From tiny villages with kids with no shoes to the capital city with Burger King and MacDonald’s scaring the view.

And all too soon we are heading into Nicaragua and the old Colonial town of Granada. Exciting, beautiful and at times seedy it is a town with interesting architecture and people. The Cathedral, like our hotel is on the main plaza which is lively and bright by day and shady and dusky by night. We are looking forward to visiting an old friend in town. Three Finger Jimmy runs his Alabama Rib Shack in town and won an award for the 7th best ribs in the whole of the USA. Our American Cousins, sometimes not great at geography, failed to notice that Three Finger Jimmy’s Alabama Rib Shack is in Nicaragua, not Alabama! However he is not in Granada and the story is he has slipped town to Managua with outstanding debts to some Canadians. You couldn’t make it up!

From Nicaragua we will be heading to the most chaotic and busiest border of the trip. The border compound is over a mile long and full of trucks, officials, fixers and “others”. The trucks are queued in 2 mile long slots for 8 miles before they are even let into the compound. We just hope that we do not have a repeat of the 2009 Trans Am when a truck tore down the power lines and left us stranded for 10 hours! Fingers crossed.