News from Arequipa

We have just finished one of the most challenging and remote legs of the trip, far away from any internet connection or phone signal, so haven’t been able to update the blog until now. So far we have covered about 500km and climbed over 10km straight up – equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest from sea level. Having cycled from Cusco to Haqueria, where we made our last blog post, we then set off for Callyoma via high altitude back roads used to connect the many mines and tiny villages in the area.

For photos follow this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j8gbgp29lw6qjve/KMd4qQl3Hx (will try to incorporate pictures into the blog with comments when have access to a better PC!)

Setting off downhill out of Haquira, we enjoyed the novelty of a smooth tarmac road - the last we would see for 6 days! We were heading for the small town of Qinota, where we would begin one of the most remote sections our trip, following mining roads for about 300km through the mountains heading South to the town of Callyoma. On arriving into Qinota, we asked some friendly locals about the condition of the roads we planned to take, and while they warned against the cold and getting lost on small tracks, it seemed the route would be possible, although the words "Arriba, arriba!!" ("Up, up!!"), spoken with much emphasis and hand gesturing came up frequently in the conversation!

Qinota was the largest town we would pass through before Callyoma, so we stocked up on snacks, large water bottles and pasta, making a big dent in the stock of the local store. Just as we were preparing to leave, school ended and we were suddenly surrounded by 30 or so school kids dressed in blue sweatshirts. The kids ran after us as we cycled downhill out of town - making quite the exit with a sea of blue bobbing behind us! When we reached the hill at the end of town, 20 or so kids were still jogging beside us and as we began to struggle up the hill, the kids started pushing us and the bikes up the hill! We shot to the top with hardly any effort at all. The kids stuck with us for a few more kilometers until road brought us to what looked to be an inter-village football game, complete with "team mums" squatting in multi-colored woolen skirts beside massive steaming pots (probably containing rice and potatoes) at the edge of the pitch. The kids then left us and ran off to join their families. We must have looked like three Pied Pipers! As we cycled up the road on our own, I am pretty sure I heard the announcer say something about "bicicletta" before continuing to introduce the teams...

We continued along the bumpy track following a stream through a beautiful valley in the late afternoon shade, passing small groups of mud houses and fields. This ride would have been quite idyllic except for the village dogs, which welcomed us by running up and barking or growling ferociously, only backing off when we threatened them with stones. This was a bit unnerving but by the end of this leg we were well trained in the "dog routine".

Along this section of the track, we were stopped by a man who charged us 10/s (about £2.50) to let us pass, threatening to use his dog to stop us going any further (we could have turned around and cycled back freely). This was the first, and so far only time, we have had any negative experiences with Peruvian locals despite passing through some very poor villages.

Just as dusk was setting in, we arrived into the small town of Accoita, where we were again surrounded by a crowd of curious people of all ages, as we inquired about accommodation options as the town did not have an official hostel. While we were sorting this out using our basic Spanish, two village dogs got into a ferocious fight just a few meters away from us and the crowd. The locals hardly took notice, except that one young girl proceeded to follow the dogs around hitting them with a long bendy stick (to no effect), while a slightly dumpy lady waddled off to fetch a bucket of water to dump over the animals, which finally ran off, barking.

We were kindly offered a room above the village shop, owned by Mario, and our bikes were stored in the school building for the night. Our room was reached by a wooden ladder up to a platform from which you had to stoop through the very low, but wide doorway (Mario´s wife was a rather large lady). The Peruvians seemed to think it very funny that I could simply reach up and place our gear on the platform, instead of using the ladder. We cooked pasta mixed with hard boiled eggs, parmesan cheese and vegetable oil for dinner - little did we know this would be one of our most extravagant meals before Callyoma!

The next morning (day 2) we set off at 06:00, cycling out of the village in the cold air, under a perfectly clear blue sky. We climbed the graded track steadily towards Minera Anabi (some sort of surface mine) and then upwards to the pass. On the road to the mine we were only passed by two or three trucks, carrying mining equipment and after the mine there was no traffic at all. This was unsurprising considering the road we had to climb past it. Shortly after the mine we reached our first pass, Abra Anabi, at 4700m. We had lunch and chilled out here to help with altitude acclimatization before descending into the valley below to camp for the night. This lunch stop is very memorable for one reason. Toby sat on a poo. Of the human variety. With a bit of toilet paper still on it. The exact age of the poo was the subject of much debate, Toby claiming it to be "basically earth" while Sunny and I estimated it to be between 2 and 3 days matured. Nevertheless, we were lead to believe it was "quite comfortable". It was a cold night, except for the super hot salsa we had accidentally bought for our pasta. 

On the morning of day 3 we climbed out of the valley after crossing a stream, and cycled along a barren plane for the next few hours. Along the way we spotted some strange deer like animals, which made chirping sounds (these have since been identified as alpaca, while the larger, hairier animals herded by the sheppards are lama). We stopped riding for the day at lunchtime, as this was to be an acclimatization day, and set up a camp just off the road amongst a rocky outcrop at the head of a large, wide valley with views to the South over the snow capped mountains we would be crossing over the next few days. That evening we enjoyed our final tin of Grant's Finest Haggis Curry, after a short photo shoot session of Curried Haggis in the Andes. The weather deteriorated as night fell and soon we were in the midst of a windy, hailstone storm, and quickly secured the tents with extra stones and lines. Fortunately the storm eased off after an hour or so and we had a quiet night.

The next day (day 4) we passed through Minera Azuca. Stopping at the gate to give the guard our ID details and dump our rubbish in one of the six recycling bins on offer! Abra Azuca was our highest pass in Peru, at 5164m or just about 17000ft. After several hours struggling up the steep, gravelly mining roads, through the almost deserted mine we reached the pass, which was just above the snow line. The terrain changed significantly as we descended the other side, with bright orange, black and red streaks appearing in the rocks. Along this section we came across our favorite road sign (see photo). During the decent we had our first serious mechanical issue - the front break cable on Sunny’s bike snapped and needed to be replaced. Toby wasted no time in photographing Sunny’s misfortune.

We carried on descending to 4700m, passing two large lakes and arrived into the tiny, village of Huacullo, situated at the end of a large lake at the foot of the snowy mountains. Just before arriving into the village, were filmed by a TV crew. No idea what they were wanting but maybe we will be on the news! 

Unfortunately the hostel owner in Huacullo appeared to have left the town, despite proudly offering 24 hr service on his colorful sign, and we were directed 15min up the road to Culipampa village. This was on of the first examples of Peruvians overestimating out cycling speed (must just look so fit!). Forty five minutes later, just as the sun was setting, we arrived in this even smaller town. I arrived first so arranged a room for us at the hostel (a dirt floor and no electricity but at £2 a night couldn’t complain). We bought supplies and petrol for our stove at the local shop (lit up by a candle after dark, so used Sunny's head torch to find what we wanted amongst the shelves). To return to our room we had to back into the compound, head torches held high in one hand and stones grasped in the other, as we heard the owners dog growling on the far side - not how you would usually return to your house from a trip to Sainsburys.

It snowed that night, covering the surrounding countryside in a thin layer of white, which quickly melted in the morning sun. On day 5 we cycled onwards towards Tolcani, and through a pretty valley requiring several stream crossings. Toby took a tumble on of the downhill gravelly corners. We made camp just before the final big pass of this leg, Abra Azuca, as a hail storm was coming in fast. Fortunately the next day (day 6) was clear, however due to breathlessness and severely fatigued legs Sunny and Toby thumbed a lift to the top of the pass with a passing mining pick-up, and I met them at the top. We descended through the mine and onto the “main road” to Callyoma. Spent the night in Tolcani, half way to Callyoma. Toby accidentally lit all of his 30 windproof, waterproof matches at once, while trying to light the candle in the room at our hostel.

From Tolcani it was only a few hours cycle to Callyoma, and we caught an overnight bus to Arequipa. We are now on our third day in Arequipa, bu I'll leave our city adventures for another post, as this one is far too long already! Today we hope to climb up Mt. Misti, one of the three volcanoes towering above Arequipa.