Ahoyhoy from a worryingly moist Tigger,
I´m in Equador, just the otherside of the border. I left you in Lima and hoped now to be further north but it has been an infuriating day.
Yesterday I had a foracably early start from Lima and despite being stopped bu Police for being in a bus lane it was uneventaful. In fact it was very pleasant cruising along listening to a book about Egyptology and shooting the breeze with Llama Tigger. The scenery was still fab but I don´t seem to have taken many pictures which I find odd.
I was needing to keep a close eye on my rear tyre as to get the most life out of it I was running it down to smooth and didn´t want to unknowingly be riding on canvas but it seemed to be lasting better than the first one. As I cruised along the coast the smell of the sea caught me and beckoned me to stop in Chimbote (i think) and had lunch overlooking the natural harbour:
Petrol was easy to find and good progress was made; 550 miles. As dusk descended I had not arranged to stay anywhere to I improvised in a deserted roadside building (of which South America has a glut). I lay on my back in my panys (for it was still 20deg and watched the stars come out:
As I was outside dawn rose me a another very early start was had but Emily (the SatNav) was not on form as she tried to shortcut without the skills to do so through the towns the Pan-Am went through. this is a classic example; Emily´s idea of a motorway on ramp:
I got stopped for apparently speeding and it very much looked like I was in for a fine/ticket/bribe when the Policeman asked what I did.I explained doctor and the trip. He asked if I was helping Peruvian children. I lied and he promptly let me go. I can live with my scruples. Nevertheless the scenery changes were amazingly dramatic from sand to mountain to green to sea to thin forrest:
With a full tank of petrol and no more than 2 quid in Peruvian Sols we made for the Equador border. I can accept borders taking time or having long drives between the respective posts but today was infuriating as all in all it took hours and 35miles of driving. I´ll explain: at the Peru-Ecuador border there are nice new combined border control buildings so obviously to get out of Peru I had to find a shed. From the shed I was encouraged to cross the border:
Over the border in Equador in the second new lovely building I got my entrance stamp and them found Peruvian customs. Then I was told the Equadorian customs is 2 or 3km down the road. It was not so I came back. I got different gesticulations so I went into the town, no customs. I asked some plod who redirected me back the first way with a 3km guesstimate. After 6km I found the customs building where I was informed I needed special Equadorian transit insurance from the town. I went to the town, got money out (in dollars which I thought strange), got the insurance, rode back to customs, got my documents and rode back to town to find a hotel (no camping here) with a big flat and clean carpark as Sir Humphrey now definately needed a new rear tyre. All this back and forth took over 3 hours in high 30s heat. I watched a river of my fluids trail behind me! It was as hot as i think I´ve been. To make matters really infuriating I noticed wehad passed the 10,000mile mark and I tried to change Sir Humphrey´s oil but the sodding nuts would not come undone and were starting to warp.I changed the rear tyre, air filter, oil filter and cleaned the oil screen but unless I get some success in the morning I´m not quite sure what to do. Part of the trip´s challenge is not to go to a garage and I do everything myself but I do not want Sir Humphrey with 21000mile old oil in him by the time we return home. In the end a lack of daylight made me stop and having not been surprised by the single tap in the shower I eventually made it out looking for a money changer. On not finding one and thinking only Panama used US dollers outside the the USA I consulted the guidebook which informed me that Equador does too. At least I could now buy some more fluid; its pitch black outside and I´m still sweating buckets!
The plan after havong a fiddle with Sir Humphrey in the morning is to head for Columbia via the equator and see what happens.
Sorry if i´m not making too much sense tonight but IT IS SOOOO HOT!
TTFN,
Tiggsohotious
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