Unexpected things

Sergio left Huaraz yesterday for Lima so that he could be waiting at BMW Motorrad Lima when they opened. He had a blown fork seal that became obvious when he dropped his bike in Huanchaco. Fork oil spilled onto the street. Good news is that they squeezed him in and he’ll have his bike Tuesday morning and rejoin Shuli and I. 

When we arrived in Huacho today, Shuli’s bike wouldn’t start. Thankfully it happened at the lodge. We managed to jump start his bike with the owner’s car and jumper cables. We ordered a new battery that Sergio will pick up when he gets his bike tomorrow. 

The real joy today was the unexpected beauty on our ride from Huaraz (mountains - 10,000ft) to Huacho (sea level). I don’t know why but I expected a full ride down the mountain. How wrong I was. The views were amazing as we reached 4500m. All of a sudden the switchbacks dropped us a few thousand feet in a very short distance. This downward spiral continued for 100km until we reached the ocean. The valley was bountiful with all types of crops - bananas, grapes, peaches and much more. At least 25km of the highway down was gravel. That made it even more fun. 

Late in the afternoon Carlos and his travel partner “Zip Code” arrived. We’ve been communicating for 9-12 months. Carlos has been a resource to us over and over again, both in planning the trip and on the road. It was a pleasure to order pizza in and discuss our travels.