As we arrived back in Huaraz and found our new accommodation (La Cabana) the dreaded ticking noise on my bike came back. My heart sank. We got the bikes into the garage at the hostal and immediately contacted Helber, the local mechanic we had been to before. He was able to get the bike straight in and went about disassembling the clutch basket etc: the primary suspect, the oil pump. Hey presto, the oil pump was worn and pitted. We got on the phone to our friends at MotoHell in Ecuador, they could sort one out; however the bad news was that a new part could not be sourced in Peru and due to our location the logistics of getting it to us could be a little problematic. So the waiting game began.
The positive thing was we liked our new accommodation and it was cheap. Also, a day or two after we arrived we met another overlander, Kirsi, and her dog Jack. She had driven her 4x4 FJ Cruiser from Florida, through Central America to Peru over the past year. Jack was very sociable and we met Kirsi because he came to investigate in our room as we often have the door open. It was good because we all got on well and the next thing we were off in search of Pisco sours!
Sitting around bikeless is not my idea of fun. I enjoy having a few days to relax, catch up on writing etc, however this was looking like it was going to be two weeks or more. Then my brother would be visiting in Cusco. It would take at least 4-5 days to ride all the way to Cusco, so the parts would have to be here well in advance of his visit for us to make it, and changing his holiday destination was not an option. Cusco would be the best place for him to visit, so we’d have to play it by ear. I have to say, it did put a downer on things, and I wondered if this would be the last big issue for my bike or was there more to come! The money we’d spent on it would have covered at least three months worth of travel, so it was very disheartening.
Despite the negative feelings we managed to really enjoy our time in Huaraz. We went out many times with Kirsi and Jack, walking around much of Huaraz, testing out new eating and drinking establishments. Excellent. During this time it was also my birthday so we went to a nice place for dinner and got steak and red wine. We invited Kirsi and Jack to join us as she was also still in Huaraz. It was very good food and we all left feeling very happy.
We made a point of also contacting Jael. Athough we didn’t have my bike available, we all went for coffee and cake, plus we got to meet his lovely wife. With my Spanglish we all just about managed to have a decent conversation and often it’s quite amazing trying to understand each other! Jael is such a nice guy and he wanted to help us get our parts so much, but it was out of our hands. Sadly, there was a guy near the Ecuador/Peru border that was due to bring my parts across, however he failed in his promise and the package was delayed a lot longer. Damn!
Soon it was time for Kirsi and Jack to leave Huaraz. They also wanted to get to Cusco so the likelihood was we would meet them again.
We were stuck waiting, time was getting short and we decided that the likelihood was that the parts would not get here in time. We bit the bullet and visited Cruz Del Sur ticket office and purchased two tickets from Huaraz to Lima and then to Cusco. The first leg would be about 8 hours but the trip from Lima to Cusco would be 22 hours!!! Yikes. Ah well, it would be a new experience.
I negotiated for Kelvin’s bike to stay at the hostal for free for 2 weeks, and I told Helber about the issue. He was happy to wait and keep my bike in his garage. The hostal agreed to receive the parcel and Jael would go and pick it up when it arrived and deliver it to Helber. Our travelling friend Hannes had met Michelle & Sata from MotoHell and , had arranged for his Girlfriend in Tujillo to receive the parcel and then she would DHL it to Huaraz. The chain was getting long, however it was the best way.
Just before we left, Hannes and Sata had managed to find another guy near the border to collect my parcel and send it on, so at least we could leave feeling reasonably confident that the parts would arrive and the bike would be ready by the time we returned.
We took our bag to the Cruz del Sur terminal and queued up ready to get on the bus. We got on and were pleasantly surprised by how spacious and comfortable the seats were. So, off to Lima and Cusco we go…again!
The 8 hours to Lima actually went reasonably quickly, and the scenery was beautiful although being on a bus is far too removed from things compared to being on the bike, although going through the winding roads for the first half of the journey did make me feel queasy. It was quite nice to be driven and just chillax, plus we got some food. We arrived in Lima in the evening and had a hostal all booked. The next day, before leaving Lima we went to see Carlos, and Tine was also there. It was nice to catch up and then it was off to get the next bus. The first trip was a novelty but this one I wasn’t looking forward to so much, especially as it would be overnight. It was long, boring and by the time we got to Cusco the next morning I felt very queasy and once we departed the bus it felt like my body was still moving from side to side. Uugh. We were very glad to be off the bus and back in a nice apartment with lovely hosts. The next morning my brother would be here, and the two week ‘holiday’ would begin!