April 23, 2000
Day 184 To Juli, Peru
We have cereal in our room, then roll out our bikes, carry them down the little garden stairs and head for Peru. The road out of town is bad and then turns into dirt. All the way to the border we see remains of barricades. At some places people have pried huge boulders loose from the steep banks and let them roll onto the road. It will take a bulldozer to clear all this mess.
Both of us don’t feel too well this morning, maybe it was the milk. After about 10 km we reach the border at Kasani, get our exit stamp at the Bolivian office, and head across into Peru. There is a stone arch at the border and all of a sudden the pavement starts again. Getting into the country poses no problems. We each get 90 days. The paved road takes us to Yunguzo and then follows Lake Titicaca in north western direction. There are a few short climbs but nothing major uphill just before Juli, there the road climbs a nasty saddle before dropping down into the town.
Our first impression of Peru is okay. Most kids shout: “Gringo, gringo”, and the adults don’t say much until you greet them first. Then they open up, smile and return the greeting. Just like in Bolivia actually. The road is narrow but paved. There are quite a few mini busses and some larger ones that try to move you onto the gravel shoulder by loud and prolonged honking. When we refuse that they will move over and pass us widely.
In Juli we find the Alojamiento El Rasal after checking out another place. It’s a little courtyard behind a narrow doorway. An older woman shows Patrick a small concrete shed with two single beds. There is mold on the wall that make it smell a bit, but the beds seem clean. Advantage is that we can easily roll our bikes into the courtyard, and it only costs 10 soles, about $3 USD. We settle in and have some lunch. Rachel still doesn’t feel well and takes a nap while Patrick goes for a walk through the town. There is an interesting church and some neat doorways.
In the evening we eat trout, again, and get back to our hotel before dark. We gained an hour upon crossing into Peru, but that means it now is dark at six.
Our first impression of Peru is okay. Most kids shout: “Gringo, gringo”, and the adults don’t say much until you greet them first. Then they open up, smile and return the greeting. Just like in Bolivia actually. The road is narrow but paved. There are quite a few mini busses and some larger ones that try to move you onto the gravel shoulder by loud and prolonged honking. When we refuse that they will move over and pass us widely.
In Juli we find the Alojamiento El Rasal after checking out another place. It’s a little courtyard behind a narrow doorway. An older woman shows Patrick a small concrete shed with two single beds. There is mold on the wall that make it smell a bit, but the beds seem clean. Advantage is that we can easily roll our bikes into the courtyard, and it only costs 10 soles, about $3 USD. We settle in and have some lunch. Rachel still doesn’t feel well and takes a nap while Patrick goes for a walk through the town. There is an interesting church and some neat doorways.
In the evening we eat trout, again, and get back to our hotel before dark. We gained an hour upon crossing into Peru, but that means it now is dark at six.
Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 5,702 km (3,541 miles)
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