Day 161 – Huaraz, PE to Recuay, PE

Day 161 – Huaraz, PE to Recuay, PE     01/29/11     Mileage: 115

It had rained all night and was still raining this morning as I packed the bike. I rolled out of town south towards Catac to catch the road to the ruins in Chavin. Along the way out of the corner of my eye I saw 2 adventure bikes getting gas. I wheeled around and went back to say hello. Andrzej and Jacek are from Poland and had shipped their bikes to Buenos Aires 2 months ago and are riding north to Cartagena. They were heading for Chavin as well so the 3 of us rode together.

Me and Andrzej…

Andrzej and Jacek’s bikes…a Yamaha Tenere and a Honda Africa Twin…two bikes the US never got.

The road from Catac to Chavin was paved some time ago, but it looks like all maintenance has been abandoned. The road has completely deteriorated to dirt in spots and where it hasn’t were bike eating holes. These kinds of roads are worse than all dirt, as the pavement potholes create deep sharp edge holes that are hell on the bike, suspension and will certainly give you a pinch flat if you hit one at speed. Arriving at the Chavin ruins is kind of underwhelming honestly, but we hired a guide and the tour was interesting nonetheless.

Arriving at Chavin…

Inside the main temple…

I’m not sure Chavin was worth the 4 hour round trip down that shit road, but it was nice to ride and swap war stories with Andrzej and Jacek over lunch. Luckily they spoke pretty good english, because the only Polish word I know is kielbasa.The restaurant didn’t have much change, so I paid the bill and Andrzej gave me a 50 sole bill….the problem was he had 2 50 sole bills and he knew one of them was counterfeit…but we couldn’t tell which one. I just picked one thinking if it was such a good fake I could still use it. So after lunch we said adios and they headed north for the Cordillera, and we south for the coast. Unfortunately, not only was it pouring now, but I had to backtrack down that shit road and by the time I got back to Catac, I was soaked, cold and miserable. It was also too late to make a run to the coast so I got a room in the tiny town of Recuay.

There was only one place to stay in town, so that decision was easy. My room cost 15 soles, or about 5 dollars…and certainly I got what I paid for! 😉

My hosts for the night….very graciouse and accommodating people.

The building was so old it seems it was built for the local indigenous people who are short in stature. The ceiling in my room was maybe 5’10” as I had only an inch or two of clearance being 5’8″ myself. The door was only 5′, so I had to duck to get in or out of my room…which didn’t lock.

The view from my room…

The bathroom was down the hall and was, umm, rough.

It’s all good though, and it sure beats pitching a tent in the rain…