Day 162 – Recuay, PE to Lima, PE
February 4, 2011 12 Comments
Day 162 – Recuay, PE to Lima, PE 01/30/11 Mileage 234
This morning I had the bike packed and was on the road by 8:15. Just south of Catac I pulled off for gas and went to pay with the 50 sole bill I got from Andrzej the day before, and sure enough, the attendant said it was fake and refused it. Damn! Oh well, I’ll get rid of it somehow. Back on the bike the road continued up and over the pass and it was a nice canyon carver all the way down to the coast.
I hung a right on the Pan Americana and continued rolling south for Lima. I passed two cops on the opposite side of the road and they were frantically waving me over. Shit! They had a car, but I decided to just pretend they were waving at someone else and kept going. Well, soon I could see the flashing lights coming up behind me…damn. So I pulled over and Abbott and Costello started in on their good cop bad cop routine.
Bad cop said it was a 500 sole ticket that I would have to pay in Lima. Good cop said, because I was a tourist and they didn’t want to inconvenience me, I could pay them 250 soles right now! So there it was, a bribe is what they were after. I of course have cash squirreled away, but I said that I didn’t have that much and that all I has was 50 soles…which was of course the counterfeit 50 sole bill in my dummy wallet! So, I took out the fake 50, folded it over and handed it to good cop. Bad cop practically through my (expired) license back at me and after a quick half-assed lecture on the dangers of speeding, they said I could go. Well, I didn’t wait around for them to realize it was a counterfeit bill, so I thumbed the starter and rolled out of there. I was laughing in my helmet for the next 10 miles thinking of those two bozos going to pay for a nice steak dinner with their spoils only to be told it was a fake 50 sole bill. That was worth every (fake) cent. AMF! The rest of the road to Lima was over rolling sandy desert scenery and it was an interesting change from the mountains.
I made my way to center Lima and found a room 3 blocks from the Plaza de Armes. They let me park the bike in the lobby, and after a shower I went out to explore the city center.
The Plaza de Armas is spectacular and the Moorish influenced Spanish architecture is really cool.
At night I had a dinner (trout ceviche) at nice restaurant just off the Plaza.
From Deadhorse Down 
YOU MAKE YOUR MOTHER PROUD. CANNOT BELIEVE YOU PASSED ON THE PHONEY BILL. HOW DID YOU GET THE HOTEL TO LET YOU PARK IN THE LOBBY IS ANOTHER ONE I CANNOT BELIEVE.
I WISH THAT YOU WERE NOT PULLED OVER BECAUSE YOU WERE SPEEDING THOUGH. WHEN YOU DRIVE DOWN TO FLORIDA THEY HAVE THE COPS WATCHING THE SPEEDERS AND GIVING TICKETS LIKE CRAZY LIKE THAT.
THE PHOTOS ARE AMAZING AND YOU ARE AMAZING. BE WELL AND BE SAFE. LOVE YA, MOM
Awesome blog today….I was going to suggest you frame the counterfeit bill but, you made much better use of it!!! Photos have been stellar… I know we’ve all said it a million times…but, WHAT AN AWESOME ADVENTURE!!! Have fun! love, deb
Thanks Deb! I was trying to think of a way to get rid of that fake bill, but the perfect opportunity presented itself! LOL
Nice move Lenny.
Oh my Gawd Lenny…that cop thing was priceless!! Way to go!!!!!!!! LMAO!!! You are a trip!!!!!!!
We are still watching your travels…still enjoying your journeys! It’s like a good read!
Be safe!
Hi Becki! So good to hear from you!! How’s the winter treating you in the great white north? Tell the boys I said hello! 🙂
Lenny plus a counterfit 50 plus two foreign cops equals a huge set of balls!
Wow to that story, while reading it I was waiting for the part where they realize the money was fake and it turned into an episode of “Locked Up Abroad”!
Amazing plaza pics and I loved your bike parked in the lobby!
Ha! Thanks Pete… Honestly, I think it’s a kind of a safe way to get rid of counterfeit money…what are the cops going to say on the report, we locked up the gringo because he tried to bribe us with fake money? Trust me when I say that those lazy FF’s couldn’t even be bothered with the paperwork it would take to lock me up! lol
I’ve just forwarded this post to the proper authorities.
Ha! Who do you think I handed the bribe to! lol
you are my hero! I would have never thought to do that! Still trying to figure out what you do/say to be allowed to park your bike in the lobby….
It’s actually pretty common in Central and South America. They’d rather have your business and just put up with the muddy motorcycle in the lobby than have go across the street to the competition….who is probably all to happy to have you park in his lobby!