Leap frog...do you get it?

Dec 23

As we pass a gas station in Caraz we see a couple of big bikes getting fuel, one Harley and one Japanese model of some kind. We are not surprised when they catch up and pass us on the highway, we are however surprised to see their Quebec license plates. We play leap frog with each other as they can’t go over the speed bumps as fast as we can, but once we are out of the small towns South of Huaraz they leave us behind as the big bikes are more adept to the wide open high plains.

This section of road reminds us both of the Cowboy Trail (Hwy #22) south of Longview AB, the wide valley of pasture grass with snow capped peaks on one side and rolling foothills on the other. Lets not forget the ever dropping air temperature as the wind off the mountains brings the crisp air with it. We play one last game of leap frog with the Quebec boys as they have stopped to water the flowers.

Caraz and Huaraz are very different towns, Caraz is very laid back and quiet with a focus on hiking and trekking in the surrounding mountains and has managed to maintain its’"small town feel". We soon discovered that Huaraz is just the opposite, although there are still lots of hiking and trekking locations in the area the town itself is kaotic and a traffic snarl. We also learn of some crime issues in the city from a Belgian biker we meet at a gas station, he has been a resident of Huaraz for 6 years and has noticed a dramatic increase in petty crimes. He and his wife operate a remote access pediatric emergency medical service. They use his motorcycle to quickly respond to emergencies in the remote villages in the area.

 

The elevation of the road drops us down closer to sea level and as we approach the coastal zone we are once again greeted by the barren rock and sand that comprises most of Peru’s Pacific shoreline. The area really is a shock to the system after the lush green mountains of the North. The coastal town of Barranca is a buzz with traffic, commerce, and road construction. At first we think that we will not stop here as the majority of the city does not have a very welcoming feel, we are nicely surprised when we find the beach area though. This 3km stretch of shoreline has a few hotels and a bunch of restaurants and bars, we also see a few work crews cleaning and painting in an effort to keep the place attractive to tourists. We decide that it is time to stop for the day and check into a nice hotel on the Malecon, during the check-in process we are greeted by a friendly gentleman with a French accent. It turns out he and his brother are travelling on motorcycle from Quebec, I burst out laughing as these are the two guys we had been playing leap frog with up in the mountains and now here we are at the same hotel.

Later that night we swap travel stories and route ideas. The brothers are travelling for 6 months and plan to ride all the way to the South tip of the continent and then ride back up to Cartegena in a counter- clockwise direction. We admire their  plans and their commitment to riding big street bikes through some of the terrain in which we were glad to have smaller dirt bikes.