So my bike got stolen from a hostel in Arica, it was inside.
I was passed out within arms reach of the bike. Some guys managed to scale a 10+ foot wall, go into the hostel, grab my bike and a ton of gear and escape without waking anyone up. Professional scum.
If you're reading this and you're in Arica for some crazy reason and you happen to see my bike I'll be in hostel Sunny days. Please run the motherfucker over with your car, then go reverse and finish him off, thanks!
I guess for now this will be the end of my tour. I have no tent or sleeping bag/pad/bike to continue so that's that.
Thanks to those who read my blog and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
UPDATE: Talked to the Carabineros and local police, filed a report etc, still no luck. I might have to continue by bus or hitch-hiking. I will send an email to bike companies begging for a bike and see how that goes.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Lima, Cerro Azul, Ica, Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Tacna
It´s been a while since I last updated this blog. It´s gotten increasingly more difficult to find time to sit down and write a lot. I am currently writing this from Arica, Chile and I've done a ton of things since my last post.
Lima is an interesting city that gets a lot of hate for some reason, I kinda liked it to be honest. I stayed at hostal 1900 which has been on of the nicest hostels I´ve been to and it´s in the center of the city. Sure the traffic is ridiculous and supposedly its dangerous to be alone at night but I felt a good vibe from the city and I didn't run in to any issues, even on the bike. I explored Miraflores and the coastline by foot, it´s a pretty rich area and the beaches are just rocks, no sand, but there are tons of surfers and surfboard rentals along the way. If you ever come to Miraflores go to the cat park, I forget the name of it but everybody knows it. There are hundreds of cats in this park, I dont know why they stay there -FOOD- but its a pretty unique experience to be sitting on the grass with a bunch of street cats. I did not visit any museums or anything but I still had a pretty good time,
Leaving Lima was one of the most terrifying and simultaneously exhilarating experiences I´ve had on a bike. You´re pretty much riding on a 5 or so lane highway that has no traffic rules at all. I was pushing as hard as I could to get out of that hellhole. The upside is that it´s mostly a slight downhill so you can go as fast if not faster than most cars, they'll look at you like if you were Lance. I suggest you bring a respirator mask and wear glasses because the road is full of debris and there is more smog than L.A. Once you´re out of the city it gets much better and calm. The scenery changes to tints and shades of brown as you´re pretty much in the desert.
I arrived to Cerro Azul after a pretty long ride, I think it was about 140km of rolling hills. Cerro Azul is a small coastal town with good surf and pretty mellow vibes, It didn´t seem touristy at all except for two German guys and me, There are plenty of places where to stay Infront of the beach for decent prices. I suggest you go to the pier at sunset, it´s incredible and you will also see dolphins, apparently they´re really common since nobody even flinched yet I was going crazy with my camera. I only stayed one night since I was on a mission towards Nazca.
I´m just going to go ahead and skip Ica, nothing to see here really. From Ica to Nazca though was really cool. It´s all the same desert scenery but it´s so quiet and peaceful. Along the way you'll also pass small cities that lie next to the river, looking at them from a distance is like an oasis since everything is green and lush in a world of sand color. You´d think the terrain is mostly flat, well, it´s not, it´s all decently sized hills and the heat is pretty insane. Near Nazca on the Pan-American highway you can see a tower where you can pay $2 soles to see some of the Nazca lines, it´s pretty interesting but honestly the scenery in that area in general is more interesting than the lines. It´s a massive plateau -not sure if that´s what it is-, MASSIV,. like an epic cut-scene from Halo Combat Evolved. How to know you´re near? You´ll see the small Cessnas where they take people to see the lines, everybody I talked to said it was not worth going on the plane, it´s very hot inside and some people get very sick from the turbulence. Oh and money.
From Nazca I took a bus to Cusco, yeah yeah I fucking cheated ok. Why? Because of time constraints, I simply do not have the time to go off-route to this magnitude, It´s super far and mostly uphill. Contrary to popular belief I thought Cusco was kind of lame, a large part of it is just a huge tourist trap full of fake North Face gear -really good prices and quality is decent- and dudes selling paintings/weed/cocaine on the plaza de Armas. There are some girls that sell massages and they will completely hoard you and goddamit you better get a friggin' massage, maybe some weed? Maybe cocaine? Restaurants are kind of pricey but you can still find lots of local places if you take a quick stroll, the city ain´t that big. I strongly recommend hostal Frankestein, it´s awesome, very calm and the owner is a really nice German guy. From Cusco I took a bunch of local buses and taxis towards the Hydroelectric dam, I recommend you do this and don´t take the ultra-easy way on the expensive train.
------I forgot, I actually took a bus to Arequipa then I went to Cusco. I have to say that Arequipa is one of my favorite cities in all of Peru, it has everything you can think of and you can see a volcano in the distance, it´s huge. Do the free walking tour, it´s quite entertaining and informative. I also went to Colca canyon for a 2 night trekking trip, you should do it too. The area is called Truly incredible nature, I am humbled on every peak and valley by just how indescribably beautiful this nature is, we are incredibly lucky to enjoy this----------------------
From Hydroelectrica we walked along the train tracks towards Aguas Calientes. It´s about a 2hr walk if you take your time, it´s really quite beautiful around there, and hot. The guards say the signage is excellent but it really isn´t. DO NOT go through the tunnels like we did when you're near Aguas Calientes, there is an easier way if you take the lower road, you´ll know what I´m talking about when you´re there. Aguas Calientes is kind of nice but insanely expensive and touristy, you won´t get a meal for under 25 soles or so so I suggest you bring lots of food.
The next day we (NJ and Colombian girl from a hostel) hiked up to Machu Picchu an Machu Picchu Mountain. It rains a lot here since it´s a jungle but it quickly stops, you don´t even need a poncho to be honest. I decided it would be a great idea to do the whole way up Machu Picchu/mountain barefoot, so I did, it was awesome. Most of the terrain is stairs made out from sleek rock and some parts were just mud, it felt really good on my feet. A tour guide said that I couldn´t be barefoot for some mysterious reason, he wouldn´t elaborate on why exactly. My Colombian friend Juanita kinda' got in to an argument with him and told him: ¨Why can´t he do it? The Incas did it, didn´t they?¨ The guide said ¨Well he´s not an Inca¨, I thought it was hilarious. I put my flip flops on and asked another guide if that was the rule, she laughed and said no, so I kept on hanging out barefoot. BRING YOUR FOOD AND WATER! The cafeteria at the bottom of Machu Picchu is fucking ridiculously expensive, 8 soles for a small bottle of water and like 25 soles for a sandwich, not even kidding. I didn´t eat right for a few days before the hike and was feeling like shit.
From Hydroelectrica we took a number of public transports in to Ollantaytambo, a very small town that has it´s beautiful parts, but it´s really just another tourist trap in disguise. Oh and there's NOTHING to do, except to eat and/or get hammered.
Tacna lies on the border of Peru/Chile, I know there are some historic places to see, but I wasn´t interested.
That´s that, sorry I´m way too lazy to go in to detail for all of these places. I´d have to type for hours and I don´t really feel like doing that. photodump now!
Lima is an interesting city that gets a lot of hate for some reason, I kinda liked it to be honest. I stayed at hostal 1900 which has been on of the nicest hostels I´ve been to and it´s in the center of the city. Sure the traffic is ridiculous and supposedly its dangerous to be alone at night but I felt a good vibe from the city and I didn't run in to any issues, even on the bike. I explored Miraflores and the coastline by foot, it´s a pretty rich area and the beaches are just rocks, no sand, but there are tons of surfers and surfboard rentals along the way. If you ever come to Miraflores go to the cat park, I forget the name of it but everybody knows it. There are hundreds of cats in this park, I dont know why they stay there -FOOD- but its a pretty unique experience to be sitting on the grass with a bunch of street cats. I did not visit any museums or anything but I still had a pretty good time,
Leaving Lima was one of the most terrifying and simultaneously exhilarating experiences I´ve had on a bike. You´re pretty much riding on a 5 or so lane highway that has no traffic rules at all. I was pushing as hard as I could to get out of that hellhole. The upside is that it´s mostly a slight downhill so you can go as fast if not faster than most cars, they'll look at you like if you were Lance. I suggest you bring a respirator mask and wear glasses because the road is full of debris and there is more smog than L.A. Once you´re out of the city it gets much better and calm. The scenery changes to tints and shades of brown as you´re pretty much in the desert.
I arrived to Cerro Azul after a pretty long ride, I think it was about 140km of rolling hills. Cerro Azul is a small coastal town with good surf and pretty mellow vibes, It didn´t seem touristy at all except for two German guys and me, There are plenty of places where to stay Infront of the beach for decent prices. I suggest you go to the pier at sunset, it´s incredible and you will also see dolphins, apparently they´re really common since nobody even flinched yet I was going crazy with my camera. I only stayed one night since I was on a mission towards Nazca.
I´m just going to go ahead and skip Ica, nothing to see here really. From Ica to Nazca though was really cool. It´s all the same desert scenery but it´s so quiet and peaceful. Along the way you'll also pass small cities that lie next to the river, looking at them from a distance is like an oasis since everything is green and lush in a world of sand color. You´d think the terrain is mostly flat, well, it´s not, it´s all decently sized hills and the heat is pretty insane. Near Nazca on the Pan-American highway you can see a tower where you can pay $2 soles to see some of the Nazca lines, it´s pretty interesting but honestly the scenery in that area in general is more interesting than the lines. It´s a massive plateau -not sure if that´s what it is-, MASSIV,. like an epic cut-scene from Halo Combat Evolved. How to know you´re near? You´ll see the small Cessnas where they take people to see the lines, everybody I talked to said it was not worth going on the plane, it´s very hot inside and some people get very sick from the turbulence. Oh and money.
From Nazca I took a bus to Cusco, yeah yeah I fucking cheated ok. Why? Because of time constraints, I simply do not have the time to go off-route to this magnitude, It´s super far and mostly uphill. Contrary to popular belief I thought Cusco was kind of lame, a large part of it is just a huge tourist trap full of fake North Face gear -really good prices and quality is decent- and dudes selling paintings/weed/cocaine on the plaza de Armas. There are some girls that sell massages and they will completely hoard you and goddamit you better get a friggin' massage, maybe some weed? Maybe cocaine? Restaurants are kind of pricey but you can still find lots of local places if you take a quick stroll, the city ain´t that big. I strongly recommend hostal Frankestein, it´s awesome, very calm and the owner is a really nice German guy. From Cusco I took a bunch of local buses and taxis towards the Hydroelectric dam, I recommend you do this and don´t take the ultra-easy way on the expensive train.
------I forgot, I actually took a bus to Arequipa then I went to Cusco. I have to say that Arequipa is one of my favorite cities in all of Peru, it has everything you can think of and you can see a volcano in the distance, it´s huge. Do the free walking tour, it´s quite entertaining and informative. I also went to Colca canyon for a 2 night trekking trip, you should do it too. The area is called Truly incredible nature, I am humbled on every peak and valley by just how indescribably beautiful this nature is, we are incredibly lucky to enjoy this----------------------
From Hydroelectrica we walked along the train tracks towards Aguas Calientes. It´s about a 2hr walk if you take your time, it´s really quite beautiful around there, and hot. The guards say the signage is excellent but it really isn´t. DO NOT go through the tunnels like we did when you're near Aguas Calientes, there is an easier way if you take the lower road, you´ll know what I´m talking about when you´re there. Aguas Calientes is kind of nice but insanely expensive and touristy, you won´t get a meal for under 25 soles or so so I suggest you bring lots of food.
The next day we (NJ and Colombian girl from a hostel) hiked up to Machu Picchu an Machu Picchu Mountain. It rains a lot here since it´s a jungle but it quickly stops, you don´t even need a poncho to be honest. I decided it would be a great idea to do the whole way up Machu Picchu/mountain barefoot, so I did, it was awesome. Most of the terrain is stairs made out from sleek rock and some parts were just mud, it felt really good on my feet. A tour guide said that I couldn´t be barefoot for some mysterious reason, he wouldn´t elaborate on why exactly. My Colombian friend Juanita kinda' got in to an argument with him and told him: ¨Why can´t he do it? The Incas did it, didn´t they?¨ The guide said ¨Well he´s not an Inca¨, I thought it was hilarious. I put my flip flops on and asked another guide if that was the rule, she laughed and said no, so I kept on hanging out barefoot. BRING YOUR FOOD AND WATER! The cafeteria at the bottom of Machu Picchu is fucking ridiculously expensive, 8 soles for a small bottle of water and like 25 soles for a sandwich, not even kidding. I didn´t eat right for a few days before the hike and was feeling like shit.
From Hydroelectrica we took a number of public transports in to Ollantaytambo, a very small town that has it´s beautiful parts, but it´s really just another tourist trap in disguise. Oh and there's NOTHING to do, except to eat and/or get hammered.
Tacna lies on the border of Peru/Chile, I know there are some historic places to see, but I wasn´t interested.
That´s that, sorry I´m way too lazy to go in to detail for all of these places. I´d have to type for hours and I don´t really feel like doing that. photodump now!
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