With Thierry and Thierry
I've been wanting to explore Patagonia and Brazil for quite some time now. So why am I taking to the roads of Bolivia and Peru ? Quite simply, to ride with my friend Thierry and a friend of his, also named Thierry. Both Thierry are from France, and both are big motorcycle enthusiasts.
The two Thierry rented small motorcycles in Huanuco, a town about 1,000 km from our meeting point. On arrival, the two friends covered the thousand kilometres in 3 days, and I spent the last few months planning my route to eventually meet them in Peru.
The aim of our journey together is not to visit tourist spots, but to travel overland and have fun riding our bikes. I prepared a route through Peru and Bolivia to take advantage of the magnificent mountain scenery to be found in these two countries. We covered just over 4,000 km together, mainly sleeping in tents.
A gold mine
En route along high mountain trails, we made an impromptu stop at this 'artisanal' gold mine located at an altitude of almost 4,300 metres. It's one of several mines in this mountainous area.
Several small groups of miners own a concession from which they extract ores that probably contain gold. This ore is then bagged and transported to the Peruvian coast for processing. It's hard work in very rudimentary conditions. The miners sleep in makeshift camps, and at night the temperature drops below zero at this altitude.
On these mountain roads, refuelling is often done from these 'petrol stations.'
Practically every village has one or two families offering petrol or diesel from cans. Of course, it's more expensive than at the official stations, but it saves the sometimes time-consuming detours.
On the second day of our trip, we had a few problems with altitude. I have to make a mea culpa here, because I chose paths at very high altitudes. I thought that during the first 3 days of their arrival, the two Thierry would adapt to the altitude, as they started their journey in Huanuco (1,800 metres) and travelled roads at altitudes varying between 2,000 and 4,000 metres.
The day before, we wild camped at an altitude of almost 4,000 metres, and all went well. However, after the village of Antabamaba, we started climbing on a road that was supposed to take us to a plateau at almost 5,000 metres. It was a bit too much.
Thierry B. began to have difficulty breathing and we turned back to Antabamba at 3630 metres. To make matters worse, on the way back, Thierry also had a puncture in his front tire. I used my pump to inflate his tire every 10-15 minutes until we got down enough for Thierry to feel better. Then we fixed the puncture.
Back in Antabamba, we decided to take a rest day to give the two Thierry's time to adapt to the altitude, and I changed the route to bypass the plateaus at almost 5000 metres.
In the evening, I see people dancing in the streets. It looks as if there's a fiesta going on.
Sometimes, a trip is full of surprises, and chance or circumstance leads to the discovery of a very interesting place or event. The day before, Thierry is feeling ill and we turn back for a rest. The next day, we learn that there's a fiesta in the village.
This festival is nothing less than a Peruvian bullfighting show. I didn't even know it was possible to see a corrida in Peru. The Spanish influence can't be felt more strongly than when you see a bullfighting show.
At the start of the day, all the groups/families/villages proudly display their colours in a dance parade. Then it's the turn of the bullfighters to put on a fine show in the arena. Here, the bulls are not mistreated or injured in any way. Some are not very aggressive, but they sometimes make good charges towards the young toreadors.
