Loja to Piura (Peru)

October 22nd Loja to Piera (Peru)

How can you travel 200yds and enter a different world? I think the answer is in the politicians you elect. Left Loya in beautiful sunshine and began more of the same as the last few days. Great roads, beautiful scenery and magnificent riding - if a little slow. Incidents of note - 

1. Stopped at  army checkpoint at the head of a pass (I think they were bored- very little traffic). Having done 3 hours riding, they told me I had three more to go till the border. I could not believe that, and it transpired it was 30 minutes not 3 hours, probably lost in translation.
2. For the first time on my travels, dogs ran out to attack the bike. My reasoning is they must not be scared of humans and are defending their master/mistresses property. I suspect they are well cared for.

I reached the border in blazing sunshine and only had a ten minute wait to get my passport stamped and my motorcycle cleared through the Ecuadorian  customs. A result! But on returning to my bike I discovered that my phone, which was giving me directions using Google, had overheated and switched itself off. When this happens the data enterd into Google Maps is lost, so I was navigating from here on in with my unreliable Tinks. I made my way over to Peruvian customs post and after a few false doors I managed to get things done in the right order - passport  stamped (two forms), bike in,surance (two forms) and bike temporarily imported (one form). The bike insurance was done by an elderly shop keeper, who I suspect was barely literate. She was taking an age, so  I politely took the form from her and completed it myself. For a months cover $33. The officer doing the import documents was great, but he was haing trouble with the archaic computer system (may have been using the same one as Pay Pal, Amazon and Twitter- Tee hee). Eventually, all was done in an hour and 15 minutes - a record.

Upon entering Peru I was shocked at the difference between the two countires. The houses were very basic shelters with mud bricks in the main. The small villages I passed through were shockingly poor and the infrastruture even worse than Guatemala. The landscape had changed dramatically too - from lush green mountains to dusty, sandy scrub. I entered one town on the main road and it was like riding through a Clint Eastwood movie set. Dusty main street with no tarmac, rubbish everywhere and massive holes and gulleys.

Yes this is the main highway through this medium sized town!

One can spot the poverty by the lack of traffic and whilst in Columbia and Ecuador the motorbike was the transport of the masses in Peru, the Tut Tut (Chinese trikes with room for three passengers) seems to be the way people get around. They are everywhere and have no lane discipline or sense of others.The few cars on the road seem to be really old beat up american or japanese cars or very posh 4X4s. In this town, relying on Tinks for direction, she got me through it, but 5 miles out of town decided that it was the wrong direction and asked me to turn around where possible. I ignored her and continued driving. I knew I was heading south and had a sense that she had got it wrong. Since crossing into Peru she had been more accurate and had more information on the maps, but she was still giving contrary information to what was on the ground. When I get home I'm going to right a letter of complaint to Garmin - the mapping software which cost £60 was meant to cover all of South America and it was next to useless in Ecuador and only partially better in Peru. It kept trying to send me up one way streets. A large corporate company like Garmin should not be selling a product that is potentially dangerous.

I arrived in Piura by 3.30pm and after a few false turns eventually found the hotel. I was a bit ashamed when I entered and was shown to my room, it was in stark contrat to the accommodation I'd passed along the 90 miles of Peruvian roads. It is modern with state of the art foyer, swimming pool and sumptious grounds. My room you can see below. It costs £30 including breakfastt.

large modern room with air conditioning and cable tv

large walk in shower

I do feel a little elated though, having made it to Peru. In my mind it is a landmark place. Its fully In the Southern Hemisphere and in my imagination it seems a little exotic. It's a strange thing the imagination - northern Peru is how I imagined Mexico would be and though there is still much more to see I am constantly having my perceptions altered.

I have done 8500 miles and completed the bulk of my journey with only two more borders to cross - horray - I have approximately 5,000 miles to Buenos Aires, my final destination. Tomorrow I head further south and the following day somewhere around Lima (not sorted this out yet).

I'm off for something to eat now in my posh hotel. Have a good weekend all.