Wednesday 31 August 2011

THE TALE OF A TYRE






I would have preferred the tyre to tell this story. However, the tyre in question has now perished, and I'm the only other who knows the full epic. (If you have no interest in bicycle tyre performance, then you may choose to skip this post). Anyway, the story started in Australia where I was having a few tyre problems towards the end of the Outback crossing. Finally I found a set of decent Continentals in Adelaide, which Leana kindly bought for me. A thousand km's later in Melbourne I was somewhat disappointed to note that the rear Conti was already showing some wear, and I swapped the two around. After another two thousand k's in Puerto Montt, Chile, the orange puncture-proof layer was starting to show, and I dumped both tyres in the garage of the rickety hospedaje where I was staying. There I bought some sturdy Vietnamese tyres as well as a set of knobbly's - all in preparation of the bad road I was expecting to the South in Patagonia. After arriving back in that rickety hospedaje a month later, the knobbly's were finished and the fat Vietnamese were on their last legs. I reluctantly retrieved the better of the two Continentals from the garage where they were collecting dust, just in case I needed it as a spare on the way to Santiago. In Santiago I found 2 good-looking Kenda's, so I fitted one on the back wheel and kept the other as a spare (I also fitted the Continental to the front wheel, so it got a new life after 3 thousand km's). I was somewhat optimistically hoping to get across the Andes and Argentina to Buenos Ayres where I thought I should find some decent tyres. I was amazed that the Conti just kept going up the coast to Brazil, and by the time I reached Rio De Janeiro both the Kenda's had blown out the side-wall, and I had some Brazilian tyre on the back which kept getting punctured by truck-tyre debris. In the interior of Brazil I bought 3 fat Wanda King tyres (never heard of them before, and would rather not hear of them again). I'd become rather attached to the Continental on the front wheel, so I fitted one of the "Kings" to the back and kept the other 2 as spares (they each lasted just over 1000 km on the back wheel). In Lima the Continental went on the back, as I'd found some slim OK-ish tyre for the front. Everything seemed to be going well, but after Huaraz I hit the bad road via the spectacular Santa Rosa river canyon back to the coast. This was too much for the old Conti road tyre, and she waited patiently until I'd found a nice camp site before blowing through a cut in her side. At least that was a suitable spot as a last resting place for a tyre which had initially been treated shabbily, but had then performed it's duty. Also on that canyon road I met Jurgen from Germany cycling in the opposite direction (he'd apparently had his own share of tyre troubles). We swapped camera's and had some fun taking pic's of each other - in the process I failed to get a photo of him. On the second day of the Canyon road I met Australians Jules and Megan, who seemed to be going along just fine (both them and Jurgen had been cycling South since Alaska). I thought I'd also mention the two Belgians on their reclining bikes (Julian and Lori), who I'd met after they had already completed the bad section (with about 40 narrow dusty tunnels). Now I'm staying at the Casa De Cyclistas in Trujillo, and I still need to take a look to see if the owner (Lucho) perhaps has a decent tyre for me to carry on with. I'm still missing that old Conti, who in the end lasted for nearly 15 000 km, all with only one single puncture!

Sunday 7 August 2011

THE PACIFIC DESERT COAST











So, I`ve reached the Pacific coast and the foggy/dusty big desert-city called Lima (population around 9 million). After my last report from Nazca I wafted North through the desert, camping a few times with a dry bush or so for shelter from the pm breeze. I made a turn in the first coastal town (the touristy Paracas), after giving Huaracina a miss (this sand-dune oasis was overrun with locals at the start of a fiesta long-weekend. Along the road going the other way I met 4 bearded Russian cyclists, and cyclist Chang from Taiwan (cooking his lunchtime noodles at a bus-stop - see pic). That lot obviously had as much info regarding Peruvian holidays as me, so nobody warned me about the booked-out accommodation (the dunes around Huaracina looked like piles of sugar infested by ants). Later I also met Hector from Columbia cycling in the opposite direction, with heavy bike and trailer! In Pisco it was good to meet up with Jack from San Francisco - he is voluneering in the earthquake rebuilding effort (Leana and I had met him just before leaving Rio De Janeiro, and now I re-connected with him for dinner and a drink, poor-man style of course). Things tend to repeat themselves as I travel, and this Pacific coastal region is quite similar to Egypt (a long way off!). Firstly the road along the desert coast since Nazca has been similar to the highway in Egypt along the Red Sea coast (a major difference has been the breeze in my favour here). At this time of year (winter/dry season) there is a continuous dusty fog, and I pack up a wet tent every morning after camping. In Lima, instead of going to the Gringo Backpacker district of Miraflores, I opted for the historic city centre of Lima (still plenty of Gringo`s). The city is not a High-rise affair, with mostly colonial-style "heavy" buildings around (only a few scattered modern towers). Even the Hostal where I have a tiny 3rd floor room off the open vined deck is a bit of a museum. The walls downstairs are adorned with heavy paintings and statues. One can find everything here, but I`m still searching for the promised hot shower. Another similarity with Egypt (and Cairo in particular), is the fog, and it is an easy place in which to get lost - "non-rectangular" street patterns. The gloomy sky and uncouth traffic didn`t make me feel particularly welcome as I made my way into the city, but I felt a bit better when a highway patrol car made a welcoming announcement and waved at me - this happened again a few k`s later (not the same car!). Since I've been here I bought new tyres for Old Saartjie (much needed), and tomorrow I`ll proceed North. Daily distances I`ve cycled have been as follows: Desert Camp 87 km; Guyadalupe 90 km; Paracas 60 km; Pisco 17 km; Cerro Azul 109 km; Lurin 100 km; and Lima 46 km. The total distance I`ve cycled in South America so far is 14 391 km. Total on this trip is 80 878 km.