Cycling the Andes: Huanuco

So it was like 4pm, nearing the end of a big day cycling with around 60 miles and 6,000 feet of assent already behind me, I had reached the pass at the Corona del Inca (the crown of the Inca) a fantastic rock formation that does in fact look like a crown. It was getting cold at 13,400 feet elevation, the wind was blowing, I stood there rethinking my plan to camp near the pass. I knew that 6500 feet below was Huanuco, and I knew that in Huanuco there would be Chifa. Chifa (Chinese food) is about the only sure way to find a plate of fresh vegatables around here, and after a few days eating the local Andean cuisine, Chifa, and some fresh veggies was an irresistable draw. So I decided to go for the Chifa, I figured as long as there were no climbs between me and Huanuco I had a reasonable chance of arriving before the 6pm darkness set in, and even though it was almost 30 more miles after an already huge riding day, how much energy does it really take to squeeze the break levers anyway? Within the next 100 yards I come upon all this stopped traffic. Cars, buses, trucks, people milling around. I think almost every car that had passed me all day was stopped there. I learn the reason. The road is closed dawn to dark for paving work. At the roadblock I ask if I can pass carefully, and they wave me thru! I try to stay on the sometimes shoulder of the one lane road, sometimes balancing precariously on the edge of long vertical drops in order to keep the fresh tar off the bike. After several miles of this, I arrive at the end of the road work and another large crowd of waiting travelers. In response to shouts of "Gringo!", "Gringo!", I shout back "Viva Cicyclsmos!" thinking I'll get a laugh. No one's laughing, maybe it's the shock of seeing a gringo on a ridiculously overloaded bike come thru the road block, or maybe it's the irritation of waiting all day for the road to reopen. Anyway, because of the road closure, I now have a freshly paved, 6,000 foot decent on this winding, twisty, hair pin turning, steep, one lane crazy road virtually all to myself. It was great! Not even the occasional fur ball of fangs and furry could spoil the moment. I FLEW down the mountain, breaking only for hair pin turns and blind corners, and arrived at the edge of Huanuco just as it got dark. Oh, and it ends up it does take quite alot of energy to break, balance, and stand thru 30 miles of twisting downhill fun. Even if you don't have to peddle.

Thanks to a recommendation from Alix, I'm reading "1491", a book about the Americas before Columbus. Fantastic book, everyone should read it. Lots here about Inca and pre Incan cultures. There is a deep, rich history in this area. Similar in timing and cultural developments to the fertile crescent.

Today I took a taxi thru the chaos that is the streets of Huanuco (self satisfied, thinking I navigated the same chaos with an overloaded bike, not knowing where I was going, in the dark!) to an archaeological site just outside of town that dates to 2,000 BC. Apparently, the area between Huanuco and Huaraz saw the earliest settlements of the Andes. It is very cool to cycle high up in the mountains, thru these simple settlements, past very small scale subsistence farms, and to realise that up here, many things probably haven't changed much in thousands of years. I feel very privileged to see it.

Here is a link to a progress map.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=113185159830607728574.00048be7a675dfb0564c1&t=h&z=8>