(Hundreds of vehicles stuck in southern Peru in the Arequipa region).
A Dutch couple in a van left the campground yesterday on their way to Cusco. As far as they knew the road inland is open and they expected no problems getting into the mountains which, as they haven’t returned is good news as ultimately that’s our route out of here. There is a solo German in his van, a strapping young Aryan who climbed a volcano outside the city but who keeps to himself in the campground. He has stories to tell, including like all of us his time at the mechanic, in his case in Argentina for a total engine rebuild. I know he has lots of stories untold to us, but you can find them on his Instagram address which he publicizes all over his Volkswagen van:
A German overlander told me once there is no place in Germany more than 28 kilometers (19 miles) from a house. Which explains the passion Europeans have for South American wilderness. When we drive these amazing wild spaces we find ourselves relating to places we’ve traveled in the US, vast southwestern deserts, canyons, endless forests, the Great Lakes and on and on. If you live on a small continent with 600 million neighbors you have to come here to breathe free, in the Americas. A Spanish father in a van was waxing lyrical about this before he drove off to find a mechanic in Arequipa to fix his Ford camper van. He feels suffocated by camping bans and limited wilderness in Europe and can’t wait to explore the US.
Here’s a headline you want to read on your travels. “Police In Arequipa wait for reinforcements to clear the PanAmerican Highway.”
Life in Peru continues to be chaotic on day ten of the miners’ strike. Massive lines of parked trucks on highways, ten thousand miners camped on roads across the country, food rotting in stuck trucks and supplies of propane gas (used to power vehicles as it’s cheaper), gasoline and diesel running out across the country. We’ve noticed the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables shrinking at the PlazaVea supermarket up the street and traffic in Arequipa seems much lighter than usual with a lot less horn honking from traffic jams. Long distance bus service around the country is being cancelled. 500 bus lines affecting thousands of passengers are suspended.
We talked to our Uber driver and he said food isn’t usually a problem when Peru shuts down (!) but fuel, if you can find it, is going up in price. We’ve been tipping madly, more than usual, to try to help. He is among the 98% of the country who can’t wait for the President’s term to end next year. When she last came to Arequipa he said with satisfaction, people (not him) threw tomatoes at her.
Trash collectors in Arequipa continue on strike demanding more pay, city supplied protective gear and more respect from citizens. They currently buy their own masks and gloves and are fed up with finding medical supplies including biohazards and needles tossed into the trash by medical clinics, people and dogs (not Rusty I pick up after him always) shitting in the streets and youngsters vomiting copiously in public on weekends. You know it’s bad if it’s making headlines in the papers. Plus they are fed up with people tossing trash on streets and sidewalks and telling them it’s their job to pick up after lazy citizens. With the city celebrating its birthday in a month the trash situation is such I don’t even want to photograph it you’ll be happy to hear. Here’s a dude watering the supermarket window display on another perfect sunny afternoon in wintery Arequipa:
We had some clothes to repair so we went to our favorite tailor, Señor Castillo on the far side of the main square. He always has a few buddies in there, in his sastreria, chatting with him as he sews, a bit like the proverbial barbershop in the States, and they were pretty relaxed about the mounds of garbage accumulating on the street. Our repairs will be ready Saturday. Life goes on.
What I have come to appreciate about Arequipa after so much time spent here is how normal the city is. People work normal non tourist jobs here and after I spent time in Cusco getting submerged in the tourist economy I enjoyed being back able to disappear into the anonymity of normal everyday life in this working city.
They know me for what I am, a weird foreigner, but I don’t feel singled out as the object of their working lives. They are getting on with whatever they do and I am allowed to swim by in the sidewalk crowds unmolested. It reminds me of Cali in Colombia, the city you know of as the cocaine capital of the world but we lived it as a useful city filled with services and like Arequipa equipped with a lovely campground that suited us.
Which is not to say I can’t wait to get out of here, the pressure is building and we have to start for a border at the end of the month. Have new passport, will travel.
We talked to Renzo who is having trouble contacting his parts supplier for our suspension upgrade. That’s more of a desire, a piece of preventative maintenance to refresh our suspension after 100,000 hard miles with more to come. If we have to do that elsewhere, Uruguay possibly, that would probably be no problem, a bit of clunking on dirt roads and tire wear is bearable for now. But to go to Brazil we absolutely have to get our ethanol conversion installed and we are pressing Renzo to figure out if he can or cannot do it. I like him because he’s not afraid to say what’s above his pay grade but he is also a man who enjoys a new challenge.
We’ve decided that what we want to do is get the flex fuel system installed and start towards Puerto Maldonado and the Brazilian border when we can and when protests allow. For now there’s no rush as it’s still rainy season which makes dirt roads very difficult.
If we can do the suspension great, but if not we will manage fine. We can’t get to the beach and we have to be out of Peru by August 14th and frankly I’m sick of sitting still. We are both excited to visit a new country (last visited by Layne in her previous life 40 years ago) and to see some humid Florida style jungle. Rusty likes it right here thanks…poor traveling lad.
