PERU, SOUTH AMERICA: BEAUTIFUL CULTURE AND FANTASTIC PEOPLE.

Where can you find a country where you won’t see anyone screaming, shouting, or anyone arguing with one another?  This really happened to me. I’ve witnessed to this and it was really hard to believe the patience and tolerance level of these people. Yes, these were all Peruvians and I was in Peru! The entire time I was in Lima, Peru, other towns, villages and cities, while I cycled down to the Peru-Chile border which was 1300+ kilometers, I just didn’t see a single argument, I didn’t hear anyone screaming or shouting. I said “wow this can’t be true”! Perhaps it was a coincidence during my three weeks of cycling in Peru before entering into Chile. But it wasn’t a coincidence and it was the truth!

                              Southern Peru. After the town of Nasca Pacific Ocean.

              Southern Peru, on the way to Tacna and dinner at Ica town.

Peru is one of the most diverse and culturally rich nation has so much to offer to any type of traveler.  An amazing culture, customs and high-level of respect to others no matter of how diverse their population is. And it really didn’t matter how some section of this country was poor: they were still happy people. Over the decades as I traveled around the world, I’ve seen many other countries in which their cultures and its customs were completely different from each other. I can give a few examples where when you watch these nationalities speak to each other it sounds as if they are involved in a heated argument and about to get in a fight. But in reality, that is their way of talking with each other. Perfect example would be: Greeks, Turks, Italians, Lebanese people. When you watch these nationalities talking or having a conversation from a distance the way they scream, shout and argue is so amazing that you would wonder what is next? Hahaha it really makes me laugh because I’m from that background. But I never saw this in Peru! Peruvians were different!

                                         Near Atico, Peru. Pacific Ocean coastline.

     Peru borders with Brazil and Bolivia to the east, Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile to the south, Colombia and Ecuador to the north. It’s located in the central western section of the South American continent. And two thirds of its population concentrated living in the coastal region. Physically it’s a beautiful country. There are mountains, Desert and the Pacific Ocean. Because I was bicycling Peru, Chile and Argentina, Peruvian mountains were a great experience to cycle. And I have to admit that the coastline of Peru from Lima down to south to Chilean border town Arica was an eye opener with its beautiful views. Especially the stretch between the towns of Atico and Camana. I just loved it cycling along the Pacific Ocean with hundreds of spectacular views. And these views were never ending. As many times as I stopped with my bicycle to take photos and filming this area, still, it wasn’t enough. You really need to spend lots of time in this area to appreciate what it really offers. From Lima down to Peru’s last city before Chile, to Tacna basically you travel on Pan American Sur Highway. This route changes its numbers and names at some places and spots, but basically it’s the same route. It’s a comfortable and wide road, but there are so many trucks traveling on this road as this route is their main route to transport their goods.

            

                            Lima, Peru.  City Tour,From my headcam. Very popular video.

   I never went up to Northern Peru, but for me only interesting part there was Huascaran National Park on the mountains and that entire region all the way up to Alpamayo which is on my travel list next year when I return to South America. Of course that will be after I complete the Silk Road in Central Asia. Northern Peru Mountains looks amazing with a mixture of lakes. I will definitely will stop by and explore that region next year. The stretch between the capital city Lima and the border town Tacna is about 1300 kilometers. And it was a great road for bicycles where you experience Mountains, Sechura desert and the Pacific Ocean. I loved cycling this road! Pan American Sur Highway has those emergency lanes on the right side of the road which bicycles use as it’s their special road. Hahaha, taking advantage of this road was excellent. It gives you a cushion and comfortable safe feeling between your bicycle and the flowing traffic next to you. Of course at times it gets dangerous as oncoming traffic cars at times decides to pass one another and they end up looking as if they’re coming right on you. I’ve experienced this scare twice as one of the trucks was passing another truck. It was wide and big which part of this truck was even on an emergency lane coming straight at me. I was able to move quickly to the right all the way to the grass area to get away from its path. Still, this route was safe enough to travel comfortably compare to some of the roads I cycled around the world including Europe. There are certain roads around the world, in fact in every country which has no lane on the side for the safe ride of bicyclists. Despite the fact many nations and its citizens respect bicyclists and as they pass you they’re being careful, still, you just don’t feel safe whenever there isn’t any lane on the road for bicyclists as you travel on the same road with cars and trucks. I still think every nation has to work hard at creating more bicycle roads or an access to cyclists where they can ride on the same road with flowing traffic safely. We have heard and we have witnessed some of the worst incidents where drivers butchered some of the cyclists on the roads. Latest one I heard was three Swiss cyclists were being chopped off by a drunk driver in Spain which all three lost their lives and died. That is terrible! And we read about similar stories almost every month in some parts of the world. There are times I do feel uncomfortable on some roads and that are when I am very alert. There isn’t any time to relax in a situation where you feel unsafe, but yet, you’ll have to travel on this road to get to your destination and there are no other alternatives. Of course experience plays a major role in bicyclists’ world whenever he/she on a long distance tour.

    Southern Peru, On top of the mountains. Speeding with my bicycle.

      In Central and Southern Peru, overall, I felt safe and secure both riding bicycle and for my personal security from others. I was able to read people’s face their intentions easily. Great people and a great culture! Yes, there are good and the bad in every country and in every region, but usually experience always brings out my best instincts about people, about towns, cities, villages, good or bad neighborhoods to take precaution.  Anyways, this route from Lima down to Chile covering southern Peru is amazing and covers Sechura Desert which I cycled cross between Andes Mountains and Pacific Ocean. And this southern region holds one of South America’s best archeological sections. You can still see coastal wild life and fantastic landscape all the way down south to Tacna city before the Chilean border.

   Amazing views down to the Pacific Ocean. From high Cliffs. Southern Peru.

    When I cycled between the capital city Lima and the border city Tacna, mostly I camped out at nights by the Pacific Ocean on desert sand at times. After a hot day of cycling all day, in early evening hours here comes cool air and breeze from Pacific Ocean and it really gets cold at night as the desert climate takes over. I was happy to bring 0-F sleeping bag and a therma rest with me. It really kept me warm at nights sleeping with the sound of waves. Once or twice a week I checked in to Hostels or Motels. Lodging was another good thing about Peru. Staying at Motels or Hostels was very reasonable price. I remember paying 3 dollars for a private room at this Hostel in Chala, Peru and in a small village by the Pacific Ocean outside the city of Palpa, Peru with your own bathroom and shower. In Ika, in Atico and in Camana I was able to find accommodations for $5 at night. Still that was very reasonable. But at the same time, I just love camping out outside breathing that fresh air.  As a long distance bicyclist resting and eating good is one of the most important. However, there are times no matter how much you eat, you still end up losing so much weight during a ;long distance bicycle tour. That was the case with my early European Tour which I lost 7 kilos and on this South America Tour I lost about 9 kilos.

French cyclist joined me for two days to pedal together to Ica, Peru. After Ica we split to our own ways.

    I love the food in Peru, I really did and I ate 5 times a day to gain all those calories I was losing from riding bicycle all day about 12 or 14 hours. Because during the day weather was very hot and because you’re riding your bicycle in a hot weather sweating extremely which even makes you lose more calories and more weight. So all of a sudden, every hour and a half you getting hungry and you really want food you really want to eat. I’ve experienced this many times in the heat. When it’s hot, you lose much more calories than in a cooler weather.  You usually eat more and drink more.

                      Sechura Desert and the Pacific Ocean, Southern Peru.

Peruvian food was great, delicious and available almost everywhere as you ride your bicycle. Pan American Sur Highway in Southern Peru has many restaurants, markets, local house restaurants, fresh fruit markets and mobile pickups which carried fruit and food in the back of the bed of the truck. They were all over the place. So this was a haven for bicyclists. But I can’t say the same about Chile or Argentina. As you will read on my travel blog later when we get to Atacama Desert, Chile where I couldn’t find food and water for every 250 kilometers where I had to stop trucks to get water and food. And there was no warning about it (Scary).  Because of the diverse population, diverse culture, Peruvian food got its influence from Europeans, Africans, Chinese, Japanese and of course indigenous population. European influence were mostly from Spain, Germany and Italy. This is what makes Peruvian food so unique. There is everything for everybody. Because of its multicultural history, today Peru’s cuisine is one of the best and handpicked around the world. While cycling southern Peru, I usually shopped at the markets and ate my breakfast and lunch out in the open kind a like picnic on the grass under a tree. But when it came to dinner time in the evening or even late at night, I always ate at a restaurant. And this was the time I’ve experienced the Peruvian kitchen and its cuisine. I loved it. You don’t just have meat all the time, but variety of vegetable cooked in a different style and you can have it with a fresh fish on the side. I loved every dish I had in Peru.  Cities of Palpa, Chala and Tacna have some of the best restaurants at a very reasonable price with a great service. I will also have to mention about some of the Peruvian families who invited me to stay at their house overnight who were super nice letting a stranger stay at their house. These were always nice part of traveling as you make new friends and share your stories and cultures together. I love this part of traveling as this happens to me all over the world. Perhaps it’s my personality and my character where most people are able to read me easily. They can tell my inside and outside are same. They know I do not hide anything and I’m good with people. Every country I have been to, I made so many friends. And I love doing that. It’s so nice to get to know people from different nations, get to know their cultures and learn about their country.

                             Tacna, Peru. Border city with Chile. Southern Peru.

   I have nothing negative to say about Peru and Peruvians! They’re nice, helpful and very hospitable people. I had the best time and I know I will return soon. I do not believe I can stay away from a country I loved that much.

                           Lima, Peru. The day I began my South America Tour.