Day 4

Day 4 was a tale of three ‘cities’, to borrow from Dickens’s. There was the morning ‘Climb’, the mid-day ‘Brutale’ and the end of the day ‘Glide’. Ok, so my literary skills are pretty lacking, but you get the picture. Anyways, as you may recall, we camped out near a bridge at the end of Day 3. One of our criteria had been, ‘is it buggy?’… and as we set up camp that night we found that it wasn’t, but in the morning…oh my! We got eaten alive by “Manta Blanca”… remember that name. If you ever hear that name, run for cover.

According to the pharmacist, from whom Claudio subsequently bought the medications we are now taking to deal with the aftermath, there are no mosquito’s in Peru, but there are “Mantas Blancas”. They are known to inhabit moist areas along rivers and streams awaiting their innocent victims. Evidently their technique for biting is the following….Unlike mosquito’s where one mosquito = one bite, one Mantra Blanca jumps and bites rapidly in succession. Clever, no? So, only a few manta Blanca’s are capable of wrecking havoc. Even more diabolical, the moment you feel the bite and scratch is when the poison is released. As you will see from the photo’s below of Claudio’s lower leg (he got the worst of it), the attack we experienced left our feet and ankles covered with bites extending up our legs. Fortunately, we didn’t fully realize the impact until the evening, but when we did, the itching was excruciating. Next morning Claudio we got the medication we are now taking to manage. Again, remember if you ever hear that there are “Manta Blanca” anywhere in the vicinity of where you are thinking of camping… run, don’t walk, the other way!.

Once we got underway, we immediately started an 8,000+ foot climb, (see photo below where I highlight the series of switchbacks) from 3400 feet to over 11,000. Effectively, this was a continuation of Day 3… same single lane dirt road, same great riding and same spectacular views. So, this was the “Climb”. Once we crested we ran at 10,000 feet or so for a long stretch on road strewn with potholes and sections of mud. This was the beginning of the ‘Brutale’ section. Then we dropped for awhile into a small town and ran through a valley. Here the road condition turned to the hardened clay that forms after a hard rain… very harsh bumps and extremely rough. Finally we climbed and found ourselves this time on a stretch of road that was limestone and covered with gravel and rocks. Again, very rough in its own way. Mind you, we’re not complaining… it’s all part of the journey, but the three segments together were to be endured, not enjoyed. At the end of this, after four hours of riding, we finally hit pavement again around noon and after 2 solid days of dirt we got to “Glide” on pavement to the city of Andahuayalas… this was the destination we had so innocently thought we’d reach in one day. As it turned out, it took us 2.5 days. Again a lesson in what it means to ride motorcycles in the mountains of Peru.

In Andahuayalas we had an outstanding lunch at a restaurant we were generously guided to by a local doctor who took pity on us as we sat at and intersection trying to figure out a place to eat on our own. This gentleman drove up in a bright yellow, late model Chevrolet Camaro… gorgeous car… and said ‘follow me’ and we did. He led us to a great spot… point being we are finding the Peruvian people to be very friendly and generous. I’ll spare you further details of our day as this is getting tedious, I’m sure. In brief, the rest of the day was spent on a gorgeous paved road to the town of Uripa, where we spent the night. 

And so, with that I’ll conclude my account of Day 4. Again, thanks to all of you who are offering comments. Please don’t take my/our lack of response as any lack of appreciation, but rather a lack of time. All our best to everyone reading this.