Day 11 (4/1)

Today we saw a different side of Peru. Unbeknownst to us when we put our route together for the day, we were to pass through a massive mining operation. It is called the ‘Antimina Mine’ and it is one of the largest zinc/copper mines in the world. When I say ‘massive’ I mean on the scale of a small city…

complete with dozens of dormitory buildings to house workers, a mass transit system consisting of buses and vans and presumably its own infrastructure for power, water and sanitation. It sits at 13,000 feet and covers several square miles. We spent 45 minutes in the rain making our way through the soupy mud that filled the road and couldn’t help but be both awestruck and fascinated by the scale of the operation. Clearly, what we saw is representative of an industry that is a significant source of income for the country and for many of the people living here. (NOTE: as you watch the ‘Relive’ video you’ll see the mining operation show up 2/3rds the way through the sequence… it will give you a sense of the scale)

At one point, as we made our way, seemingly totally out of context, we came across a lone man making his way along the side of the road on a mule. I couldn’t help but stop to take pictures and we had a brief conversation in my broken Spanish before parting ways. See photo’s below. 

Otherwise, today was a cold and wet day of riding. It had rained hard over night and the rain continued in spells throughout the day. We are both very pleased at how dry and warm our gear is keeping us, but there’s not much we can do to keep our extremities warm. And, it is also the case that the wet weather makes the riding conditions that much more challenging, particularly on the dirt roads, where we spent the majority of our time today. We’ve both adopted a sort of gallows humor about the wet and cold, but in truth, it’s beginning to take its toll on us, (even as I writer this we are listening to the sound of a steady downpour outside our hotel window). To compound matters, it turns out the the Peruvians don’t believe in ‘heat’… not central heat, not electric heaters, not even fire places. We’ve been both amazed and somewhat dismayed that when we arrive at our hotel/hospidaje at the end of the day there is no source of heat (fortunalely, most hotels have had hot water, so there is that). We have a few more days in the mountains before we head to the coast and while we wouldn’t trade the experience we’ve had thus far, we are looking forward to warmer, if not drier conditions as we head west to the coast and south for the final stage of the trip. 

From Claudio. This time a reflection on our encounter with the woman featured in the photo’s from the day before.

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Faces…From throughout the day

The ’Antimina Mine’

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