Day 4- Aguatia to Puerto Vermudes

Today was to be another good day of riding. I was wondering what kind of terrain it would be. It was a lot of dirt/mud. We got into to some mud and the roads were soft, it was very fun and challenging.We would be heading toward the jungle and as we started I could tell that it was getting hotter. If you kept moving you were fine but if you stopped and were in the sun it was bad. In the shade it was a lot cooler.



We had to take periodic break to rehydrate ourselves, everybody was in a good mood and enjoying the trip.


Here I am stopped again. Waiting on the over rider behind me.
It was getting hot and I was getting delirious if you can tell , I could barely finish my sentences or thoughts...



Still here, here is my glove review.


Still there round 3



Still waiting round 4. I found out the reason why it took so long.

Apparently the roads had shaken bike and some of the luggage was moving around so my dad took it upon himself to repack the back of the truck. I probably should have turned around and help out but I thought that the other guys were doing that. They weren't so it did take awhile , I was bored.... if you can tell
Last video here I promise...


Well be got back on the road and it was still rough, but fun roads but it started to get dark...


Well we mad it to Puerto Bermudes, my dad had to be upfront because Tobies front head light was pointing upward and didn't give him the proper light he needed. We we were all tired and hungry when we got there. The owner of the hotel was a Spaniard , he made us some food and provided cold beer. Nothing better after a hard day. Here we are all around the table, he had just cleared most of the bottles of beer, thank goodness because there was a lot. Tobie got a gift, monkey butt powder and here you see heidi reading the instructions.


After some good food and a shower I headed to my room. Here is a recap of my day.



Good night.

Day 3- Restday - Boqueron

Aguatia

Rest day today... it was needed after the crazy night riding. I thought to myself that if everyday was going to be like that it would be a long trip, I would have to man up mentally. Got some video off the balcony next to our rm. Moto taxis everywhere. Pretty typical peruvian town in the high jungle. Today I would venture out on my own and try to blend in, I am Peruvian so that should be easy, just don't talk to me since my Spanish needs some work.



I walked around the bock and found a bakery.... score! Just need some coffee, bread and I would be set. I  felt like special ed trying to order. I really need to work on my Spanish, the lady gave me that "are you serious" look. You know the one.

Well most of Peru is not known for its coffee... this is why. You can get essence of coffee(coffee sludge) or instant coffee at most places. Only place they have good coffee is in Oxapampa and we will be visiting that place in the up coming days.



While I was exploring the area I happened upon an internet cafe. It's nice to live in the states and have internet available almost everywhere. Most of my friends have it on there phone so this was a new experience for me as it would be to most of you.



Connection speed is very slow, it seemed like I was on dial up! Most of you guys can't even remember what that is like anymore. I knew then that updating this blog would not be possible and I would have to post some quick updates on Face book.

Who wants to see pictures of Peru scenery? Every time I travel I always take pictures of scenery and they are ok but I always take pics of my room why? Because it bring more of a human side to this blog. Well I had to take advantage of having some free time and decided to do some laundry.



You can tell I am having a good time!

Team C

We lost some 2 members of our group at this time. Kelly was only able to ride a couple of days and Jim was all banged up and would be heading back to Lima and to the States the next day. We picked up another rider, Grego and his wife Marcy. They are from Nevada and were a good addition to the team. We also picked up Phyllis and her son Michael Porter they would ride in the support truck with Rachel. Also Helen and Jim would be joining us till Oxapampa. All good people with open hearts and minds.

From left to right:Back row-Heidi, Helen, Jim, Toby, Michael, Rachel, Grego
Front row-Rob(my dad), Phyllis, Me, Marcy

It was time to meet the other team members and head to the Boqueron via back of a pick up truck. We quickly made our way out of the town and into this amazing place. We had driven by this place last night but it was dark and foggy so we could not see how amazing this place was.



The Boqueron was a place that many of the MK's(missionary kids) in Peru have gone to when they were young, this was there favorite stomping ground. This trip was a reunion of those kids which are now adults, coming back and remembering all the good and some bad memories this place holds. One of there friends drown in the river when they were young...

We parked and had a look around- So beautiful...





I did not have my camera with me, I left in in the truck because they said that we may have to cross the water by foot it the pull cart was not operational.. what? We got there and it was working. I will have to borrow someone else video on this.

We had a great day, swimming and relaxing. Water was pretty cold but you got use to it. It's one of my favorite natural sight that i have been to.

On the way back we when back thru the tunnel. I don't know why i like them but they are fun to ride thru.



Got back in to town and clean up and when to eat with the rest of the group to a local restraunt.
Quick recap of my experience at the Boqueron


By the way the guy from Texas was Jim not Lou, I kept calling him Lou for some weird reason.

My side note about Jim.



Off to get some food.




My meal



This fish just looked at me while i was eating it, kind of weird...
This fish is in the same family as the pirana but doesn't eat meat. Well back to the hotel and to bed day. Good night.

Day 2 -Juanjui to Aquatia

Got up ate breakfast and loaded the truck up and we were on our way, more dirt roads and i was getting more comfortable on the moto. Toby lead the group followed by Kelly myself Jim and my dad. The support vehicle followed. It had our gear and extra moto and 2 passengers, Rachel and Heidi.



The ride started out mostly on dirt, it was very loose at some places. The Peruvian infrastructure is improving, Peru's road are getting better. Everywhere we traveled we saw a lot of construction on new roads. When I was young it took forever to travel in the jungles of Peru. The dirt roads had huge potholes everywhere. It looks nothing like that anymore. Granted in the rainy season these are still washouts and mud that you contend with but overall it is much better.

Here is Jim living the dream.



If you guys could just smell, hear and experience where we were, you would absolutely love it!

Break time, we stopped for a break at this bridge in the early afternoon. The bridge that you see looks pretty sturdy right? Wrong some of the support wires had been cut, it had been sabotaged a while back, and they only let small vehicles over the bridge. The big dump trucks and semi truck had to get over by other means.





It was hot! Here I am stopped waiting on the other guys. I am starting to get delirious as you will begin to see. I could not think straight....



still on the side of the road...



Well since I was feeling more comfortable on the moto i decided to try to hold my camera and ride at the same time. Not the best idea but it worked, here Kelly in blue on his honda 600 and my dad passing me up.You can realy see the greenery around us in the high rolling jungle and the dusty dirt road ahead.



We rode hard all afternoon and at one for our short breaks we noticed that Jim had a flat tire. Toby and Kelly had gone ahead unaware, we stopped the support vehicle. Instead of trying to change it we just took the spare bike off the back of the truck and put the other one in the truck bed. We were back in business and back on the road. The road was kind of weird, it was paved and then it when to dirt and then back to pavement. Here is a stretch of pavement that we were flying down to try to make up some time.



RIDER DOWN

It had been a long day and were were not even close to Aguatia the sun was starting its decent. We were all moving and then I noticed that I was alone. I pulled over and waited as we were instructed to do. Toby was ahead of me and I must have sat on the side of the road for about 15-20 min. Next thing I see him coming back towards me, he stopped and said that someone fell... and rushed off. I turned around and followed. Immediately I thought it was my dad since he did not say who it was. My heart was racing and I felt numb... It wasn't, it was Jim from Texas.



Jim was banged up, we did not fully know the extend of his injuries. But we knew he need medical attention. Rachel the nurse in the support vehicle took care of Jim. Toby made the decision to push on ahead to Aguatia since he knew there was a hospital there. The other option was to go back to the town about an hour behind us and see if they had a clinic or hospital, chances where there wasn't one.
The push was exciting and scary all at the same time. I had never ridden on dirt in the dark and I was going to learn. We also had to deal with the elements, it got foggy, so foggy that we could only see 10 feet in front of us and the construction on the roads made it big hazard driving. At one point my dad was in the lead and he was stopped to look at a map and stepped down on loose stones and fell. I pulled up as he was on the ground, he was more embarrased than anything but he did hurt his shoulder. On the other hand it was probably better that we didn't see what we were driving next to. Huge drop offs and shear ledged were just few feet from the road. We got into Aguatia in darkness and lucky to get there in one piece. We made it!

Peru bound

Foreword....Well, I planned to write this blog in real time. I failed to realize that, when you are traveling abroad, it may take time to first find an internet cafe and way longer to upload photos and comments. We are so lucky that we live in the states where we have highspeed internet! I have posted some comments and pics on facebook, it was just easier to post a short message. You will most likely see the same pics. But I have added video of my thoughts and travels on this blog...

My dad and I arrived in Lima Peru and were greeted by my sister Lisa. She has been living in Peru for almost 10 years as a missionary with SIL. Last time I saw her was for her wedding 4 years ago, since then she has had a beautiful daughter named Laura. This was my first time meeting her, she is such a cutie.
This pic was taken at the airport, the next day.
Lisa and Jose would accompany us to Tarrapoto and would stay on for a well deserved vacation.





On our flight I took some video of the scenic view outside, just trying to take it all in, I have finally arrived in Peru and out of the capital Lima and into the true untamed Peru!








Quick note before I post more video. If you have never video tape yourself, you should do it. You will find quirks about yourself that you never knew. Sorry if this blog has so much video, i tried to video a lot so my wife would experience what my adventures consisted of.









It would have take a least 2 days had to get my facts staight.








Once we landed I was so excited to get to the hotel to see the motos and look around the town. The Hotel we stayed at was called the Patarashea. It was very picturesque. Tarapoto was a typical Peru town, except there were motos everywhere!








I was exited to get on the road... little did I know that it's not that easy, things don't move that fast in south america and I should get use to it.

Day 1 on Moto

First we need fix/prep the motos from the previous owners. We got the motos on the 3rd leg of the trip so they were in well used condition.






Then load all our junk/luggage on the sweeper truck. To many of us this was the highlight of our trip... just ask my dad or Grego!






We got the motos gassed up and we were off, out of tarapoto and into some smooth tarmac that decended quickly. That meant a lot of "S" turns! Now I live in Florida, land of the curvy roads? No.  I have done almost all my moto riding in the sunshine state. I have never done twisty roads, I didn't even know how to handle them. Several times I had to swing wide into the oncoming lane due to taking these corners to wide with too much speed. While the rest of the guys just flew down the mountain side. I had to learn and had to do if fast. The scenic view down and up the hilly landscape was incredible.





Today were were headed to Juan Jui in the high jungle and the roads at one point were being redone. They consisted of loose dirt and I almost ate it but was able to recover before I went in to the ditch. We arrived just before it got dark. We were dusty and tired and hungry,  to our surprise they had a pool and everybody got in right away to cool down and relax after a fun and challenging day of riding.







After a nice dip in the pool we were off to get a bite to eat at a local polleria several block away.







After munchin on some good pollo we headed back to the hotel and crashed hard, I was kind of sore from the ride but I never had felt better, my mind was as peace. What a great 1st day!

Road Gear Test

Well it getting closer to the trip and I am getting stoked... Bethany recently had a AP teachers conference in Atlanta , so she dropped the kid off at her parents house in Alabama and then on to Atlanta for the conference. I was able to get 2 days off and decided to ride up and give all my equipment (and my body) a test on this 7-8 hour ride to hotlanta. Did I mention that here we are in the later part of June in Florida? I put all my gear on and put my extra clothes in my backpack and headed north along back roads. I don't know if the jungle is just as humid as Florida or worse. As I stop at a light, the tarmac is baking beneath me and the 93 degree sun is blazing down from above. No wonder every other motorcyclist I encountered on my trip just had the bare essentials like a t-shirt and shorts and maybe a helmet. Well the only relief is when you get going and your sweat cools you down by the wind. I wouldn't have it any other way, one of my co-workers son in law just got into a moto accident a week ago and that pore bastard only had helmet and no other motorcycle gear, but that helmet saved his life. The trip was great as I was riding many time by myself on these back roads. Johns moto, a Suzuki 650, handled great and the scenery and small towns that I came across were unique in there own way. I got a lot of stares by some of the locals but that was to be expected. When I got to hotlanta it was nearly 6pm and the traffic was scary! I was glad to get off the busy interstate and find the hotel. I had a good time exploring Atlanta with my wife. Atlanta is truly a big city and has it's own culture, definitely saw a lot of characters downtown.
Next morning I headed back , but this time I decided to go on the interstate and get back home, it was fine and I actually got back to Fernandina in record time. Conclusion, my gear is going to be hot in the jungles of Peru , everything is comfortable and feels solid, as long as I keep moving the vents in my jacket will let air in and cool me down. Once we start climbing the temp will drop and the humidity will dissipate and my gear will be perfect. I have not tested the durability of the armor in my jacket/pants but that is a good thing. Next post will be when I get to Lima.

Gear Test

Yeah I know..I look like a desert army star wars power ranger, but I think it looks sweet. I know this gear will protect me when I fall. Tobby already said that most of us will fall at least once so we must be prepared. Never worn so much armor in my life but I guess this is good, I would hate to get hurt the first day and have to ride in the support vehicle the rest of the time. We will begin our travels in the Tarapoto which is in the hot jungle and then work our way to Cuszo which is in the cooler andes mountains. Now the waiting begins... is it July yet?

The Prep.

Well the trip doesn't begin till July 18th and here it is the early part of Feb so I have some time to prep for this trip. I have been riding motorcycles for about 10 years now, but only cruiser type of motos and not very long distances. Last time were were in Peru we when to Mancora on the northern coast of Peru. While we were there we rented dirt bikes for 2 days, it was a blast driving around and exploring the coast. It was truly the highlight of our trip. That is the only time I have driven a moto on dirt/sand/rock, so my exprience in driving on such terain is very minimal. I needed some more information on what I would need for this trip. Toby Shannon, a friend of my dads, is leading this adventure. He has been planning this trip for a better part of a year and is very organized. Toby has done a similar trip in 2007 with his son and has been wanting to do it again with MK (missionary kids) from his childhood days. Toby was into motorcross when he was younger and since he has done this trip before, he has a wealth of knowledge of what will work for this type of trip.

My biker gear was very limited since I was more of a traditionalist with attire. Leather jacket, leather gloves, jeans, half helmet and combat boots. What else do you knee if your just doing day trips or just bar hopping right? This may have been ok for the states but it was not going to fly with the climate, elevation and dirt roads of Peru. I would have to gear up.

I am a very savy online shopper and will not pay full price for anything. Plus I had a budget that I was trying to keep. The first item that I purchase was a good jacket, I picked up a Firstgear Kilamanjaro textile jacket, it was the right price and had everything I was looking for in a jacket. Next I picked up some textile pants also made from Firstgear. My father lent be a street helmet, but I was looking for something lighter and opted for a hybrid helmet from Joe Rocket, it is a cross between a street and motocross helmet. Finished off with some shorty Thor boots and a hydro pack and I am set. Just a couple odd and ends left but there is time...