The night had been short, I had not felt insecure but I had not felt really comfortable either. I was thirsty and spent 2 more Soles on a drink. I had moved quiet well so far but every morning I thought that the day would become a difficult day and I was still waiting for the first day I would not move forward at all. I had been lucky so far, I had made my target every day and on some days even more, on some days even way, way more. The chances that the day I would not move forward at all would come soon were getting higher with every day. I did not want to have a day without moving forward at all, especially now that I had no money.
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With these thoughts in my head I lifted my thumb up and right the first car, a pick-up stopped and I joined an old man, several mango boxes and more bags on the back. My thoughts were gone and I had another open air lift, not really enough space to sit down comfortable but I was moving forward into the mountains. It was a cloudy day and we drove higher and higher; I only had the toll station map in my head but no idea of the geography.
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We drove into the clouds and the moist was affecting my jacket and then my body temperature, I was getting cold and I searched for better cover. The lady that had just joined us with her daughter left after only 15 kilometers together with 1 of the passengers from the cabin and the old man rushed to the front to stay dry and warm. I had the back now all for myself and could organize more space and better cover. I was afraid it would really start raining, one of these famous tropical showers; the moist was more or less fine but tropical rain would be a real nightmare.
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It looked like rain and it felt like rain but we reached the peak of the mountain without heavy rain and drove now into the dry desert. The green vegetation from the other side of the mountain range disappeared and brown earth took over. The mountain roads were vulnerable against rainfall which then caused stones or mud to fall down and sometimes block the road. The road sign in the hands of the street worker said ‘Stop’; we had to wait for 1 hour and the nearby population had created quickly food and drink stands and were offering everything to the cars waiting in the queue. It was not always easy to look at the things I could not have but I could not have the juicy and sweet pineapple slice or the homemade Areppa or the cold drink.
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We had time for a small talk and I had to tell my story and the young man joining me on the back, poor himself, offered me a mango. I accepted, maybe to eat later or to sell or to trade for something else. The red stop sign turned around and the green go sign appeared and I could enjoy another hour of extreme speed driving.
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The driver was a mountain road expert and drove the curves up to the point that the tires started to make noise. It did not bother me or anybody else on the car, I had been driving nearly 200 kilometers and at the next stop sign in the village of Chamaya it was time for me to get off the pick-up and say good bye and thank you.
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I wanted to trade the mango with some banana but the lady refused to take the mango and gave me 2 bananas for free, not the best bananas but still sellable and eatable. I had my brunch but I needed a drink and I had to spend another 2 Soles. I waited in front of the stop sign for the next lift. I had made 200 kilometers in half a day and could make some more kilometers in the afternoon and move really significantly forward on my toll map.
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I wanted to gain time, time that I might need in Yurimaguas where the big challenge of a boat trip was waiting for me. I wanted to know as quickly as possible what that challenge would be like. I wanted to understand my chances, to understand what will be necessary to do and at the end how much money would be necessary to collect and how I would manage to get this money. I had a rough idea of the prices and knew from my Peruvian friends from the Voyager V that the trip ‘Yurimaguas – Iquitos’ and the trip ‘Iquitos – Tabatinga’ were in the range of 100 Soles.
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I decided to speak to the drivers when the street sign is on ‘Stop’ and sell my story in order to get the next lift but finally I did not need to. One of the next cars stopped and the 2 mechanics took me to the city of Bagua Grande, only a 30 minute drive but I had no reason or right to complain. They bought some sugar cane chunks from one of the poor boys and gave me 1. You have to chew the chunk and suck the liquid; complete new experience, new taste, very sweet and really, really juicy.
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We arrived in Bagua Grande and I was still thirsty and had to spend another 2 Soles on a drink but walked straight to the end of the city and positioned myself as so often at the last street bumper of the city. I waited for 1 hour and another hour and another hour and another hour. I still had no right to think or say that my luck had left me; I had made more than 200 kilometers already. 2 Spanish or do I have to say 2 Catalan backpacker girls arrived and after a quick small talk they decided to give the old German the right to be first in line and they walked for another 100 meters and positioned themselves after me.
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I had lost a little bit the energy and was thirsty again; I had waited now 4 hours in the desert heat and went to the next shop and bought a drink. I was thinking to go back to the city and look for the place to sleep for the night and try my luck early tomorrow morning again but another voice said to go back and really try until sunset. I walked back and the 2 girls were gone, gone within 20 minutes; I was angry in my disbelief and stubborn in my intent for another lift.
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A commercial car stopped, I told my story, he drove off, stopped again after 50 meters but before I could start running he reversed and automatically opened the trunk. I put my backpack in the trunk, got in the car and we left Bagua Grande. Half an hour driving and the car stopped; I thought it was my time to get off but he picked up 2 more passengers, mother and daughter. The daughter started to read in her schoolbook and I paid attention and listened to her reading; I think she liked me and we smiled a lot about her reading and the pictures in her schoolbook.
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Now I started a small conversation with the mother and told her about my project Rio 2016 and my journey. Somehow I understood now that mother and daughter were actually wife and daughter of the driver. Half an hour driving and the car stopped; again I thought it was my time to get off but I was asked to stay and join for another 2 hours of driving all the way to the city of Nuevo Cajamarca. I surely had passed the 2 Catalan girls again and was in front and would probably break another record of a day’s driving distance.
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We developed now a quiet intense conversation and both the driver and his wife asked me one question after the other, about the Second World War, about world politics, about my family background and more topics. I was proud to answer all the questions, felt a little bit like a school teacher and it was actually a very good feeling. They were hungry and stopped at a restaurant at a mountain peak, it was cold and I could not stretch my luck and accept the invitation. The daughter came to pick up a jacket and even she asked me now to join; I had to accept, joined the table but still rejected dinner.
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It was quiet cold in the mountains and in the restaurant; they finished their dinner and we continued for another hour. The drive had to come to an end and the end was their hometown of Nuevo Cajamarca. We parked at the main square and I had to pose with father and daughter, then with mother and daughter and finally with husband and wife for some pictures. Thank you ever so much you nice, nice family.
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For a small understanding of the days travel, I have included a Google Earth map. The red pins mark the locations I have stopped and taken pictures. At the bottom of the page you will find a link for all the pictures I have taken. The link will open in a Google+ Album.
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See map and distances / Siehe Karte und Entfernungen / Ver mapa e distâncias / Ver mapa y distancias
0 km Olmos
110 km Pomahuaca
190 km Chamaya
235 km Bagua Grande
310 km Pedro Ruiz
470 km Nueva Cajamarca
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