Inhoudsopgave/Table of contents/ La table des matières - Free
Inhoudsopgave/Table of contents/ La table des matières - Free
Inhoudsopgave/Table of contents/ La table des matières - Free
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So I cycle on to the second lake<br />
called Orconcocha. When I<br />
looked back to the first lake the<br />
color had changed into<br />
beautiful emerald green. Again<br />
I did not take pictures. A wrong<br />
decision I found out later as the<br />
group only visited the first lake<br />
:-( I cycled on and the road<br />
started to go up again. The<br />
hairpin turns I encountered are<br />
very worn due to the traffic that<br />
brakes to take these tight turns<br />
and hence there are deep<br />
grooves in the turns. I stopped<br />
around two o'clock to have<br />
something to eat and to take<br />
some pictures <strong>of</strong> the lakes that I<br />
can see below me.<br />
BIG Review 2009<br />
The view on the mountains<br />
around me is absolutely<br />
stunning. On one side I can see<br />
Nevado Huascarán. Its<br />
southern peak (Huascarán Sur)<br />
is the highest in Peru (6,768m).<br />
And on the other side I can see<br />
a complete wall <strong>of</strong> snowy tops.<br />
It's tough cycling due to the<br />
bad road surface and the<br />
altitude but the views are very<br />
rewarding. Solana, my driver is<br />
neatly following me I can see<br />
him on the road below me and<br />
as I am having a break he<br />
catches up. We have a quick<br />
chat before I continue.<br />
The break has given me back<br />
my strength but not for long I<br />
found out. My progress is<br />
much too low. I think I cycle<br />
5km an hour or so. I reach<br />
4,400m around three o'clock<br />
and am wondering at what time<br />
I will be at the pass. It's getting<br />
late and I don't want to have to<br />
87<br />
<strong>des</strong>cend in the dark as it will be<br />
pitch black here and the road is<br />
so bad. So I have not much<br />
time left. Perhaps I'd better stop<br />
here. Solana indicates that it's<br />
just 3 hairpins left to the pass.<br />
Is it? Well then I will continue!<br />
But while cycling I realize that<br />
it can never be just 3 hairpins<br />
as I still need to cover 310<br />
altimeters. So I<br />
stop at 4,440m (1,000<br />
altimeters ) after 22.65km <strong>of</strong><br />
cycling (4.42% on average) .<br />
Solana puts the MTB on the<br />
top <strong>of</strong> car and suggests we<br />
drive on to the pass. But shortly<br />
after we have started the trip to<br />
the pass I realize that it is better<br />
not to do this. Let's turn and<br />
head back so we are back in<br />
time (when it is still light) in<br />
Yungay. So Solana turns the<br />
car and we head back to<br />
Yungay.<br />
During the <strong>des</strong>cend I share the<br />
food and fruit I have with<br />
Solana as he did not bring<br />
anything. He's very grateful as<br />
he did not eat since we left<br />
Huaraz around 9:00. By 17:30,<br />
we are <strong>des</strong>cending now by car<br />
for 2.5 hours already, I have<br />
GSM coverage again (I have a<br />
tri-band GSM) and I call<br />
Antonia, our guide, to tell that<br />
we are on our way back and<br />
that I will be at the hotel<br />
around seven o'clock. By the<br />
time we reach Yungay it is<br />
already past six o'clock and it's<br />
shimmering. Though I don't<br />
like it that I did not reach the<br />
pass I am glad that we turned in<br />
time! It is well past seven<br />
o'clock before we are back at
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