Tuesday 31 December 2013

Angasmarca To Santa

With Maya back together the following morning we headed for Tauca, we pretty much had the road to ourselves bar a coupla trucks.

This section of the road (yes we are actually on a road this time) we were expecting to be rough but after yesterdays track it was a highway, conditions dry it was boney and again the sand and lime dust was 150 mm deep at times again hiding rocks with wrong intentions ...bastids.

The zig zag was ahead of us and did not disappoint, just incredible where the road went.

This is what we were in for...



This is what it looks like on the BIG screen



The full picture



Cleaning crud out of the radiator after softening it in a creek crossing



Our reward at the top of the hill for lunch



There are many mines up here in the tops




Arriving at Tauca there are two hostels, the owner of the good one was away so closed, the other we could not get Maya in and they didn't seem interested to even help solve/sort something... this is a church, slightly different than usual



An executive decision was made to carry on to Chuquicara to get gas and stay the night.

The mountains bleeding different colours depending on the minerals providing cool colours



An entire town of ruins from volcanic destruction



Down the valley was a totally different stone desert likes we had not seen before









Then the bridge, being repaired, 20 minutes she said, nearly an hour later we were on our way but their half done repairs nearly sending us overboard with the planks rolling under our wheels...FUCK.



After some heart stopping moments we got to the second bridge which was worse, with a strong crosswind Ellen got off to help, again more heart stopping moments we made it across and continued down the valley arriving at the bridge to Chuquicara....oh no the worst one.

This had boards missing and broken boards, in places there were holes 1 x 1 meter, we both hoped off and walked Maya across under power, 3/4 the way across a rotten longitudinal board broke under the front wheel dropping Maya into the bridge and onto the front disc, using the engine power we got her out only to have the back wheel drop in too, we made it finally, puffing like hell, sweating profusely and with full nappies.





20 meters can cause trouble, most of the boards were ok but some were rotten, not nailed down or anything, was very happy to have both of us and Maya on solid ground, then we found the gas station .....no gas .....nada, shit.... some days things just don't line up totally.

We had enough to get to the coast but not enough to go through to Caraz so we had no choice but to go to the coast to Santa, no biggy it was a real moonscape drive and stunning but blowing very hard sending us across the road at times.

Next day was NYE so we decided to get a rest day, we also managed to get a new MT21 front tire for Maya so I was happy about that, at least the tire god stars lined up, fitted the new shoe to Maya....sorted. Caraz here we come

We don't have a tiled floor in the garage a home

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