The journey from the Diospi-Suyana-Guesthouse in Lima to Curahuasi
We start our journey at 5:30a.m. Within ten minutes we have reached the Panamericana Sur: the road follows the coast southwards. Even though it is Sunday we encounter heavy traffic. More often than not a haze covers Lima, but after two hours drive the climate has changed. The sun burns so strongly that we set the aircon somewhat higher. We are driving through a desert landscape, which reminds me of the Sahara.
Nasca lies 450km from Lima and welcomes us at lunchtime with temperatures of 33°C. But the dry heat of the south is easier to bear than Lima’s muggy air, which one encounters from December to March. On a local market my wife vanishes out of sight only to appear a couple of minutes later with a water bottle and some bananas: the ideal provisions for an ascent into the mountains.
Over the next few hours we drive from sea-level to an altitude of 3,000m. One bend immediately follows the next. The landscape changes from dry and sandy to green and luscious. During the rainy season, from November to April, it rains frequently in the Andean Mountains. The simple houses are a sign that we have reached the world of the Quechua-Indians.
It is raining cats and dogs. The road before us stretches in a straight line towards the horizon. The altitude of 4,300m causes some travellers headaches and nausea. The ice rain pounds the temperatures down to 3°C. We decelerate and put in the next CD. But having listened to seven or eight CDs we decide to continue our journey without musical accompaniment.
Dusk. A big stone lies on the road. Since my wife cannot avoid it she holds the steering wheel steady and drives over it. Phew. Our car’s clearance of 22cm was sufficient; now both of us are wide awake.
From Chalhuanca to Abancay and then over a 4,000m high mountain pass to Curahuasi. Only two hours left – come on, keep awake, we are almost there – never mind the night’s blackness. At 10:45p.m. we arrive at home. The 17 hour journey passed more quickly than we thought. But the next time we will fly. The aeroplane needs an hour for the same journey; just enough for a nap on the condition that there are no turbulences. /KDJ
