Finally an update.  Sorry about the delays, we have just spent the past week with my parents here in Peru and have just been to busy having fun to get around to updating the website.  But I promise to be much more diligent in updating the website from this point on.  I had one question on the post this week, Gord wanted to know what we would have done differently if we had the knowledge that we have now.  So here it is… more money and more time.  Six months is just not long enough, we are just over halfway in our journey and the last thing that we want to do is start heading home.   I would have made sure that everything that we owned was locked to our bikes at all time.  Liz has soft bags on her bike, it works well but you still are forced to bring everything in to hotels or have it stolen by morning.  We took a lot of camping gear with us, I still would have done the same but would only recommend it if you are serious about camping.  Hotels and Hostels are so cheap down here camping is really not necessary, unless you are travelling through the states.  The bikes have done well so far, I wouldn’t have changed much on my KLR.   My KLR is almost entirely stock.  I have a tall windshield on it, and I built higway pegs, and a back rest.  The windshield I got from KLR650.com, on of our sponsors and I just love it.  The highway pegs and back rest have just saved my body and I would recommend it to everyone.  Last but not least I would have put a street tire on the back of my bike and left nobbys on the front.  Liz and I have been both running on nobby tires, but they ware faster and don´t handle as well.  Liz is still not convinced but I think this is a great combination.  90% of the time you are on paved roads, not good paved roads but never the less they are paved.   

So, back to the trip. Liz and I are in Lima, Peru, we met up with my parents in Trujillo, Peru on Feb. 8^th, and spent 4 days with them in Trujillo and Huanchaco.  They took a bus to Lima and we met them there two days later. This was the nicest break that we have had yet.  We just stayed in nice hotels, walked on the beach, eat amazing great food, and went to a few historical sights. It was just a lot of fun, we really enjoyed there visit and if anyone else wants to fly down and meet us and put us up and feed us for a few weeks we do encourage it.  Two of the historical sights that we visited were just amazing Chan Chan, and the catacumbas.  These were both very powerful and interesting places to visit.  Chan Chan is a city that was inhabited by the Chimu people before the Incas.  The Incas killed the 250,000 Chimu´s  inhabiting Chan Chan, and took it over.  The Inca only lived there for 10 years because it was to hot.  Chan Chan is over 900 years old and was constructed of mud primarily.  The coast in Peru very rarely gets rain, hence why it is still standing.   this is the royal grave of Chan Chan, it was the king and his 90 wives who got burried here. When the king dies, the wives all drink poison and die with him, all 90 of them, yep, 90 wives.

 

The Catacumbas are a network of tunnels that run under the San Francisco Church in Lima.  They tunnels are fill with bones.  This was a burial ground for the local people.  They just piled bodies on each other and poured lime on them to help them decompose faster.  They estimate there is over 70,000 graves, but they have not excavated the entire sight and figure that the tunnels could go all through out the city.  So the amount of graves could be much higher. 

 

Peru was a shock to me.  I was expecting a completely different country then it turned out to be.  I was under the impression that it was just lush and beautiful, Jungles, mountains, and waterfalls.  It is all these things but up in the Andes, the coast is an entirely different story.  Peru’s cost is just desolate, and dirty.  Desert, ocean and garbage.  Peru is the poorest looking country that we have been to since.  It’s amazingly dirty and poor.  The big cities are quite nice but the country or small towns are just unbelievable.  We were driving through areas that they had huge garbage dumps in the desert on fire, the smell and the smoke was almost unbearable.

LIZ:

 It sounds so negative, but it’s a great way to learn to appreciate what you have. The people get paid very little, and work very hard. The children are all happy and play with everything and anything that they see, it’s awesome to see how much fun children have without video games and TV. We enjoy the towns for being calm and laid back, even though everyone is working so hard. There is a town square in every town and they are usually a park, with benches. The greatest part about them is that they get used everyday, all day. The benches are full of people and the grass is scattered with children playing. This is Jose, he was our 'tour guide' for a day in Trujillo. we ended up in the town square in Trujillo and watched to people for a while.

There is something very different here, it’s called a siesta! All the stores, restaurants and malls close down for a few hours between 1 and 4 in the afternoon and everyone takes a nap. It’s so hot that you can’t work all day without a refresher, and so why not get refreshed! We absolutely loved it, even Caleb’s parents got into siesta mode when they were here with us. At one point we all took a siesta together in the same bed, just because we only had one bed and it was siesta time, so why not! Their visit was a great break, as Caleb said, but not for the good food and nice hotel room, it was great for having some company, and people who could see the things that are just indescribable. It is one thing to see pictures and hear stories, but without the soundtrack, the smells, the heat and so on, it’s just hard to get the feel for it.

We left them for two days and realized how much can happen in two days, and how much does happen. Within the two days it took for us to get to Lima we were forced to pay bribes, twice, to the police, Caleb popped a wheelie and kept the bike up for 30 seconds straight (his best yet) we drove through a dirt devil (mini tornado of sand) and lost all of Caleb’s clothing, including the bag. We also stayed in a hotel that was back in our budget and we realized just how great the rooms we had been in with his parents are when we went to take a shower. It’s not typical to have a shower head in the budget hotels, but when you do you wish it wasn’t there.

Anyways, we will do our best to keep updating you more frequently, and thank you for your patience. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and we will answer the best we can. As for my answer to what we would do differently… less stuff is better, learn the basics of Spanish before leaving, or first thing in Mexico. I would have never bought insurance for Mexico, and I would have never paid the cops in Colombia for not having insurance- because it’s not necessary for tourists. I would have gotten a bigger bike, at least 400cc, for the mountains and wind, a 250cc is just too small for some of the conditions here. And most importantly, make everything lockable, for simplicity.

 

Caleb and Liz

Hi everyone! Glad you updated, I've been waiting! Loved your comments about how the people and children seem to be so happy...even without TV's, video games, and all the trappings of our electronic craziness. Had the same experience in the DR, where we spent 10 days on a missions trip. Less is more...as they say. Glad you had a good time with your mom and dad. Stay safe and ENJOY! Luv the Vahrmeyer family.

Hi Cal&Liz,
Thanks for the speedy reply. I understand the money and time part, we all could use a little more of each, but remember, when you look back on this adventure years down the road and your having to pay for a house, car, kids and endless other bills, and a job that gives you only two weeks off a year, (if that) you will no doubt feel you had all the time in the world.
I hope you are able to continue the journey, but if you can't, you should be pretty proud of how far you've gone up to this point.
Good luck, Gord.

I hope you two are safe and sound and well along on your trip. Would love some new pictures and an update on how you are doing. I posted a link to you web site on mine. Cheers, Willis