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Home > Trip Reports > CYCLETOURING PERU: Asia-Omas valley. Journey to the rainbow
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Asia-Omas valley. Bike journey to the rainbow
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on the way to Omas
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Omas main plaza
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CYCLETOURING PERU: Asia-Omas valley. Journey to the rainbow
April 2007
Asia-Omas valley, south of Lima, Perú
posted by Aníbal
CYCLETOURING PERU: Asia / Omas valley
Journey to the Rainbow.
TRIP REPORT
April 5th – 7th, 2007
Total distance: 110 km., round trip
Location: Asía / Omas valley, Cañete, Yauyos, Lima, Perú.
Photos of the trip: http://es.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/anibpm/my_photos
Hi all:
On the Easter days mi wife and me went with our bikes by the Asia valley up until Omas, the cycling experience was demanding, the landscape a kind of dry, arid and desolated but emotionally and spiritually pleasing and extraordinary.
As always, we left Lima late, it was 11:30 am, the line of people in the Soyuz bus station was 200 m. long and slowly advancing as the buses were departing full every 5 minutes. They abused charging S/. 30.00 for each and S/. 10.00 for the bikes. Departed at 14:30 pm, arrived Asia at 16:00, here bought some supplies and before start cycling had a nice lunch at the little restaurant owned by the “charapa” (from Iquitos) lady, located just by the corner from where the road to Coayllo begins, besides the Panamericana highway, in front of La Huaca facility.
At 17:00 pm begun the bike ride to Coayllo by a varied texture trail that passes through a rubbish dump at the beginning, a desert and the languishing village called Santa Rosa de Asia and gets up to Coayllo. On the way it became dark, so our headlights facilitated us the short night bike ride. Those were full moon days, we spected to have moonlight backup but the cloudy sky kept the route dark.
Coayllo, at 18 km. from Asia, is a town rather small and quiet, with a halfway weakened old church. There is electricity, water is very little and available only for few hours. There is a well supplied store and two restaurants. We found a little hotel (with no sign), one block from the main plaza.
Here we spent the night. Rooms were available, but the hotel didn’t have light and water. The lack of water was understandable due to the cronic water shortage in the town, but the lack of light was due to a defect in the electric wiring of the hotel. Under those circumstances and with no other option for accomodation nearby, resignation was the choice. María Elena’s tolerance was at its minimum and my love for her at its maximum, so my curiosity. So I decided to ask the owner what was the problem with the light, he said something wrong with the electric system that causes the fuses to blow, the wires in the electric cabinet to heat up and the meter to run crazy fast recording high electricity consumption even with just one bulb turned on. I supposed the problem would be a short circuited wire or defective connection, so venture myself to check the electric wirings with the owners permission, something that is not too complicated if one knows how a basic domestic installation would be. Then started checking all switches and power outlets (six or eight). Found nothing wrong. After thinking for a while decided to identify the circuits and the wires leading electricty to the second floor where the rooms are, to isolate them from the rest. When did so, tested and…. Yahoooo!!!! It worked fine. Now fuses don’t blow, wires don’t heat up and the meter runs slowly and normal. To spend the night in this hotel became more atractive and acceptable, despite we had the shower with a bucket and a jar, better than nothing.
As payment for the improvised electric repair service we had the hotel night for free. Went to bed early in order to start cycling very early in the morning before the sun shines and heats.
The Asia valley is one of the most arid of the central coast of Perú, water is extremely little and has forced the exodus of most of natives. During the last three years no water flowed by the river, this year just in March there is water in the river and very few spect it not to be abundant nor last too long. Agriculture here is uthopic. The only cultures surviving the prolongued droughts are the trees of “nisperos”, “pacaes” and some apples that languish with the fruits drying hanging in the branches because nobody harvest them, almost everyone has gone. Underground water extraction is an expensive choice that almost no one can afford, windmills are not a permanent solution. In the upper levels of the valley water is not so little, the intense green colour of the farming lands contrasts with the dryness of the surrounding mountains. The road along the valley is a not paved trail in good condition.
At 06:00 am restarted the bike ride, not far from the town we passed by the Sequillao archaeological site, a bit destroyed, 2 km further found the Asia river at its highest level, it rained in the highlands last night, so water was mud coloured. There is no bridge, so crossing the river is on your naked feet carrying the bikes, with the water above the knees. Without shoes it is a painful torture due to the stones of the bottom and the hitting ones carried by the stream.
3 km. further found the extensive and interesting archaeoogical site named Uquira, after a brief visit and few pictures, continued to the present town with the same name where had bananas and bread as breakfast and refilled water to prepare rehydration liquid.
6 km. further ahead passed by the desolated and arid village La Yesera. Here we were asked where we go, to Omas we answered, there is still a long way ahead they said. 1 km, further we found another extense archaeological site: Los Gentiles. Under the shining sun the lonely chappel and abandoned houses besides the road remarks the desolation feeling.
At Huañañabe, 5 km. ahead on a curve of the road there is a well wooden and straw cottage, putted there to protect adventurous travellers like us crossing the valley from the extreme shining sun.
The next town is called Cata, 5 km. ahead, where we found a good place to rest and refill food and water. Mrs. Lidia, the owner of the well supplied store from her spontaneous generosity and hospitality invited us cheese and boied “yucas”, delicious, and the typical meal for Easter days along the valley: “colado” (beans pudding). Here we were told that the hardest part of the journey was right ahead of us, just passing the river: the ascents of Unchor, Callangas and Esquina de Omas.
A little ahead from Cata, again the torture of river crossing as described before and the long sequence of ascents begun.
It was Easter Friday, April 6th 2007, 15:00 pm. found ourselves cycling uphill a steep slope. At this time our Lord Jesuschrist was dead, we stopped and recalled during some time in silence this tragic moment of human kind’s history.
At Callangas, when the will to continue ahead uphill seems to break and the body says no more, to find the rustic store selling sodas and fruits besides the way seems to be a mirage.
Checked the map one more time to confirm that there was even less left ahead to arrive Omas. Muralla and esquina de Omas were seen not too far away from here. Reanimated, continued, arrived and passed by those villages inhabitated by kind and gentle people that seeing us and knowing about our journey were surprised some them and others encouraged us to follow saying very little is left ahead.
The section from Esquina de Omas to Omas is the hardest, the steep ascents forced us to culminate them walking. Here, in the loneliness of the trail, when Omas was already descryed we were granted with the best prize for the invested effort: the Rainbow in the sky right in front of us, beginning at Omas and ending at the bottom of the valley, persistent and intense colours, silent, subtle, pure, diaphanous, simply beautiful. Several minutes later it vanished and the water prisms that formed it in the air falled on us as holly rain droplets. Sensibly extraordinary and magic moments so sublime and unforgetable that we will keep inside the rest of our lives.
18:30 pm, arrived Omas, 12 hours after our journey started at Coayllo. The readings in the cyclecomputer were: Odometer 55 km., Altimeter 1,430 m.a.s.l., Gained altitude along the trip 1,350 meters.
We found the town preparing for Easter Friday procession, with candles, palm tree leaves, flower made carpets, etc., decorating the houses front doors and streets.
Omas was founded in 1857, it is a town as the others in the andes highlands, quiet and tranquil atmosphere, cozy, with kind and hospitable people. Curiously the look of the streets is not very nice, most of the houses are made of modern materials, with no charming style, flat roofs of metal corrugated sheets, except few houses with 1 mt. width walls around the main plaza. This plaza is said to be one of the most charming in Peru, looks well preserved. Under the shadow of centennial palm trees and other trees, at the center a glamorous styled public square focuses the visitors attention
Around the plaza is a restaurant that serves good menu and varied meals at good prices. On its left few meters further is the well supplied “juguería” (fruits juice store) a great finding after the demanding journey and first choice to consume something right upon arrival. Here the conversation with locals was interesting and curious, after they know about our cycletrip, we were told about their own cycling feats: in their young age thay made the same road from Asia to Omas in 4 hours by bike, and about a cyclist named Aníbal Seminario, also called “black panther” that lives in La Punta, at Callao, who uses to come to Omas on his bike in 6 hours. Mr. Martin Francia expert local cyclist that broke his jaw when once descending very fast (drunk) and suddenly the front end of the bike broke (uffff!!! painful).
The Hotel Municipal, at one of the corners of the plaza, basic, clean, wel kept and cheap is the best option for accomodation.
Starving as we were, had a fish based dinner at the local restaurant, good cook and service. Afterwards, a brief walking by the plaza, some pictures, muscle stretchings, shower and rest were mandatory.
At 21:00 pm went to bed, at the same time a band started playing processional music. Exhaustion and sleep were stronger than the noise of the band that passed playing in front of our bedroom, the music was heard all over the town. After 6 hours, at 03:00 they returned to the plaza, this time we awaken and went out to observe the last steps of the procession before entering the church carrying the image of Lie dead Christ
Back to bed we experimented something new: the peace and silence of the night, broken evenly by the bark of a distant dog. Peace and sleep.
For us the day broke at 08:00. Gotten the things ready. Breakfast: meat sandwich and juice, S/. 2.00 per person. here the spontaneous generosity of the “omasinos” invited us a delicatessen found only in this town: “masa conservada” a sort of bobbin, caramel colour, made of the remaining substance left of making cheese and sugar, nice, never seen and tasted before.
10:00 am., after refilling the hydrapacks with home made rehydration formula, made of orange juice, water, salt and sugar, begun the return. This time with gravity favoring us, the ride was pleasant, light, easy and fast. The names of the towns and villages passed in inverted order. At Esquina de Omas stopped for a while for readjusting the seat height to make easier the way downhill, here Mr. Martin Francia again approached with his generous family inviting us “colado” to have energy for the road.
14:00 pm., arrived Coayllo, starving, along the way we were thinking on having the typical meal of the near southern towns of Lima: “sopa seca con carapulcra”, asked everywhere in town, nothing was left, just a basic menu, no way, had that, better than nothing again.
We had planed to go to Mala by colectivo to catch the bus back to Lima, but colectivos were full and refused to take us with our bikes. So at 17:00 pm., went back to Asia, one hour after we were there besides the Panamericana highway waiting for the bus to bring us back home after this great bike trip, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for everyone.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Transport.
Bus Soyuz. Lima – Asia, good service but overpriced on hollidays.
Accomodation
Coayllo: the unique hotel in town one block from the plaza, basic, now after our visit with light, water very restricted with bucket and jar. 6 rooms, 2 baths.
Omas: Hotel Municipal, basic, clean, web kept, 9 rooms with 1 good twin size bed, 1 room with 2 twin size beds, 2 baths (men and women)
Food
Asia: the little restaurant owned by the “charapa” (from Iquitos) lady, located just by the corner from where the road to Coayllo begins, besides the Panamericana highway, in front of La Huaca facility.
Coayllo: the two restaurants around the plaza
Uquira, the store near the school
Cata, Mrs. Lidia’s store kind and hospitable
Callangas, the hut besides the road, fruit and sodas
Omas, the restaurant front of the plaza, good service, cook and prices. The juice store on the left of the restaurant, nice fruit and juices.
Aníbal & María Elena
Visit our web: www.geocities.com/anibpm
Accomodation in Lima? Mont Blanc Gran Hotel is the place www.geocities.com/montblancgranhotel
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