Trip Images |
Through the coastal desert
|
 |
Desert cycling
|
|
Cycling shadow
|
|
Desert sunset
|
|
Viewed shot
|
|
Petroglyph
|
|
Petroglyph
|
|
Petroglyph
|
|
Petroglyph
|
|
Petroglyph
|
|
|
 |
Trip Report
|
 Email to a friend
|
 Print this page
|
| |
CYCLE TOURING PERU: Chincha valley & Huancor petroglyphs
June 2007
Chincha valley, Ica, Perú
posted by Aníbal
CYCLE TOURING PERU: Chincha valley & Huancor petroglyphs
Trip report
Dates: June 2nd – 3rd 2007
Total distance: 65 km.
Location: Chincha valley, Ica, Perú
Photos of the trip: http://es.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/anibpm/my_photos
Trip report web site: http://www.geocities.com/anibpm/chincha
Hi all:
The trip by the Chincha valley was posponed twice, finally last june 2nd and 3rd my wife and me did it. The cycling trip had few unexpected details that were worth to experience, the final destination the Huancor petroglyphs were the award for the invested effort.
The bus ride with Soyuz to Chincha takes 3 hours. The amazing activity and chaos found in this town surprised us and kept our eyes open to avoid dissapointing surprises.
Informed by the local people about the route to Larán, passed by the main plaza of Chincha and continued first eastward and then southward. The road to Larán is paved in good condition across the desert surrounding Chincha, a welcome sign on the road announced Larán approaching. This town, a former agrarian cooperative stablished by the time of the military goverment in the 70’s, is poor and the lands of the ex - hacienda are now almost abandoned and produce very little crops.
We passed by the old and almost ruined hacienda's house, a silent witness of better former times, the church without its roof keeps remains and traces of its nice classic style.
Continued by the road leading to Portachuelo, from here things changed unexpectedly.
The information we had gathered to do this trip was from internet and local adventure tour operators that offer this route as one of their destinies and from the map IGN Carta Nacional: Chincha Hoja 27–k. However, the truth and reality are different. According with our information the route was: Chincha, Alto Larán, Larán, Portachuelo, Calera, Conta, and further by the way along the side of the river up to San Juan, Ayoque and finally Huancor.
At protachuelo found a barricade and a man that didn’t allowed us to continue, because this area is now a private property and even more: the road along the riverside doesn’t exist anymore, the river flooded and destroyed it 30 years ago!. This man also told us that the present way to the valley is by the Culebrilla ravine. This way is also in the map, crossing the desert behind east Chincha. We had to go back and tried to find a shortcut across the desert to get to the Culebrilla road, this was somehow complicated because there are several confusing ways, crisscrossing each other, and some of them have dead ends, and other are blocked with gravel promontories, etc.
Surprisingly a ciclist appeared right there in the middle of the desert, his name is Dennis Ccoillo, and was training for a future local competition. He very kindly guided us to the Culebrilla road. This way follows along this dry ravine and slowly gains altitude, the final section at the 16th km is a steep ascent up to the top at the 18th km, from there the way turns downhill very inclined.
This not paved road is very litlle transited, wide in good condition, however is noticeable the good signs and mileage markings along the way, curves, bridges, etc.
It got dark when we reached the top, the strong downhill was done just with our forehead flashlights, a bit frightening ride.
Arrived Culebrilla, at the 22nd km, we were informed there is a restaurant serving excellent shrimps based food, on the way we were thinking and planning what to order upon arrival, we were very hungry because we just had some bananas and Gatorade before start cycling.
Reality was different here, the restaurant is there, but it is very well closed and there is no service at all. They only attend on certain dates and by this time of the year there are not shrimps, so “nothing” was the day’s speciality to order. There was just a night guard that kindly allowed us to spend the night on the comfortable hard floor. Luckyly the bathroom was Ok and had plenty of water!.
So were the things up to this point, a bit unconvenient but not extreme, nobody is killed for one day without food and a night sleeping on the ground. The new day arrived and we were told by the guard that food and supplies would be available at the unique store in the region some 5 km ahead at Ayoque.
We departed and soon reached the store in which found simply nothing, the store was totally empty. Requested the owner lady to cook something for us, evidently she was not prepared for that and there were not options except the last spaghettis pack and a sauce she made with few tomatoes and onions. With such a hunger anything was good.
We asked her what did she had for breakfast, nothing yet answered, because all her supplies were finished and was waiting for the supplier's truck that is supossed to pass in a few minutes ahead, as usual by the valley every sunday. We also realized that we were in need of batteries for the new digital camera, that is a battery consuming device, it drained two sets of batteries in one day, lasting for no more than 40 shots!.
So, it was just a matter of waiting for a while to get supplies. Time passed, ½ hour, 1 hour, 2 hours and nothing happened. A truck with a folckloric dance group arrived to do some drills, they told us having seen the supplier’s truck some kilometers behind, so we supposed it would arrive soon.
It was already 12:00 o’clock, we had passed the whole morning there waiting for the supplier’s truck, so I decided to go to find it, after few kilometers it was there parked on the roadside, the driver sleeping. Awoke and told me the engine broke and was waiting for a mechanic from Chincha. Bought what I needed and returned inmediately to Ayoque, too many time was already wasted.
We were told that Huancor was quiet close to Ayoque, right behind the hill in front of us, after checking the map, headed by the first ravine found and explore it to the end for 2 hours, no petroglyphs were found here.
Returned to the main road and asked some locals about the site, they said 2 km ahead, there is a white sanded undulated platform next to the road, the petroglyphs are on the right wing just entering the ravine.
Arrived the site and after a brief search, found the amazing Huancor petroglyphs. Lots of them on rocks of different sizes randomly distributed at the base of the hill. The figures and designs are varied, some quiet clear and others a bit blurred. Made as many shots as the batteries lasted.
It was 4:30 p.m., time to go back home, we thought to go back to Chincha by car or with the truck of the dance group from Ayoque, because the way back cycling uphill didn’t seem so nice for us, morevover considering the time dark would catch us cycling on the way. At Ayoque found that the truck was already gone. Asked if any other vehicle is expected to pass they said probably not, but going ahead until San Juan chances are to catch any other vehicle running by that valley, so we did. Soon a truck appeared and after requesting the driver to take us, we were already seated on top of the load a greenish yellowish heavy gravel beeing carried to Chincha. The truck ride was nice, a different wild and rustic feeling of traveling, a bit windy but exciting. It made the steep uphill at its full engine power
Arrived Chincha and was interesting to be informed that we made the way back here seating on gold. That heavy gravel comes from a mine and contains, gold, silver, zinc and copper. Those were 12 tons of mineral containing about 800 grams of gold!
This trip was a bit unusual compared with all the ones we have done before.
We highly recommend to visit the Huancor petroglyphs site, it is amazing and worth to see.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Transport.
Bus Soyuz. Lima – Chincha, good service but they charge a lot extra on hollydays. Don't pay more than S/. 5.00 per bike.
Accomodation.
There are not accomodation facilities. Camping is allowed by the river near the Culebrilla restaurant, km 22nd. and further, by Ayoque too.
Food:
There is almost nothing in the area. The Culebrilla restaurant is not always open. We recommend to take your own supplies, rehydration, etc.
Best regards
Aníbal & María Elena
anibpm@yahoo.es
Visit our web: http://www.geocities.com/anibpm
Join CYCLETOURING PERU: http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/cicloturismo_peru/
Accomodation in Lima?
Mont Blanc Gran Hotel http://www.geocities.com/montblancgranhotel
|
|
|
Comments
This trip report has no comments.
Add your comment now:
You must be signed in to leave comments.
|
