Lima
22 march 2001
Hi, Gang.
After leaving Cusco, we went south again to Lago Titicaca and spent a day seeing the floating islands, a truly amazing way of life. The indigenous people who wanted to remain separate from the Aymara and the Incas built reed rafts to live on in the middle of the lake. Although they now trade with the people on shore, many, if not most, choose to continue to live their separate lives. We had our own tour guide and boat and our little group of 4 was treated very hospitably by the people. A very enjoyable day.
We travelled south and then west to arrive at Arequipa. The roads were very new and absolutely incredible. Smooth asphalt after the nightmare roads in Bolivia were like not knocking your head against a wall. Jenn drove over the pass - at nearly 16,000 feet, the highest we've driven over. No nosebleeds but the vans both experience some acting out at really high altitudes. My Syncro tends to lose all power when going back down even though the engine is still running! Very strange and inexplicable to me. At any rate, the problem has always been solved by shutting the engine down and restarting. It seems to automatically resolve it's lack of oxygen problem. I think we are finished with extreme altitude crossings so, hopefully, this won't happen again.
Jenn also brought me a replacement for my front outer CV joint so I'll have the left front axle put back in, probably in Panama. Since Jenn only has a few weeks, I don't want to spend it in a mechanic's shop.
I expect to go to the South American Explorer's Club office here in Lima this afternoon. Hopefully they can advise us about shipping from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Panama.
Later, Jeanne
