Nazca to Lima

Nazca ended up being a great little place just to chill out in for a couple of days and recover from the last few days of very hard riding. It was a bit of a shame to have to leave the next day but a beautiful desert sunrise and the chance to see the Nazca Lines got me out of bed and on the road. The Nazca Lines were a bit of a let down but good to see all the same. Always, they were right next to the Panamericana Highway which I was riding on anyways. This is the same highway which I started my trip on coming out of Santiago as it runs the length of all the Americas from Alaska down to the bottom of South America. The day ended up being a long hot one through mostly desert until I reached the town of Ica. I wanted to spend a couple of days here as there were some nearby vineyards but the place was a dump and I didn't feel that safe so the next day I decided to cycle out of there and down to the beach town of Pisco. I was a little apprehensive about getting into Pisco though as on 15th August 2007 a 8.0 earthquake stuck the place and destroyed 70-80% of the town. There was also a large death toll and I didn't know what the place would be like only 7 months later. But as I wanted to check out the nearby islands which are famous for their abundant marine and bird life I decided to give it a try. The town was still in bad shape with a large number of the buildings either still in piles of rubble or just not there anymore but the people seemed hopefully and the place was starting to rebuild. I found a great hostel as well which had a pool and a relaxed atmosphere. I also booked a boat tour of the local islands which ended up being will worthwhile. After a couple of days I decided I better get back on the bike before I got to used to the pool and free flowing beer!! Another three days of coastal riding and I was on the manic highway coming into Lima. After getting terribly lost I ended up at my planned destination, the Lima Sheraton 5 star hotel. My leaving gift from Fonterra was being cashed in and it was fantastic. One night of luxury in the heart of Lima. It did take some convincing of the hotel security before they would let me in as they didn't believe I had a reservation but once checked in they were all good and just interested in my travels. The next day it was pretty hard to leave the hotel but I cycled out of there and back into the crazy traffic to find another hostel more in my price range. Got one in the trendy suburb of Miraflores but I'm sharing a 6 bed dorm with other travels so a bit of a comedown from the Sheraton!! Another few days to check Lima out before again I head north, this time some more coastal riding before again I have to climb into the Andes. I'm looking at going to the Cordillera Blanca which is a region with more than 50 mountains of 5700m or higher!! Also a great place for hiking and mountain biking so I bet I'll be looking forward to the change of scene after a few days in Lima.

Riding Stats
> 21st Mar - 149km
> 22nd Mar - 77km
> 24th Mar - 143km
> 25th Mar - 54km
> 26th Mar - 83km
Total 4837km