The Henley Regatta

 
Even with more than a year in South America there is still more things to do than you have time for. A mission into an uncharted part of the Amazon, a few more weeks of the mountain bike guiding, Machu Picchu and of course hooking up with an old uni friend from for a surf in Peru. [The majestic Emma Henley, aka Fuzzy]

Fuz Duz Peru

Screw Machu Picchu, 5 days more biking was chosen over that (like since when have I been into archaeological ruins?), a Fuzzy month in Peru was on but I just couldn't shake the the Jungle.

Magnetic was the pull; use my Spanish to navigate on local road and river transport deep into the Jungle, beyond the gringo trail and attempt a back door river entry, across the border from Bolivia into Peru.

With Henley arriving 5pm Tue 22nd I gave myself 9 days to make Lima Peru from La Paz Bolivia through what Fuzzy eloquently reminded me as the 'Jungle Massive'. Baseline.

The race was on.....

Sunday 13th La Paz – Caranavi: 8hr
Bus, gravel road. Farmed by some random flesh gouging insects upon arrival.

Monday 14th Caranavi – Yucumo: 12hr
Dustfest in back of Carlos and Margaret's truck; mango wholesalers from La Paz.

Carlos & Margaret

Tuesday 15th Yucumo – Rurre: 5hr
Got off truck at 1am Tuesday, slept on bench for 4 hours and got on bus at 5am for 5 hours.
 
Wednesday 16th Rurre – Ximas: 8hr
Rendezvous with The Rt Hon. Blaine Thomas Watson, painstakingly slow bus through flooded rivers out of the last post on the gringo trail.

Thursday 17th Ximas – Rurre: 4hr
The fabled road to Puerto Heath on the Bolivian border didn't actually exist. Options; 20 day walk or retrace back to Rurre for 40+ hrs on bus.

Friday 18th Rurre – Sataurday 19th Cobija: 32hr
Passable for less than 6 months of the year the gravel road across part of the Amazon basin involved some epic 'bus on a raft' tributary crossings.

 

32hr bus ride = 'Rough in the Jungle'

Saturday 19th Cobija – Chive: 8hr
Arrival at the mighty tributary 'Rio Madre Dios'. Amazon Deep – Original mix

Sunday 20th Chive
River traffic was frighteningly un-condusive to getting up stream. The race looked lost.

Remote

Monday 21st Chive – Puerto Maldonado (Peru): 6hr 
The X-factor; fastest boat to pass since arrival in Chive and it's going all the way. Bingo.
Blagged our way through the border/military checkpoints and wound our way through one of the Amazon's most un-contacted regions into Peru's back door. 
Passport stamped by the military – nice.

Tuesday 22nd Puerto Madonado – Cusco: 12hr
From bone-shaking gravel-travel to tarmac and recliners.

Wednesday 23rd Cusco – Lima: 24hr
Across the Andes by bus – bandit country. The government once closed this road for a while because of armed bandits, they'd made it virtually impassable.

Thursday 24th Lima (Peru): 7am
120 hours of travel only to make it across the line 1 day and 14hr late.

Rough Route

The race to make it on time was lost but thankfully due to the good will of a friend's parents in Lima the friendship was saved. But slowly re-tested over the next few days as at 10am that day we left for another 24hr+ plus of buses. We had to go back up to an Andean town where I'd stashed my surfboard on the way down to Chile 6 months previous.
 

Saturday 26th Huanchaco: 7am

With the additional buses it was pushed to wire but thanks to some screamers down Fuzzy's first Peruvian point the friendship was back to froth. Knackered after 144 hours of travel over 10 days and having not surfed for 6 months all I could do was bob around like a tea bag extracting my stoke from that most beautiful of smiles.

A favorite saying of mine has always been;

                            'it takes a long time to make an old friend'

It's who we were and who we have become but somehow out of all the people you spend time with - only they know exactly who you are.

Bimba - Barrel Queen - Henley