Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. --- Mark Twain

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Huancavelica


22.08.2013,
Day 916
100 862 km since the beginning of the journey
Route: Huancavelica – Abra Huayraccasa – Huachocolpa – Lircay (122 km),  
New altitude record: Abra Huayraccasa – 5059 m.
New door mirrors bought: 1

DSC03518
Sunny morning in Huancavelica, or in the local Quechua language Wankawilka. The city was founded in 1572, currently there are about 40 thousand inhabitants.
DSC03519
Next - some pictures of the old town

DSC03522

DSC03524
Huancavelica Cathedral

DSC03527
The tourist info office is located in the Central Square and last night I got quite a decent map of the city from there.

DSC03529
Claro is a telecommunications company that is operating in a nunber of South American countries and Claro advertisements can be seen in all kind of places.

DSC03531

DSC03533

DSC03537

DSC03539

DSC03541

DSC03543
Plaza de Armas, the cars not allowed here.

DSC03548

DSC03552

DSC03554
After a couple hours morning walk I started the car and began to reverse out of the hostel yard, and then happened a situation, that has not happened for a long time - at some moment the right hand car mirror was gone. I picked up the pieces of the mirror and drove a few hundred yards on, however, it was clear that when you cannot follow what is going on in the street – you should not drive far.

So next I stopped a taxi, showed the broken mirror, and there was no need to explain any more. From the third store I found a more or less suitable mirror (similare - as the Spaniard says). The main thing is that the right side mirror of the car. And then back to the bus.

DSC03566
Since the local tradition states that the car can be repaired by the roadside, so out of town I stopped the car, and I tried to fix the new, without- any–hole- mirror to the door. In short, you take out the drill and are busy for some time.

DSC03568
Life has taught us that every decent household should have a drill, and a cutter as well.

DSC03569
The new mirror is in place, and I think even in the right place. So after an hour of delay I could drive on. Half an hour for searching the mirror and the other half an hour for fixing it.

DSC03573
Some time ago further on from Huancavelica the construction of a railroad had been in progress but it had never finished and now between the hills one can see some bridges and tunnels.

DSC03579
The road turned narrower, meanwhile, there were a few wider places to allow oncoming vehicles to pass.

DSC03586
Road repair works at several places.

DSC03592

DSC03601
And in the altitude of 4500 m the weather gets cooler and the increasingly more cloudy.

DSC03604

DSC03609
Chonta, the height of 4825 m. In some places there are big signposts, but in general, there should be much more of them. The big road goes straight, but while driving to the left there should be one more higher drivable place before the big mine.

DSC03611
Something between rain and snow is falling from the sky and melts at once having reached the ground.

DSC03618
Abra Huayraccasa – it is considered to be South America's highest – located drivable road (in fact, there are still even higher places, but more about them – later).

DSC03620
Only the GPS shows 4972, and that`s that.

DSC03621
The second GPS shows 4989 m. It is like having two clocks – you never know the right time.

DSC03624
Further on - perfectly driveable road, wet, yet not slippery.

DSC03627

DSC03631

DSC03636

DSC03645

DSC03653

DSC03656

DSC03661

DSC03662
In front of the mine I told the guard that I was going to the direction of Lircay and the guard raised the barrier. Consequently - the direction is correct.

DSC03667
Next - a number of tracks and large trucks and no time to think of taking pictures, the main focus is going on driving.

DSC03669

DSC03670
Then the mine comes to an end and you can run drive on only on one direction along the hillside.

DSC03671

DSC03675

DSC03679
Meanwhile - the tunnel.

DSC03682

DSC03683

DSC03697

DSC03701
The weather is rainy...

DSC03706

DSC03707

DSC03714

DSC03722

DSC03729

DSC03732

DSC03738

DSC03742

DSC03743
The fallen stones have been left in disarray, the easier it is to overtake.

DSC03745
Lircay is a small town of 6,000 inhabitants and no sight of tourists here. The overnight place will be a guarded parking-lot behind a gas station.

DSC03746

Continued ...

No comments: