I´m in Peru .....

Well, what a difference a few days makes , I went from Quito which is a huge polluted city to a county train station at 3500m. The ride was good except the last 5 minutes which it poured rain and hail. Boy did I get wet ! I found this neat little train station which has been converted to a hotel at the base of the highest mtn , in Equador . Had a nice supper and was the only one in the hotel . Next morning I woke up to clear sky´s and had a chance to see the Chimborazo mtn before it closed in . Next day , was a long ride I was trying to get close to the border so I could get to it early I didn´t want another 5 hrs wait.... nice windy roads all day up and down the mtns but I did not go below 3000m most of the day. Lots of poor people out here , the terrrain goes from dry desert to tropical sometimes depends on which side of the mtn your on .Up one side of the mtn down the other , all day long. I finally got a room at dark again ! I had to do this for the next 2 days .
Wow, only a few hrs from Macara the border , and it was so easy this time , no line ups and they were all really helpfull, what a change, I slipped thru in an hr both sides my exit and entry .
It was a marked change as go from 3550 m down to sea level and into Peru which seems to be very poor and barren. Now i´m travelling along the coast which is a desert ,very little vegatation except along the rivers and areas which are irrigated. I wanted to take the inland route but it is very slow and non paved and if I break down out their ... well I may have a wait and it is very dry and hot here. The past few evenings I rode late into the evening , 3 nights ago it was raining, hail and cold , then I had dense fog and bad roads, last night it was terrible winds and blowing sand.
Tonight I stopped at 4pm in Chicalayo only doing 4 hrs riding in , but stong coastal winds and blowing sand again, direct cross wind is starting to take the toll on me and it is really physical . The bike is at a constant angle and helmet gets blown sideways , so my neck it very sore..... ahhh, tomorrow i´m up early to beat the winds . I´m in a coastal town very cool ... old steets and nice atmosphere, very modern as well and everyone is shopping getting ready for x mas town in decorated in x mas trees and lights. Today had to buy a new toilet kit forgot it at my friends house in Quito. shit what a dummy ... Bike was burning a bit of oil today must have been the cross/ head wind and the passing of slow moving trucks. Tomorrow heading toward Hurez area, high mtns near 4000m lots of hiking and mtn clibing in this area, looking foward to getting out of this heat and wind....