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The team has now reached the bustling market town of Tarma. After the high, open plains on which we've been sleeping, the warmth and shelter of this valley comes as a relief, for both us and the horses (above all, the boys are overjoyed to be camping on a football pitch, and are making full use of the facilities).
We have come through the hardest part of the trip unscathed, thanks mostly to an abundance of thermal underwear and the odd heartening cup of tea when times get tough. Phil and Ed rode for the first few days upon leaving Huanuco, and found that the steady rise of roughly vertical 500m a day not too hard to bear; we were travelling predominantly on main roads, which can be tiresome and isn't ideal for the horses, but at least allows for both lead horses to be rested. We are warned about horse thieves much more here; prime time is apparently between 9 and 11pm, when the rateros have plenty of time to get their bounty over the hills and far away by sunrise. Bearing in mind that we are normally dead to the world by 8pm, this has meant a few late nights of surveillance…!
Nick and Quita took over the riding for the next few days, which took us up onto the plains surrounding Lake Junin, over 4000m above sea level and the site of the famous Battle of Junin, the independentists' first victory in Peru against the Spanish, led by Simon Bolivar. Phil and Ed braved the shallows for a (much-needed) wash, and reported that, although one had to keep swimming to avoid all the mud and algae catching up, it was surprisingly warm. One night saw us camping in an abandoned fortress by the side of the lake; officially The Best Campsite Ever™, alarms were set for 5.30am to watch the sunrise, only to find when we got up that the whole sky was covered in cloud. However, we were compensated by the sight of a pair of hawks, which landed on the walls during breakfast.
As we rode on, past Junin itself and towards Tarma, frosts have got heavier and Pajarito has been ever more thankful for his rug (a source of great amusement to the Peruvians and their hardy mountain ponies). Our tent door was still crunchy with ice this morning, although we have dropped down about 1000m -despite the burning sun during the day, the shadows of surrounding mountains mean that it is cold by about 5pm. We have been warned that the next stretch (to the town of Huancayo) will be just as cold; thankfully, Ed has nearly finished crocheting all our woolly hats!
The team is about to pass the 2,000 kilometer marker and all seems to be going well. The plan, due to time and miscalculation of miles, is to finish with our noble steeds and Celeste the car near Cusco in Southern Peru. We will have nearly reached our 2,000 mile goal by then and after the difficulties in smuggling the horses over the Ecuadorian border and organising paperwork (ensuring we will be able to sell them) meant our finishing time could have been closer to November. We have decided to complete the final part of the journey, from the Peru border to La Paz, Bolivia on foot. Thus sadly the dream of arriving in La Paz on horses is not to be, but Cusco, the capital of the Incas, is perhaps a more fitting place for "Inca Ride" to finish. We´re about to pass the 2,000 kilometer marker and all seems to be going well. The plan, due to time and miscalculation of miles, is to finish with our noble steeds and Celeste the car near Cusco in Southern Peru. We will have nearly reached our 2,000 mile goal by then and after the difficulties in smuggling the horses over the Ecuadorian border and organising paperwork (ensuring we will be able to sell them) meant our finishing time could have been closer to November. We have decided to complete the final part of the journey, from the Peru border to La Paz, Bolivia on foot. Thus sadly the dream of arriving in La Paz on horses will not be, but Cusco, the capital of the Incas, is perhaps a more fitting place for "Inca Ride" to finish. It is difficult to say who is most concerned about "Inca Walk"!
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