One impact of the Corona 19 has been to make me look back on certain periods of my past. Particularly those which were particularly happy or adventurous. The other day I came across a diary with the daily entries that my wife and I made as part of a yearlong honeymoon. The journey started in Toronto in1972 where we had both been working.
We gave up our jobs, bought a 1968 VW commercial van and spent 2 months converting it into a camper van. We then set off. First east to Montreal and then via many diversions and escapades 15,000 miles to Peru and the central Andes.
We had covered the 500 miles from the Ecuadorian border to Santa in Peru relatively quickly. We took 2 days for the journey and had had time to forget the long hard miles in Columbia. Now we were ready once more to leave the beaten path. Other travellers had told of a rough road which led through the Andes. They said us that before the earthquake of 1970 a railway had followed the course of the river Santo east through the mountains to Huallanca. During the earthquake of 1970 the railway was totally destroyed and was now a dirt road but passable. It seemed exciting to try to follow the route.
We started off on the road along the Santa River. The first 30 - 40 miles was a gentle slope upwards. Here as along the Peruvian coast the land was arid and the people poor. A few crops of sugar cane , bananas and oranges lined the river wherever there was a patch of fertile land. We were on the south side of the valley when the river turned to an angry brown in colour and from swift to torrential. The road was a single car width as we hugged the side of the gorge edging up the valley. Soon it became too narrow for both a railway and a road and we followed the former railway track through a succession of tunnels 100-200metres long.
Finally we emerged into a wider valley and saw our first greenery for 30 miles. We came across a barrier with a sign. Translated it said the that this road was closed for traffic until further notice! We bought some mangos from a local man and asked in our atrocious Spanish about the road ahead . 10 minutes later we understood the road was impassable. The river had swept the road away 15 days ago and no traffic had come through since. We now had a problem. We had not enough petrol to go back. We decided first to check out the blockage ahead. The road ahead led across a the river which was 30 metre wide, 2/3 metre deep and strewn with large boulders. Beyond lay a dry river bed and then a steep bank which looked climbable. We decided after a brief discussion to attempt to get through.
My wife went to the front indicating the best route and I drove to the edge of the river. We shifted some rocks and diverted a section of the river bed to reduce the depth of water in the centre. We opted to drive diagonally with the current behind us and to leave the river where the bank was lowest. Fingers crossed I revved the engine in 1st gear , released the clutch and charged at the river. I almost did not make it! I hit a large rock in the centre. My wife through her weight at the van with a leap before we staggered to the far bank and on to the dirt road.
Then we had other bad news! There had been a further landslide up the road and it would take 2-3 hours to dig our way through. Some local men said they would help so after pineapple chicha we all piled into the van and headed onwards.
After 200 metres we came to a major obstacle a 20 metre incline with a 10 metre landslide inside it. Sand and gravel had fallen from the cliff above and completely smothered the road. With one spade and 4 hub caps we set to work to clear the fallen earth and level up the edges. Eventually we cleared a path just wide enough for the van . On one side was an almost vertical drop of 60 metres down to the river and on the other a gravel hillside down which pebbles continuously rolled.
I reversed the van down the hill a little bit and then made a run at it. I almost got to the top when the wheels lost their grip and we bedded in. It was obvious that we would have to dig further into the hillside because the outside wheel was resting on the edge of the dirt road. To go any more would risk the van sliding down the precipice. We dug an hour more and then put the van in first gear and shot forward again. This time we got to the top before digging in up to the rear axle. It was dark and all our weight could not move the van forward. We needed to raise the wheels and pack the space beneath with rocks. The jack was useless as it could only raise one side of the vehicle. The most active of our helpers then had a brainwave. He went off with two other of the local men and after 15 minutes came back with a tree trunk 25 centimetre by 5 metres. Using this as a lever and a large rock as a fulchrum , we were able with three men to raise the rear of the van, push rocks underneath and drive the van forward 8 centimetre. It was then 8.30pm and our helpers reluctantly gave in and set off walking back to their village. They said they would come back in the morning. We gave them our torch and thanked them profusely.
Now the night was upon us. We were too exhausted to attempt any further movement Retreat was impossible. The van would have to stay where it was until the morning. We had let the tires down to a point that they were nearly flat to give us a better grip in the sand. I blew them up again fearing that they might be damaged by a night at that pressure. We now had to decide where we were going to sleep. The van was in a very precarious position . There was always the chance that the road with the additional weight would slip away again. The continuous falling of rocks from above was ample evidence that we could be swept away by a landslide. We had the choice of sleeping in the van or taking our blankets 50 metres along the road and sleeping in the open air . We would be safe from falling into the river but in danger from the rocks above. We decided to sleep in the van.
Sleep was difficult to come by that night. Pebbles were constantly rolling down to thud against our wheels. This together with our imagination heightened by tiredness caused us to lay in anticipation before making love - we were on our honeymoon after all - released enough tension for us to go to sleep. We woke around 6.00am very pleased to be alive. After a quick breakfast we commenced the task of getting the van moving again. This region had been part of the earthquake in 1970 and there were a number of wrecked and abandoned homes in the area. From one I robbed a plank about 2 metres long which we placed beneath one of the rear wheels. I pushed and my wife attempted to drive the van out of the gravel. No luck the wheels continued to spin and burn the wood.
Just then a car arrived from the direction we hoped to travel. It stopped before the landslide section 10 metres from us. Out jumped two gentleman in the uniform of the Guardio Civil and immediately offered assistance. Together we levered up the rear end of the van once more and packed the space beneath the wheels with the largest rocks we could find. Then there was another shout from the road behind. Three of our friends from the night before had returned to give us more assistance. With 6 of us pushing from behind and my wife driving the Volkswagen lurched forward and trundled out of danger. We had made it!
The van had lost its exhaust pipe, badly scarred a tire and dented the rear bumper. Otherwise she was as good as ever. We gave our helpers a few inadequate gifts for their amazing help and thanked them in our best Spanish. We then resumed our journey along the banks of the Rio Santo.
El fin.