Spent a total on three nights in Huanchaco, our hospedaje was just across the road from the beach where most of our days were spent. The Hospedaje Oceano was clean, we were able to park the motto in the restaurant after they closed and the cost was 50 soles per night but the noise from the street made it difficult to get a good sleep.
Catch of the day being sorted before getting delivered to the local restaurants.
Fishing boats, the front is stuffed with Styrofoam.
January 29th, feeling slightly better we hit the road again passing through more desert terrain. Near the town of Barranca we get pulled over by the police. The senior guy is sitting in the truck and the junior officer asks for passports, license and insurance which I give him copies of all documents. He proceeds to tell me that he wants to see our SOAT insurance. We didn't purchase the SOAT insurance at the border as we had coverage on a policy we purchased in New York. After debating this for 15 minutes I'm told that I passed illegally on a double solid line and now the senior officer gets involved and wants to see my original drivers license which I show him (BIG MISTAKE). Once he has my original license I'm informed that the fine is 438 soles which I try negotiating down to 200 soles. The officer tells me if I don't pay I won't get my license back and proceeds to show me a pocket full of foreign drivers licenses he has. At this point my options are very few, I pay the 438 soles ($178 CAN) to get my license back but now he wont give me a receipt or a ticket for the violation. After getting no where in our argument I get the unit number of the truck and proceed down the highway. Later in the evening I send an email to the National Police describing what happened and explaining how I was forced to make a cash payment and never was charged with the violation or issued the receipt for the payment. I'm not expecting a reply as Peru is well known for it's corruption in their police force. For those of you wondering if I did violate the law, if passing two semi's on a solid line is breaking the law then yes, I am guilty.
We make our way to Huacho and finally find an ATM that accepts our debit card and replenish our cash. Upon checking in at the hotel we meet a couple of brothers in their early sixties who are riding KLR650's. One is from Green Bay the other from Tucson, they've been in the Andes checking out the back roads when the front tire blows out sending one of them into the ditch. He is using a cane to walk and you can tell he is hurting from the crash. They are off to Lima in the morning and are looking for safe storage for the bikes until they return next winter.
Flag girls dressed for the wind and blowing sand.
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