THE INCA TRAIL

the big South American adventure rally

Day 22: Arequipa - Arica (Chile) (476km)

Into the wilderness

Today the classics had a gentler run down the Panamericana towards the Chilean border, while for the 4x4s that wanted to give it a go there was the long, long Omate Explorer Section through the mountains east of Arequipa. 210 km of isolated, wild, inhospitable rocky terrain, difficult to comprehend. 'We just drove through in silence,' said Anna Pelly-Fry. There weren't the words for scenery like that.' Boulders, scree slopes, bare windformed rock outcrops, some of the deepest drops imaginable - and suddenly tiny isolated farming communities, kilometres from anywhere, living like hermits where there was a drop of water to irrigate the land. 'It has to have been the best yet, added Anna, the whole thing was just enormous.' Vic Quayle echoed the sentiment: 'The very best. More like that, please!'

The Panamericana

The Panamerican Highway, or Panamericana, is the longest motorable road in the world. It stretches from Fairbanks in Alaska to the ice fields of Patagonia - covering an impressive 48,000km. It was inaugurated at the first Pan-American Congress of 1925. Construction began in 1928 - but it is still not complete. In particular, there is a notorious break of around 400km at the Darien Gap - some of the most difficult land on earth that has yet to be conquered by the skills of the road engineers.

As a major artery in an unpredictable region, the Panamericana falls victim to disruption from earthquakes and volcanoes, to the floods of El Nino, to the winter snows of the Andes and to the whims of political activists. It's a great highway, mile after mile through the countries of Peru, Chile and Argentina. Just two lanes, but with little traffic it works a treat. We'll be making its acquaintance several more times over the coming days.

Calamity!

The 1949 Ford Convertible of David Brayshaw and Bill Secrest has had its fair share of mechanical problems. The car's speedo, trip and fuel guage haven't worked since Rio. The footbrake is temperamental despite regular bleeding. Overdrive no longer works. The front shock absorbers have been damaged (no replacements found yet), and two fuel pumps have been consumed (failing right in the middle of a Medal Section on each occasion). The accelerator pedal is not fully operative, so the crew is using a hand-pulled wire connected to the throttle linkage. As David says, 'I could go on - but you get the picture.' They've triumphed over so much adversity but it seems today was the final straw. Something exploded in the area of the back seat of the Ford. It turned out to be their in-car mini fridge. 'No more cold drinks! As an Englishman I'm used to warm beer but I doubt if Bill, my American co-driver can last much longer - with the Atacama Desert coming up, it couldn't have chosen a worse moment to happen.'

Rovin' around (with a bit of help from their friends)

The moderns certainly aren't immune from problems. Today the Borns' Land Rover was towed for about 200km down the Panamericana after something broke in the engine (turning out to be a broken rocker arm: will it weld? It's either that or a 200km trip to the nearest dealership). Hero of the hour was the (corrugated) yellow peril Toyota 4-Runner belonging to Swiss crew Arnold and Melanie Meier. That was some tow!


Camels get the hump

Meanwhile, the two Camel Trophy spec Land Rover Discoveries have been in the wars. Bob and Thelma Howells had the misfortune to blow their turbo apart today, and were towed into the final control very late. 'We hope to take the turbo off and throw it away. It'll be a pretty sluggish drive after that, but at least we'll keep going.'

Their friends in the other Camel Trophy Disco, driven by Len Wright, are keeping going thanks to a length of washing line. This is driving the water pump and fan, bypassing the alternator which seized several days ago. Primitive, maybe, but don't knock it if it works - which it clearly does.

Kiwis out of luck

It looks as though we may have to say goodbye to David and Patsy Mitchell, the lovely couple from New Zealand. They brought their owned-from-new Holden Kingswood out here for the Inca Trail, never having taken part in a long distance event like this before. They had many problems with the car in the early stages, but recently looked to have put all of that behind them. Today, though, they ran into a lorry soon after leaving Arequipa, putting Patsy in hospital overnight with ankle and shoulder injuries. We wish both Patsy and David all the best. If you can rejoin us, please do so - you'll be missed!