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April 8th, 2012 | Peru

The Biker Brotherhood…

Just as I was leaving Nazca, I received an email from Adrian and his wife Diana, who were stuck in Puno…

His rear tyre had punctured so badly, that he was unable to repair it… He was arranging for a truck to take them and their bike to Arequipa, where he hoped to get his problem sorted…

He asked if I could try and find a new tyre for him in Lima… On the ride into the city, I kept my fingers crossed that I would find a place that was open on the Easter weekend, and who had the exact size tyre Adrian needed…

Barbacci Motors in Lima, has just about every motorcycle accessories that you might need...!! And they are open on a holiday weekend...!!

Freddy the hotel manager at Casa San Martin called a few places on Saturday morning, and found one that had the exact tyre I needed to get my hands on…

Adrian's 160/60 R17 tyre comes to light...!! I was relieved that I was able to get the size that he needed....!!

He then summoned a taxi to drive me around the city to collect the tyre, and then get it to Cruze del Sur, the overnight bus service that services almost every major town in Peru…

By midday, we had visited Barbacchi Motors, collected and paid for the tyre, and then raced across to Cruze del Sur to see if we could get it on the overnight bus… With the help of my driver, I had everything sorted in next to no time, and then went back to my hotel to let Adrian know the good news…

I was happy to have been able to help him out of the predicament he was in, and by adhering to the unwritten bikers code of helping a fellow traveler in need, I know that one day, when I am in trouble or stuck without a spare part (or petrol, the more likely of the two scenarios…!!) someone out there will stop and assist me…

That’s just the way it works…!! I once stopped next to an old guy who was pushing a scooter along in Argentina… He had run out of fuel and was about 3 kms from the service station… I will never forget the look of gratitude and amazement on his face, when I gave him a litre of my precious spare fuel, to get him going again…

My interpreter and taxi driver in Lima, who made it possible for me to get everything done with a minimum amount of fuss...!! Thanks again my friend...!!

He didn’t speak a word of English, but his feeling were written all over his face… I declined his offer to pay for the fuel, and tried to explain to him that it was his turn to help somebody else out if ever he came across a biker in need…

I remembered all the people that had stopped to help me in the past; the driver in Tanzania who carried all my gear while I rode the Big Fella with a busted shock absorber almost all the way to Dodoma on a corrugated road that had my teeth banging together; then the truck that picked me and the bike up later that night, when I had my first puncture, and the electrics failed in the middle of the African bush; Vince Ricci in Khartoum, who panel-beated my pannier after my crash in Ethiopia; Tibor Molnar in Budapest, who despite a heavy work schedule, drove me around the city to find a new battery; the Vietnamese guys in Luang Prabang in Laos who helped me repair the same pannier when it broke off the bike on the way to Vientiane; Tres Machos, who helped me repair the puncture I picked up in Patagonia; Ezequiel who did so much for me in Buenos Aires while my shock absorbers were being repaired…

All the above mentioned, as well as others whose efforts have slipped my mind for the time being, helped to keep me going when I needed assistance… The Biker Brotherhood remains an important part of being able to ride across continents, knowing that somewhere out there, a fellow biker will stop to help you if you’re in trouble…

Adrian was able to get the tyre the very next day, and made his way safely to Lima, where their trip ended… Their Kawasaki was being flown back to Bogota, and I look forward to visiting them there in a few weeks time…

That afternoon, I went back to the bluff to watch the sun setting again… This time, a whole bunch of Para-gliders were taking off and landing a short distance from where I stood…

Para-glider at Sunset... Another great day was coming to an end, as the sun fell into the Pacific...

I had the same good feeling coursing through me that I know they must be feeling up there in the sky, even though I was rooted to the ground…

Doing a good deed for others makes you feel that way…!!

©GBWT 2012

4 comments to The Biker Brotherhood…

  • Adrian Alarcon

    Thanks my friend it is a really biker brotherhood, It is one of the thing I love my bike and everything around it. By the way, my wife’s name in Diana Castro

  • Claudia M

    Thank you for helping our friends we are outstanding to give you the welcome that you deserve when you visit us.

    good luck in your adventure

  • It was my pleasure Adrian… You would have done the same for me… See you in Bogota…!! R.

  • Mark Behr

    Look forward to this story!

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