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Transport in Peru, page 4 - miscellaneous vehicles in 2011 (by Dick Gilbert)

Last updated 28 August 2024

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To start the finale of my South American transport galleries, here ancient and modern meet in the morning mists blowing off the Pacific Ocean in Miraflores, Lima.

Peru is a vast country with a wide spectrum of transport interest. I have tried to capture a varied selection of items that we passed on our travels. This final page looks at a mix of Peruvian transport types that didn't fit into any of the previous categories.

Every now and again in downtown Lima, one of these mighty trucks would thunder by. Some were Fords, and some were unrecogniseable to me.

Here's another one in Lima, and this is definitely a Ford. More about these chunky trucks later....

Now we've moved 10,000 feet up into the Andes to the wonderful ancient city of Cuzco. I couldn't resist a picture of this pizza van, although I wasn't sure if it still actually functioned as one...

.... but oh yes, it does ! But it only comes out at night. Here is a fuzzy photo of the same van with its glorious conical chimney, churning out pizzas and hamburgers to hungry Cuzco customers.

Tricycles were as common in Peru as they are in India, except that these are not usually Japanese models made under licence (although I did see Honda and Sumo), but from China and otyher countries. I spotted some unknown names (to me) such as Motokar, Lifan and Vistony (all Chinese), Herdal (who are they?), Sinski (from the Philippines), and Gamm Peru. There is a Wanxin WX150 bike driving this; they are made in Lima, but probably in association with a Chinese design.

The photo was taken in a small town in the sacred valley. You can tell that it's a tourist area by the sign on the wall that says big breakfast all day long.

This a Motokar, also from China.

Now we've jumped across to the high plateau near Lake Titicaca. I believe this trishaw in Juliaca is based on a Qingqi DL125 motorcycle, also from China.

This street scene in Juliaca shows the only Dodge bus I saw on the whole journey.

Transport on Lake Titicaca was purely by reed boat until the Peruvian government ordered two steamships - the Yavari and the Yapura - from England in 1862. They were shipped in pieces to the port of Arica, and from there by train to Tucna. The last 370km up the mountains was completed on the backs of donkeys and Llamas. The ships were launched in 1870 and 1871, and completely transformed communications on the lake.

This is the Yapura, still working as a Coastguard vessel. We were amazed to pass it during our cruise around the lake. Titicaca is 100 miles long, borders onto Bolivia and there's a lot of smuggling to and from Peru. This 140 year old vessel represents Peru's front line against the smugglers!

And this is the Yavari, now a museum ship permanently moored in Puno Bay. They regularly steam it up for tourist groups, and clearly enjoy giving it a good burst of energy.

Back in Juliaca, an eternally reliable form of transport is the human leg. This rickshaw is probably heading for the airport.

For medium distances into the more remote areas around Juliaca (and there are a lot of those), you can't beat the minibus. It's amazing how much you can get into one.

We're back to chunky trucks again. Our guide in Puno told us that these are family-owned and are used to haul stone from the mountains into the towns for building use. It's back-breaking work loading these things by hand, and everyone joins in, but that's how they make a living. On the outskirts of town, we saw quite a lot of them parked up alongside tents or makeshift houses.

Here's another one, in Juliaca. Maybe this is also the story behind the big trucks we saw in Lima - which is where we came in.

I hope you've enjoyed my journey, and do send me comments if you have any. If you have been - thanks for visiting.

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