Lima-La Paz

The tour is starting to gather pace. In Lima we visited the Backus brewery, part of the SABMiller group. There is a production line producing water and CSD that SABMiller has designated as the most efficient within the group. There we met Jorge Ayestas and Maria Contreras who let us in to the secrets of their success. The plants are typical for Peru, where a supplier handles bottle production, whilst the filler focuses on the actual filling.

The next stage of the journey is Bolivia. The biggest hurdle is the crossing of the Andes, where the Editourmobil faced the daunting challenge of a 4,600 metre high pass. For me, spending all my time at sea-level, it is daunting indeed. As we passed the 4,000 metre mark, I could feel my strength and powers of concentration ebbing away. It was a relief to descend once more down to 3,000 metres, when we could start thinking about where we might park up for the night.

For SAB Miller, this is the world’s most effective CSD system. (Right) external bottle production, (left) the actual bottling plant at Backus in Lima. Pictured (middle) with their team are Ayestas Jorge and Maria Contreras, who were responsible for its success.

Halfway up the pass we overtook a bright red Coca Cola delivery truck. An idea occurred to us. At the next bend we paused for a while to admire the landscape stretching before us. Out came the panorama camera to record the breath-taking scene. Meanwhile Rolf had the bright idea of sitting conspicuously on a convenient rock drinking ostentatiously from a bottle of Coke. With camera at the ready I waited for the truck to come into view. I clicked the shutter several times to make sure I had captured the full majesty of the scene. The result is impressive. It looks as if a whole fleet of trucks is labouring up the 2,200 metre incline.

Coca Cola delivery truck in the Andes