The Americas 2013

We had a run of 450km through the desert to Lima today but before we got going we chartered a small 4 seater Cessna to take us up to see the famous lines of Nazca which was incredible. We were flying at about 1000m off the ground which gave us beautiful and full views of the shapes and although getting pics out of the window of the small plane was challenging, we managed a few decent ones.

The Whale..About 65m across.

Views over the desert plateau…

The Monkey..

The Astronaut..

The Spider…

The tree and Gollum??

The Condor, and my favourite…

The Hummingbird!!

The ride from Nazca to Lima is pure desert! Hot, dry, boring and congested with trucks until the last 200km which is a double carriage way into the Capital City. Lima is beautiful, cosmopolitan and vibrant with awesome restaurants and hotels. We are spending the next 3 nights at the Marriott right on the coast and dinner tonight was at the Chefs table at the world famous “Central” which was incredible, but rich doesn’t begin to describe the food!

Our days ride..

We planned an early departure but before the day even got started Pete got bitten by the hotel dog at Tampumayu and it kind of set the tone for the day!! We had another short run of 360km from the Hotel in Chalhuanca to Nazca albeit it through more twisty roads. Chalhuanca is at 2800m and Nazca is at 660m although we went over a pass that was at an altitude of over 4000m for a period of about 100km’s.

Elevation graph of today’s ride.

A close up of today’s ride showing the twisty roads..

Our days ride to Nazca..

If we though that the road of yesterday was challenging, then today’s road was a nightmare. The big truck and bus traffic was hectic particularly on these narrow mountain roads. To add to it all, the weather was cold because of the altitude and we ended up riding through quite long periods of rain. Because it is rainy season in this part of Peru at the moment, the roads through the Andes are constantly being repaired. In addition to the mountain streams that cross the roads, It is not uncommon to see multiple landslides and boulders in the middle of the mountainous hairpins, contributing to the smorgasbord of traffic and frustration!!

Boulders in the road…

Beautiful mountainous vistas..

Jax and I stopped to take a pic of one of these streams that cross the roads and had a small “oopsy” straight after. The area of the road that crosses the stream that is constantly ridden over by trucks and cars is fine however, the shoulder that doesn’t get traffic has developed slime because it is under water for such prolonged periods. As we took off from the shoulder of the road into the water the bike slipped out and did a 360 leaving Jax and I on our ass in the freezing cold water and a SUPER FAT BMW on its side. After checking that Jax was okay, I asked her to stand a few metres back to make sure no trucks came around the blind bend and rode over me whilst trying to pick up this Melchizedek of motorcycles in the middle of a stream at an altitude of over 3500m where the oxygen is thin. NOT  a fun way to start the day particularly because it left our riding gear sopping and it was already cold without this added complication! We then took about an hour to catch up to Pete and Jen in the car so that Jax could ride with them because the cold had set into her bones by that stage. Fortunately my Portuguese pelt helps somewhat and I don’t feel the cold the same way her scrawny body does. Go Porras!!

Just before our little “spill”!!

At altitudes of 4500m (3 times the altitude of Jhb) the air is super thin and headaches and other altitude sickness symptoms are not uncommon. Doctors have not been able to determine who or why certain people suffer from altitude sickness and others don’t, there doesn’t seem to be a “type” that is prone however, at this altitude there are numerous communities that live in the mountains and rear vast herds of Alpacas and Vicunas (like Lama’s only different in size and the fur is thicker) so riding through the Andes at these altitudes is incredibly beautiful. I seem to be one of the lucky ones that doesn’t feel the effects of altitude much (other than when trying to lift the FAT one out of a river) so I loved stopping to take pictures of the herds and vast solitude you find up at those altitudes.

Riding through northern Chile and up into the coastal areas of Peru you may recall the desert landscapes that changed when we headed east and up towards Arequipa in the Andes. We were heading west today and down in altitude towards Nazca and by about 2000m the scenery started to markedly change back into drier conditions and by the time we hit Nazca we were back in the Sechura desert including the accompanying heat of 36C! On route down to Nazca we passed the Cerro Blanco, the second largest sand dune in the world which is taller than table mountain and stands out amongst the Andean mountains.

Cerro Blanco..

Okay, so I guess its time to throw the snivelling BMW groupies a bone!! This is not in ANY WAY to suggest a change in allegiance, preference or first Love as that accolade belongs firmly to my KTM, however, notwithstanding her girth, funny looks or old woman stature, the GS1200A is an absolute pleasure. On the tar she is meticulous, well balanced and beautiful to ride. Although she is no KTM, on the dirt she is adequate and better than I anticipated particularly after the stretch up to the El Tatio Geysers in Northern Chile. Although the KTM/BMW decision was a difficult one to make I still believe that the BMW is proving to be the right choice for this particular ride as the offroad aspects are limited. She is no longer L’il fatty and from now on she will be referred to as the “Big Girl” as she is definitely growing on me…like a mole.

We are spending the evening at a beautiful oasis hotel just outside Nazca called Hotel Nuevo Cantalloc. We got here at around 3pm so we had enough time for some lunch, a snooze and a generally lazy afternoon. We were planning on doing the Nazca lines today but the stormy clouds outside don’t bode well so we have booked it for early tomorrow morning before we head off to Lima.

Back in the desert…

We only had a short run of 300km to do to get to Chalhuanca today so we left the Monasterio Hotel in Cusco at around 10am after a leisurely breakfast.

The Beautiful Monasterio Hotel…

Pete, Jenny and Jax in the Toyota Prado that Pete hired were in tow and I was solo on the bike for a nice light ride. This turned out to be a blessing because although it was only 300km it was THE most twisty mountainous road I have ever ridden and it took us 6 hours including a lunch stop at a dingy chicken place in Abancay.

Our days ride.

A view over Abancay from 4100m.

The ride through the Andes from Cusco at 3300m to Chalhuanca (2800m) on route to Nazca is magnificent but a little hair raising. There is a hairpin bend every 100m, the road is littered with Potholes and it is common to encounter a Peruvian behind the wheel of a bus coming around a blind bend or rise on the wrong side of the road whilst trying to overtake another equally slow bus or truck. To make things even more challenging, the road follows the Rio Apurimac from Abancay and the streams that run off the mountains that join the main river run OVER the road rather than under it meaning that every few kilometres you have to do a river crossing on a main road because this is rainy season.

Some of the twisty roads..

We are spending the evening at a great little hotel about 20km north of Chalhuanca called Tampumayu which looks quaint and beautiful but not sure how it is economically feasible. It looks fairly new and is a collection of small buildings that make it look like a beautiful old ghost town including its own chapel but it is literally in the middle of Nowhere! Needless to say, we had a wonderful meal and were all in bed by 9pm.

Tampumayu Hotel Chapel..

Tomorrow we head for Nazca where we will get to see the famous lines.

Rio Apurimac..

Today has been a rest day in Cuzco. Shirley unfortunately had to head home, I had work and blog to catch up on and Jax, Pete and Jenny went out to do a little shopping.

Dinner tonight was at a great local restaurant called Inkazuela which was amazing and highly recommended.

We left Machu Picchu today at 5pm so we wanted to take full advantage of the day. Jacqui, Shirley and I decided to do the 7am walk up Waynu Picchu (The peak overlooking the Machu Picchu ruins) as you are able to get a magnificent view over the ruins and the surrounding mountains from the top of the mountain. The walk up was fortunately done in quite cool weather but notwithstanding this, the humidity and 1500 steps to the top   ensures that you are drenched in perspiration by the time you get to the top, especially if you are a sweaty Portuguese!

View of the ruins from the top of Waynu Picchu…

These little guys flying all over the place at the top..

Jax and Shirls.

After hanging around at the top for awhile, Jax and I decided to walk over the top of the mountain and down to the Temple of the Moon on the opposite side of Waynu Picchu. This was a great decision to start with because it was essentially just the two of us walking alone and the Temple of the moon was definitely worth seeing even though it is one of the less popular sites at MP because it is challenging to get to. We had originally thought that once at the bottom, there would simply be an elevation path that came back around the mountain, however, that is not the case! To get back, you have to climb back up about two thirds of the way up Waynu Picchu before joining the original path we took to get up meaning that we essentially climbed the mountain twice in 3 hours. The thighs and quads are certainly paying the price tonight!

Temple of the moon…

The trip back to Cuzco aboard the Hiram Bingham Train was another memorable evening. We sat in the bar carriage before dinner and the 3 man Mariachi Band were giving it horns so it turned into a real wild party. Never to be forgotten!!!

On route back from Temple of the Moon.

We got back to the Monasterio Hotel at about 10pm and after a quite drink we all headed to bed. We are spending the next 2 nights here before heading off on the 6th to Nazca to see the famous lines.

We all met for breakfast at 5:30am because the ruins open at 6am and we wanted to watch the sunrise, notwithstanding the overcast conditions. We met our guide Hector at about 6am and spent the next 3 hours being led around the ruins getting an overview and understanding about its history, the Inca civilization that lived here and the culture that was obliterated by the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500’s.

Although I have been here before it is as impressive today as it was then. There is an incredible majesty about the site and don’t believe that it matters how many times you go there, one cant help but be impressed by the ruins and its surroundings in the Andes mountains.

Insofar as the over the top regulations go, once again, this proved to be another cause for annoyance because the rules of the place are not stipulated anywhere. We wanted to walk up to the sun gate which is probably a 1 hour round trip however when we started it at about 3:30pm, one of the officials wouldn’t let us proceed because last opportunity to go up is apparently at 3pm! This resulted in an acrimonious argument with this arrogant moron in my finest Portospanglish because of the lack of clarity of the rules that the officials are employed to regulate.

For you Bon!!

Notwithstanding the aggravation, we still managed a walk to the Inca bridge and a general walk around the site which by this time had quietened down substantially and was quite special.

The Inca Bridge..There is about a 500m sheer drop off to the right!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING

We left the Monasterio Hotel before 8am for our transfer to catch the Hiram Bingham train from Rio Segrado to Machu Picchu. The transfer to Rio Segrado takes one down into the sacred valley and the vistas are endless and beautiful. The train to Machu Picchu is an orient express train much like the famous Venice Simplon that the same company runs and the trip down to the MP ruins is incredible…mountains, rivers, valleys, forests and Jungles…AWESOME!

View over the Sacred Valley..

Train staff were aware of Jacqui’s birthday so the band sang “Happy Birthday” and we got a small cake..

On route to Machu Picchu..

We arrived at Aguas Calientas (the town below the ruins where all the trains arrive) at lunch time and were then bussed up the 300m zig zag road up to the Machu Picchu Sanctuary lodge Hotel where we are spending the next 2 nights. There is only one hotel next to the ruins and this is it. It is owned and managed by Orient Express and the fact that they have a completely captive market is reflected in the prices..accommodation and food, which are over the top. That said, staff are well trained and the service is brilliant although the hotel could definitely do with some upgrading.

View of the ruins from the Hotel Jacuzzi..

I was last here about 10 years ago and although there was control related to letting people into the ruins etc, nothing like the over the top regulation that has taken place since the site became a Unesco recognised destination. We all had a lazy afternoon however by the time we tried to enter the ruins at about 4:01pm we were told that closing time is 5pm and last entries are at 4pm, NO exceptions…Very annoying!

The 5 of us celebrated Jacqui’s birthday dinner at the hotel and it was an early night after that as we have a 5:30am meeting time to enter the ruins to watch the sunrise.

Jax and her father, Pete.

Today was a rest day used to explore Cuzco, find a parking spot for the bike for the next few days and to go over lil fatty to make sure that nothing has come loose as a result of the bad roads of the last few weeks.

Jax and family explored the town whilst I got a shot of the bike in front of the church at the main square of the town.

The afternoon was lazy but Jax and I went for a long walk around the town in the evening before dinner. Cuzco is a lively, vibrant little town (population 500,000) and really beautiful architecture and culture. We had a super dinner at the Palacio Nazarenas which had a very unique menu made up primarily of local ingredients and recipes…VERY DELICIOUS.

Pete, Shirley, Jax, me, Jenny…

We have come to the realisation that the weather pattern in the mountains at this time of year is partly cloudy but dry in the morning and as the day progresses so the potential for rain increases. We left Puno at about 8am for a 400km run to Cuzco where we are meeting some of Jacqui’s family who have flown over for her birthday on the 2nd of March and we are going to get a few days of not riding and just generally exploring the surrounds of Cuzco.

Our days ride…

The road between Puno and Cuzco is an awesome mountain road that is in great condition and we found ourselves being chased by rain for most of the morning although managed to largely stay ahead of it. We arrived in Cuzco just after 2pm and were surprised by the arrival of Shirley, a good friend of Jax who had flown over to also celebrate her birthday with us. Pete and Jenny arrived a little later that evening followed by a lovely dinner accompanied by opera at the hotel.

We are spending the next 2 nights at the awesome Monasterio Hotel in Cuzco which in my opinion must be one of the best hotels in the world. On the 2nd of March we depart for Machu Picchu where we will spend 2 nights exploring the ruins and its surrounds.

Me, Jax, Shirley…

Today was a well deserved rest day. We slept in a little, had breakfast and went out to explore Puno.

The local church in Puno over looking the Plaza.

Ladies in traditional Peruvian dress..

In addition to the above, we took a boat out to Uros Island, one of the famous floating islands that are inhabited on lake Titicaca. The lake, at an altitude of 3812m is considered the highest navigable lake by commercial crafts in the world and has some 42 man made islands on it that are inhabited by about 2000 people.

Uros floating island. The one we visited had 6 families and consisted of 22 people. They make their money from fishing and tourism.

The visit was very interesting but I stupidly didn’t have any face cream on and promptly got burnt like a tomato!

After the visit, Jax and I had lunch at a small local restaurant inhabited by locals and fishermen which was very cool and the rest of the day was spent relaxing.

Tomorrow we head for Cusco.