Logos

The Americas 2013

A Motorcycle Diary
RSS
 

6 March 2013

06 Mar

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.

DSCF0864

DSCF0863

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.

Days ride

Our days ride.

DSCF0886  

SAM_3614 

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.

SAM_3620

Some of the twisty roads..

SAM_3625

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.

DSCF0902

Tampumayu Hotel Chapel..

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

SAM_3622

Rio Apurimac..

 
Be a sport Many of us have the means and wherewithal to undertake the dreams we want but elect to choose otherwise, many however, do not and that is the purpose of this plea. Afrika Tikkun (http://afrikatikkun.org// ) is a South African non governmental, non profit charity organisation run by the Lubner family that in essence does just that; re-provide the possibility to dream and to create the possibility of turning those dreams into a reality.

Unlike many pleas of this nature, I am not looking for any kind of sponsorship for my trip, but I am looking for your donation, regardless of its size to Afrika Tikkun. Please pledge generously as this is a fantastic cause that will assist them to provide food, care, education, health and social services to those that are desperately in need.
1 Comment

Posted in The Americas 2013

 

Leave a Reply

 
 
 
 

  1. Neil

    March 10, 2013 at 9:02 pm

    Hey Rui

    We stayed at that Tampumayu hotel back in 2009, and it was great. We also wondered about the feasibility of it, but it still seems to be going – quite amazing. Hope you had the fresh trout when you were there, a great dish.

    Love the twisties between Cusco & Nasca. Must be awful in a cage though.