http://rumbum.com/1138-the-kindness-of-strangers

http://rumbum.com/1122-detours-to-machu-picchu

http://rumbum.com/1104-broken-bones

http://rumbum.com/1085-mechanical-meltdown

Well after returning to Cuzco from Maccu Picchu, I decided to take advantage of Eden’s offer to help with the bike. He rode it over to the shop for me, where I had the folks re-align all the crooked things after my crash. I also had them change the oil. Later, I got my first ride on (the back of) my bike as Eden rode it back to the hotel for me.

Here’s a picture of Nick as he readied himself for a ride with Eden:

Great Moto Gear, eh? I cringed, since they were setting out to ride the same road I crashed on…

Have fun guys!

My bike crammed in the little shop:

Here’s lunch: I had to walk back to the hotel and get my forgotten oil filter

I had some time to kill waiting for my hand to heal enough so I could ride. One day I decided to walk through Cuzco and find a cobbler that would sew my camera case back together again. I found it interesting–I got to go in the back and wait for the sewing. Glue fumes were overpowering an made me lightheaded. There was no ventilation in there and about 8 guys all working on shoes. They didn’t want me to take pics of them, but here’s a picture of the flowers that all the shopkeepers keep–they supposedly bring in customers.

I had to wait for two people’s shoes to be found in this vast assortment before I could pay…

Walking back to thee hotel I decided to get my hair re-pinked. No pics there but this cutie was waiting for the colectivo outside the salon.

Turned out there was a TV hostess in the chair next to me..I told her about my trip and offered to come to the station to do an interview about early detection of breast cancer if she was interested…she said yes and I made arrangements to go to the TV station at 8:30 that night. Goo thing I got my hair done!

A few days later, I am bored and wondering when my hand will be healed enough to ride…still a lot of bruising after 2 weeks…plus the pinkie goes off at a weird angle. Ugh. The doctor told me that it was because of the splint…but now after almost a week of non-splint, it still goes off at a weird angle. Not good. Still hurts like a witch too!

It was a sorry week. Here’s my journal entry:

April 6-7-8-9-10-

Feeling sorry for myself, sleeping poorly, SORE walking around town doing errands. Fixed camera bag, got hair repinked, got visa pics, bought jewelry, wrote, etc. I hate Cuzco I want to ride.

April 10
Justin got to town (KLR 650–the F800 he shipped to BA from California went around the world without him, and he had enough of a spirit of adventure to fly to Colombia, buy a KLR and ride it back to Buenos Aires whie he waited for his bike to finally show up.

Justin and I went to Norton Rats tonight and drank heavily. I had more rinks tonight (4) than in the entire rest of y trip so far. Silly girl. Justin got it into his head that he would ride with me my first day riding after the accident. With the hangover I had planned on telling him to go ahead without me, but he had other ideas. He showed up at my hotel at 10 am and told me to get moving (he’s e military). A large part of me really wanted to be moving again, and so it was pretty easy to convince me to ride. Plus, I thought it would be a good idea to have a riding partner my first day. My hand was still killing me as it had only healed 10 days, and I just thought the companionship would be a good idea.

Justin rode my bike out of the hotel and talked with the Cuzco cops until I got my act together.

I regretted deciding to leave as soon as I put the glove on…I cried it hurt so bad. Justin suggested we duct tape my fingers together so they had more support. They still flexed, so he decided (brilliantly I might add) to add some zip ties. It made me laugh so hard my tears dried up. Until I started riding. OOfa.

The cops were amused by all of this for sure.

here we are heading south to Puno.

Our lunch stop.. Believe it or not, this was the BEST choice. We got to watch the lady kill her chickens as we ate. It was a good appetite suppressant for both of us!

Justin pulls over at the top of this pass and does some shopping. I’m not really amused–I just hurt. I have even shifting up AND down without the clutch, but the fact remains that even just my hand *resting* on the handlebars hurts…not to mention when I go over a bump the vibration through the handlebars makes me want to jump off the bike.

They do not have a mirror so I have to take a pic of myself in the hat to see it. Nope!

We have left late and the shadows are getting long…

And the road is bad. This is why they do not recommend riding at night down here.

We finally pull into Juliaca when it’s full dark. Just as we enter, Justin’s bike dies and won’t restart. REALLY won’t start. I set off on foot to ask policemen about the nearest hotel with parking, and I ride around inquiring about prices. In the end Justin pushes his bike a few blocks to a really nice and really expensive hotel. We figure what the heck, we’ll share a room and it will only be for one night. It turns out to be two nights because his battery is fried and there is not another one his size to be had in the town. I am in no shape to ride back to Cuzco and get him a new one, so ultimately he solves the problem by buying car battery and strapping it to his seat .

We roll out two days later.

Justin and I split ways right about here–he needs to make time heading south and I want to visit Lake Titicaca a bit.

I saw some interesting landscapes along the way…

More stone walls…definitely not too common in South America.

The lake is HUGE!

April 2, 2010

At long last, I am on my way to visit Machu Picchu.

They told me I would be picked up at my hotel between 5:30 and 6. I was finally picked up at 7 (after the guy had come to my hotel inquiring after someone else who didn’t exist!) He drives us across town, then parks at a gas station for a good hour. no explanation. Frankly, I feel like my day would be a whole lot better if I could get a cuppa  coffee!

It’s a van ride up past Ollantaytambo (where we stop for a quick pottie and coffee break–cute town but crawling with gringos!)

Gorgeous road. Dang! Too bad I am not riding!

I don’t get the opportunity to take too many pictures because I am in the van. It’s a lot of hurry-up-and-wait-for-nothing along the way. Passengers are shuffled in  between vans as different groups with different agendas are coordinated. At the top of the pass most everyone unloads (including Eden) and gets on mountain bikes. The driver insists that I go by bike too, and I refuse to get out of the van. I BROKE MY HAND TWO DAYS AGO! we have an argument, he goes and talks to another “guide” and then they act like they are making a big accommodation for me to continue to ride in the van (that is full of people and going to Santa Teresa anyway!)

Well, it’s just a lot more of that. Van stops in a town, tells me (us) to get out, another van will pick us up.

Okay, I am going on faith here that it will work out, but so far I am not instilled with a great amount of faith.

It all works out, and I won’t give you the blow by blow, but basically in Santa Teresa I had to wait 3 hours for my hotel room to be ready…then they give me a room when I SEE the fellow get out of my bed. The hotel lady insists that the bed is clean, I insist not that I deserve clean sheets (I am standing inside the hotel in a 3″ puddle of water as we have this conversation). Ultimately I end up in another hostal–this one has an army of ants running own the wall of my room. When I ask the hostal lady about it she tells me to sleep in the bed on the other wall.

!

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OK, so here’s the van full of us on our second early morning…

being driven to where we will get out and hike the rest of the way to Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu town). There was a landslide overnight, and so the 3 hour walk now will be a 12 hour walk…

Start hiking!

At least it’s a nice hike (albeit straight up) through the forest / jungle.

We stop for a break up top. An opportunistic Peruvian has set up shop here…good for them. But no thank you, I will not pay $3 for a Gatorade.

So after this idyllic place we start down. Which is even harder for me because it is in the shade, and with the rains it is pure mud. I fall and use the broken hand to brace myself…not a good idea. The hand gets tied to my neck so that won’t happen again.

At the first tricky spot I find Eden and Nick waiting for me. Eden hold me hand (quite literally) almost all the way down the mountain. He and Nick are the Mutt and Jeff of the tour and keep me laughing despite myself and being the last one of the group to get down the hill.

We finally get down to the river and luckily there is a bridge.

Water is pouring out and over the mountainside. It’s so wet!

We get to Hidroelectrica, where out tourguide Gato informs us that there is no lunch. this is after hiking 9 hours. He tells us that we have to hike another 3-4 hours to Aguas Calientes to get food. There are other people seated there, eating. The 17 Israelis we are with start a revolt, I do it my way an go talk to one of the ladies serving food. No, there is no food for us. Everything that comes in has to be carried, and our tourguide did not pre-arrange food with her. But there is a place that serves food 5 minutes away, at Km 120 she says.

I go back to tourguide Gato and tell him this. He calls me a liar and says there is no other food available and that we have to walk to Aguas Calientes.  I tell him to send the other tourguide if it is only 5 minutes, to make sure tehre is food then organize the group. He turns his back on me. He yells at everyone and tells them to follow him.

Eden, cool cat that he is, decides to have a beer in the middle of all this. He suggests we pay the $8 an take the train instead of walking more. I ask the conductor if there is any space on the train, and he tells me no. Eden is not concerned, and orders another beer. If I have to walk I’d rather walk NOW than later in the dark.  I stress a bit.  Eden asks another tourguide to see if there is space on the train, and he comes back and says yes, that tickets go on sale in a half hour. We get the tickets and wait for the train to leave in an hour. When am I gonna learn to relax? I admire Eden.

The rive is completely wild…so much rain.

Ok, Up at 4:00 the next morning to cue up for the us (because I was too lazy to walk an hour uphill at 4 am!)

I took a picture of this industrious lady selling coffee to the people waiting in the line for the 5:30 bus departure…

MACHU PICCHU!!!!

Our tourguide Gato’s English was so bad, I elected to take the tour in Spanissh with another couple from our tour. It was an excellent choice–our Guide was very patient and basically gave us the “spiritual” tour of Machu Picchu. Enjoy the tour!

During the tour he also talked about modern Peruvian culture, and one of the important aspects is the coca leaf. He invited us all to try it, sort of as an offering, and shared his stash with us. Wow. First time I had chewed it with the charcoal mixed in, and it really “accelerated” the effects of chewing the leaf.

After the your I ran into Eden and Nick. Nick had a rough night! (They hiked up very early instead of taking the bus).

Well I decided since I had the ticket to Waynu Picchu, I might as well hike that too!

Just a little difficult with one hand…

Here’s the very rewarding, and very famous, view of Machu Picchu rom Waynu Picchu:

The hardest part was the climb back down…definitely rough on those that are scared of heights!!

It was exhausting, but  was (mostly) glad I went.

So, with a broken mitt I decide to be a tourist for the day.

First stop, the tour office, where I regretfully tell them I need to take the real tour and not ride my motorbike to Santa Teresa.

Next, I figure I will go see the market and pick up a sweater since I left my fleece behind a couple countries ago (Cuenca, Ecuador) and it might be cold up at Macchu Piccu.

It´s Semana Santa (still) and so all these folks are lined up in this plaza selling cookies…doesn´t make sense to me, all these people selling the same cookies, but oh well. Peruvian cottage industry.

Whoa! I just realized (and too bad it´s a month later!) I actually caught a picture of a robber…

The woman with the green scarf was walking along with her man, and I stopped to take some pics of the hoardes of people at the market…well I lower the camera and my eyes fizate on a peruvian lady lifting this chick´s camera. Someone else must have seen it, because I hear someone yell ¨devuelvelo¨and so I start yelling it too (¨return it!)¨. I see the robberlady pass the camera off to someone else, I am still yelling, and actually the robberlady walks over to the (shocked!) woman and hands the camera back. The stunned woman takes a few minutes to get around to thanking me, and then puts her camera back in its flimsy holder around her waist.

!!!

I go back to her and tell her to zip up her coat because her camera is easy to grab, and still she does not do anything different so I shrug and wish her luch and I am off. And I am thinking what a great target I am with one hand obviously bandaged and string around my neck, so I just leave.

Gosh I felt bad for these poor chicks!

Translñation: “Made in Peru”

Lunch at the cheap place near my hostel…Hey, Guess What!!! CHICKEN SOUP!!!

Chicha and some yummy beefy stewy spicy thing with rice. All for $2

OK, so I met another crazy DR650 rider, Eden Connell, from Australia. (http://zoominwitheden.com/)

He read a post I made on Horizons Unlimited (www.horizonsunlimited.com), a web site for motorbikers, and discovered we were riding the same bike (which, it turns out, is an unusual mode for this trip). Anyway, he just wrote a hello email to me, saying he was in Cuzco. I was in Cuzco. Tada! We decided to meet for breakfast.

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I love other people’s stories, so here’s Eden’s:

He was traveling for several months in the USA, Central America, and when he got to Colombia he met an Australian motorbiker that wanted to sell his bike. Voila! The decision was made (he had motorbike experience at home) and now he’s one of us Moto-Travelers. He’s taking the s-l-o-w- road South, and he’s got a refreshing attitude towards travel I hope to adopt (he takes everything in stride–I tend to take everything personally!) and…

and…

he’s a fabulous photographer!

(Some of) my prayers have been answered…hopefully I can learn from him how to use my G10 to take even better photographs.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

At breakfast I tell Eden I am disgusted with trying to get to MachuPicchu, and he tells me he’s found this tour… we go to the agency, it seems like a good deal ($150 and we’ll ride to Santa Theresa and meet the group, leave the bikes there, and hike the rest of the way in to Aguas Calientes/Macchu Picchu). Sounds like a good plan, and I am happy to have a riding companion.

The tour leaves Friday, so we part ways and agree to meet up on Friday. SWET!

March 30, 2010

It was Semana Santa (Holy Week), and today was the big day. The Senor de los Temblores was going to make his march around the city…People lines up HOURS beforehand…

Yup, it rained pretty much every day I was here.

Guess which one’s the politician?

After the parade, some detail on a light post. I Like!

OK, here´s the scene at the train station…Macchu Piccu JUST opened, tourists from everywhere are scampering to book their tickets, there´s a rumor on the street that you will not be able to purchase entry to Mp without a round-trip train ticket…

There are 60 people ahead of me in line. I hand back in my ticket–it’s just not worth it! I guess I won´t see Macchu Picchu after all…poor me. It was gonna be one of the highlights of the trip.

I walk back to my hotel, disgusted. I´ve got the camera and so I take more city pics…

The Senor de los Temblores comes BACK to the cathedral that night, and I am told that 10,000 people will enter Cuzco and take part in the festivities…I guess it´s a good thing that I arrived yesterday–otherwise all the streets would have been blocked off!

Can you believe that in this crowd I run into bruno and Nathalie again? SWEET! They are so adorable. We chat in the street for close to an hour, then I go inside. Enough crowds for me!

Later that night I head over to Norton Rat´s bar, and while I wait for jeffrey the owner to come in, I get a look at THE BOOK. I get all goose-bumpey–it´s a who´s who of whose ridden in SA, and many of the people in the book have inspired my own travels — Lois Pryce for one (Lois on the Loose). Ricardo Rocco is also in there (met on the road to Cali and went to his birthday party in Quito), and several ADVriders I know.

Here´s one entry I really liked…

I get back to the hostal, check emails, and there´s an email from Eden, who also happens to be riding a DR650, and who also happens to be in Cuzco. We decide to meet for breakfast the next morning.

March 26, 2010
Nazca – Puquio

I rolled out of Nazca at 8 am,

and within 5 miles I was climbing like crazy and into some chilly mountain air.

At the top of one of the passes I saw a familiar bike…and pulled in and caught up with Bruno and Nathalie (the Brazilian honeymooners). It was really great to see them. We pulled out  together and rode a little bit together. They were having some issues with the altitude 9rather their bike was) and so at some point I passed them. Bummer…

…because I found out later TWO MINUTES after I passed them their tire went flat. (When I saw them in Cuzco they also showed me a video of a Vicuna giving birth…how cool is that?!? Ben gets a pic of a pair mating, Nathalie and Bruno get one giving birth.  Ive definitely got vicuna envy!)

It’s cool and dry up here…and these weird cacti grow here.

Well, ok, I did get to see a lot of the buggers…

check out this cow…it’s got earrings! (I’ve finally figures out it’s a way to tell the cows apart without branding.)

OK, I get to Puquio and the main road is under construction. It’s now 2:00, and I am s-t-a-r-v-i-n-g. I need fuel. I get pissy at this construction, get off the bike, and walk into the middle of it and ask them where the hell they expect me to go (I missed the detour signs…whoops!) They let me through, and show me where to go.

I get some lunch on the other side of town.

Smells and looks yummy, but I have trouble getting down more than the broth. I give my leftovers to a happy dog outside.

Oofa, not lookin’ too good as I climb the mountain the other side of Puquio.

yup, I get a soaking. And I wonder what if i just turned around…and waited for better weather…I mean, why climb into cold rain–I already ruined my camera in one cold rain, I’m not in a hurry, so what will it hurt if I just call it quits early in the day? I turn around. I go all around Puquio which is just an armpit of a town, and finally get a COLD! Room and pay what I think is waaaaaaaaay too much for a hotel room. I feel bad–altitude–headache, and I think my left eye is going to fall out of my head…I cover up with 20 blankets and read a book I picked up…the WHOLE book! Here’s the (un) charming view from the hotel: RAIN!

Two other motorcyclists roll in–one is Chris from CT.  We chat a bit, but I feel like I am going to *die* and so  beg off and walk down the street where I am told a mate de coca will help…this is a tea of coca leaves and the “natural” remedy for altitude sickness. (We’re at 9000+ feet) I feel nauseaus and cannot eat anything. I know I am going to get weak this way, but I feel like I can barely hold the contents of my empty stomach…

Happy dog.

Dinner in cages in back of the hotel.

March 27, 2010
Puquio – Abancay

OK, Let’s try this again.

Mototaxi gets clean:

It’s cold, it’ almost 15000 feet, and it’s one of those “oh my gosh” riding days!

This house is *definitely* out of place high up in the Andes.

Well, I guess I am glad I did not push through…yesterday’s rain was SNOW this high up!

My head is killing me, and I remember the nice lady at the restaurant yesterday gifted me with a small bag of coca leaves. I remember getting that out here, and stuffing a way of leaves into my cheek to chew on.  10 minutes late I am less nauseaus and less headachey.

I get to Abancay and it’s 3 pm. I am told it’s 4 hours to Cuzco…do I push it or stop early? I decide to stop early. I find an OK hotel that happens to have Wifi. It’s clean, and I take it. I park in back next to a KTM.

KTM? Ah. RTM! Same font too! Deceivers!

March 28, 2010
Abancay – Cuzco

I meet a lovely woman at breakfast–turns out Susannah is a … a … shoot I forget! She’s a Dr. of something (Geology–that’s it!) and she and her husband are in town writing  book for the government cataloging a bunch of different things. She’s from Cuzco, and gives me her cell number and lots of travel advice. we chat for a long while and I get a late start. But who cares, it’s only supposed to be a 4 hour ride to Cuzco.

On the other sie of town I decide to stop and get something to eat, and they have the menu running all over the back patio (Cuy).

Lunch is tasty, but I cannot eat much. Plus I still have a headache from the altitude.

This is a road sign telling that the road is closed certain hours for repairs. Great.

Shoot. More rain moves in.

Well, I get soaked. Drenched. I turn back towards Abancay, then turn around again . This is ridiculous. i am a tough chick and I can ride in col, freezy rain at 14000+ feet. Dang if I don;t get s-o-a-k-e-d! The camera gets drenched too…shoot! LCD goes out. I can no longer see what I am taking pictures of, nor see how much I zoom, not change any of he settings on the camera come to think of it. Grrr.

But I just keep pointing the camera and shooting anyways…

Gosh, now here on the other side of the mountains it is sunny and HOT and I dry out.

Here’ss the construction where the river washed the road away, but it’s Sunday and apparently nobody is working. Good for me!!

ha! A herd of pigs. I think this is a first for me…

I get to Cuzco before dark, I find my hotel that was recommended to me, and I get the bike parked in the lobby. I ask where t go for dinner, and they refer me next door. Carolyn forgive me, but I tried Alpaca. Yum!

This little critter was playing chase around me as I ate…he stopped when I whipped out the camera…

Cuzco at night.

It’s the beginning of Semana Santa, and these cookies are for sale everywhere. They are called “empanadas“, which is confusing because there are also doughey meat-filled things called empanadas. The cookies are sort-of baked into the paper…

Breakfast at the hotel:
I have coffee in the morning but I am drinking mate de coca as much as I can to combat the altitude.

Lunch next door, Cream of Choclo (big, fat, white corn) soup Yum!

Followed by fried trout. Yum!