From Ayacucho, Peru, the city I arrived in after the ice storm, I drove east for two days and arrived in the city of Cusco. The ride was picturesque, but I couldn't help but think about how spoiled I've become. After riding amongst the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca, the less profound rolling hills and farms that lined the 14 hour route, seemed merely so-so; when only a couple weeks ago they would have been mind blowing.
In keeping with what has seemingly become tradition for me in Peru, I had another spill while enroute to Cusco. This time it was on pavement: the first of its kind...yeah! (sarcasm) I think I may have been overly excited to be on blacktop again, especially on a really curvy road, and I pushed it a little too hard into an uphill switchback. It was a really tight turn, so I wasn't going very fast, but I leaned it over far enough to have the bike wash out on me. The car behind me stopped to see if I was OK, and when they saw that I was alright, the father and son were really excited to tell me about how far I leaned into the turn. They said that my right pannier hit the ground and then I crashed, but I'm still not sure if the tires had lost traction before the pannier hit. Regardless of how it happened, I know for a fact that the CE armor in my jacket saved my elbow, which more than a week later is still bruised and sore but not broken.
I spent Christmas Eve day at Machu Picchu, and returned to Cusco around 11:30 that evening. Christmas Eve was not at all like I had expected it to be. I pictured the entire city being shut down and people at home with their families. That wasn't the case at all. The main plaza was closed to traffic, and filled with people. There were vendors selling fireworks, moss that is burned as an incense, food and hot chocolate, and on top of that, thousands of people descended from local towns and slept in the plaza. They didn't have tents, but were packed in tightly with blankets under the overhangs of the stores and restaurants facing the plaza. The scene took on a party type atmosphere that I truly never expected. Christmas day in Cusco was similar. Many places didn't open until noon, and many remained closed, but I originally thought I'd have a hard time finding food on Christmas day with how religious South America is.
The day after Christmas, I road through the altiplano (high plains) to the border of Bolivia. While enroute, my mind wandered back to the experiences I had in Peru. While I don't think I'll ever be able to make a blanket statement such as, "____ was my favorite country," I can comfortably say that Peru delivered everything I had both consciously and subconsciously wanted to experience on this trip: Amazing landscapes that ranged from the desert to massive mountains and glaciers, challenging roads, good and bad weather, very long rides, minor bike problems (cracked pannier frames and a flat tire), friendly and welcoming people, corrupt police, and a genuine feeling of South American authenticity. On top of all that, it was really inexpensive. (Aside from Cusco and anything related to Machu Picchu. Even that was inexpensive to American standards, but not from a budget travel standpoint)
Crossing into Bolivia was pretty straightforward. An archway over the road marked the border, and both the Peruvian and Bolivian migration and aduana offices were well marked and logically located within meters of the arch on their respective side of the border. The $130 Bolivian visa was a bit of a surprise. Actually, I knew it was coming, but actually handing over 4-7 days of living expenses for a sticker in my passport was much more painful than it sounded when I was planning this trip.
My route in Bolivia took me to Copacabana, a small town on the shores of the beautiful Lake Titicaca, which is the world's highest navigable lake. From there I road northeast to the town of Sorata. The road to Sorata runs parallel to a mountain range that has some of Bolivia's highest peaks, but heavy fog ruined any chance I had of catching a glimpse. I returned down the same road the following day while enroute to La Paz, and the peaks poked through the clouds from time to time. There was a ridge between me and the mountains that the clouds seemed to cling to, so I turned of the main road and headed towards the ridge line via paths through farm fields. I was hoping to find a way to get over the ridge, but after being stuck in the mud several times (see video) in just the first couple minutes, there was no way I could make it to the ridge, and make it to La Paz in time to meet my friend Jurri.
I met Jurri on my way to Machu Picchu in Peru. He's from the Neatherlands and backpacking around South America for several weeks. His father is the Dutch Ambassador to Bolivia, so he's visiting his parents during his trip as well. While we were at Machu Picchu, he invited me to stay at the Ambassador's residence with he and his parents. I've been here for several days and have really had a nice time. The house is amazing, to say the least, and their hospitality has been overwhelming. The night I arrived, they treated me to a steak dinner at one of La Paz's finest restaurants, and it was unquestionably the best meal I have had in a very, very, long time.
The following day, Jurri, Malik (a family friend) and I, went on a mountain-biking on Bolivia's famous "Death Road". The ride began way up in the mountains, where it was snowing, and finished in a hot and humid tropical clime in the town of Corocoi. At this time the "Death Road" isn't overly dangerous, but I can see why there were so many fatalities when it was the primary road from La Paz to Corocoi. Actually, the ride back in the van on the paved road was infinitely more scary than the ride down on the bike. The combination of having a driver with really heavy eye lids, and the worst fog I've seen to date, made for a really attentive ride back, and I don't think anyone was able to relax.
We spent the day roaming around the city yesterday, and we're going to a Dutch owned bar/restaurant to celebrate New Years Eve tonight. Happy New Year! Until next time...
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