I did not sleep more than a few minutes last night. Somehow I just couldn’t sleep and lay awake and kept thinking about how I should repack what I have left, now that I can’t use saddle bags anymore.

At around 06:00, I got up and repacked the way I had thought about while being awake.

When everything was packed on the bike, and after we had our breakfast, I noticed that the button of the electrical starter was missing from my bike!!!!
Puno did not like me being there it seems. 😦
Luckily Ben spotted the button on the ground and I found the spring still inside the handle bar unit.

Every time I stop now and turn off the engine, I need to dig up the button and spring to get it started again and then put the 2 away safely. I will think of a better solution once I’m in Chile.

We left in the rain, but it cleared up frequently. We managed to find a route that would take us straight to Tacna, and thus avoid having to cross through Juliacca again. We also bypassed Arequipa and saved a lot of time.

The route took us over some of the highest passes of the area. At 4622 meter or 15.164 feet my faithful XTZ was struggling and lost a lot of power due to the thin air. It got cold and on the side of the road there was snow. At a certain point Ken and Ben wanted to have a break.

I was fine and they told me to ride ahead; they would catch up. So I did, and after another couple of high mountain passes, the road got dry and I speeded up. What a joy to ride the winding roads.

After a while, the rain got back and lots of it. The temperature rose, which made me realise I was getting lower and closer to the coast. When I rounded a few last corners the rain was behind me and suddenly I noticed that the bike had regained it’s power. I was down to 2000 meter.

I warmed up quickly and my gear seemed to dry out like in a dry cleaner. I stopped for a break and to dry out in the sun some more. Just after I started to ride again, Ken and Ben caught up. We reached the coastal highway and we were practically back in the desert. Strong winds, dust and heat. Ben and Ken didn’t feel much for staying in Tacna.

So today ends with camping on the beach. Early tomorrow morning we will head for Arica in Chile. Hopefully the border crossing will not take us too much time.

At 07:30 this morning, I was all ready to go and so were Ken and Ben Kriederman, the 2 American BMW riders. We decided to ride together to Puno and maybe further. After breakfast the hotel manager showed us a route to bypass Cusco. We had no need to visit Cusco again; it would only cost a lot of time to find our way through the city.

The weather was sunny and the road was dry. We made excellent progress. After a couple of hours, Ben pointed to the side of my bike. The rain cover of the right saddle bag had come lose by the wind and melted partly by the exhaust muffler. When I tried to tear it off, I ripped a tear in the bag itself.

Fortunately I was not without Duct tape, so the bag was repaired swiftly.

After a bite to eat, Ben suggested I’d ride in front. When riding last, one always goes faster, in order to keep up. Now that I rode up front, I kept the same speed, but for the other 2 that was faster than before. I was “hauling ass”, as Ben put it. I couldn’t really help it: the road was in excellent shape and the curves were long. It was a joy to ride there.

The altitude got higher and higher. The clouds got darker and darker.
We tried to out-run the rain, but it caught up with us just before Juliacca, the last big town before Puno.
Of all the Peruvian places I’ve seen so far, this is the filthiest and crappiest shit hole by a long shot.

We finally made it out of there and when we reached Puno at the Titicaca Lake, it stopped raining.

Looking for a hostel where we could park the bikes, we saw 3 other BMW motorcycles parked. Ken and Ben recognised the Colombians, Eduardo, Fernando and Daniel who owned the bikes, from the dealership in Bogota where they had their bikes serviced. The 6 of us had lunch. One of the Colombians was being hailed to look at the bikes. He came back with one of my saddle bags. The other was cut off and stolen……

That, of course did not amuse me at all… The stolen saddle bag (that I fixed earlier today with Duct tape) contained a few tools, a pair of shoes, an air compressor, tie raps, Duct tape and oil to lube my chain. The bag they left, contained the more valuable stuff.

All together we decided to search for a safe hostel. Thanks to Eduardo, we found one, where we all could park our bikes. We changed quickly and hurried over to the lake to catch a boat to the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. They consist of layers and layers of reed (thatch) and on each island live a maximum of 5 families.

After this interesting excursion we had a simple meal for diner and had lots of fun. Tomorrow we plan to go to Arequipa, or maybe even Tacna, which is the last town before the border with Chile.

06:40 the train left for Aguas Cailentes. It took 1,5 hours to get there and from there another half hour by bus over a dirt road with numerous hairpins to finally arrive on top  at the entrance to Machu Picchu.

What a magnificent sight!!!! The weather at first was cloudy, but literally within minutes it cleared up and the sun came out. The next few hours were simply amazing. Despite the presence of a huge crowd, there was enough opportunity to see everything, except for the higher parts. To see those one needs a separate ticket that you can only buy at least 2 weeks in advance.

I met up with the 2 Americans and afterwards we had lunch in Aguas Cailentes. This is also a nice little place, and also fully designated to tourism. Ken decided he wanted to try guinea pig for lunch. He did eat it, but apparently there wasn’t much meat on it.

My train back left at 14:00 and by then it was raining hard again. We were so lucky with the sun at Machu Picchu. I was back at Ollontaytambo around 15:30. Time to check oil on the bike and get my gear sorted out for tomorrow.
We discussed the route today, and Ken and Ben don’t mind if I ride along. We’ll see if I can keep up. If weather allows it we’ll camp out tomorrow night.
Actually, they don’t let the weather decide, but I didn’t bring all my camping gear, so I will decide when it comes to that.

Since we may be camping there won’t be an opportunity for updates for at least a couple of days.
My apologies ……

This monday morning I was confident that I would reach Ollantaytambo somewhere mid afternoon, so I would have enough time to figure out where to arrange the tickets for Macchu Pichu.

When I left Abancay there was a hint of rain, but the sun was clearly dominant. The hotel man gave me a few vague directions and the Garmin did the rest, for once completely accurate. So I found myself enjoying the winding roads of the area. All roads are pretty much winding, no matter what direction you go. The only drawback are the trucks and sometimes buses. Soooo slow uphill.

Unfortunately the rain wouldn’t let of, and that really took the fun away…. Then, finally I rounded the last few corners before entering Urubamba from where the last few km’s to Ollantaytambo should begin. I found myself riding in to a crowd of people who were all waiting to cross the bridge… on foot. Not a single vehicle was allowed to pass; the bridge got damaged somehow or was about to collapse……

From the little Spanish I understand, I could make out that the other option was to ride via Cusco: a detour of over 60 km !!!!!!

It felt like the rain really had it in for me today. From 30 minutes after leaving the closed-off bridge, it began seriously pouring down. When I reached Cusco, it seemed like I was watching the remnants of a small disaster. The drains were overflowing with muddy water and there was trash everywhere. And it was cold.

Summertime in Cusco, Peru: 11° Celsius!

The first thing I wanted to do, was find a fuel station that sells 95 RON gasoline. After 3 disappointing stations in the outskirts I found my way to the city centre and there finally I found one. The nice gentleman from the gas station also gave me directions towards Pisac (or Pisaq) a little town on the way to Urubamba. Another 3 times I had to ask for directions and it was far from easy maneuvering through steep and narrow, slippery, cobblestone streets in the hard rain. Finally I made it out of Cusco and on the way to Pisac, only 26 km to go. Daylight was fading when I got to Pisac.

This was the point for me to stop riding for the day. I was not going to get to Ollantaytambo unless in the dark. Riding on, over unlit winding roads in the rain and dark is not my cup of tea. Also the water really found it’s way through my gear in the end…. I was soaking.

The third hostel I tried had room for my motorbike under their ‘garaje’ which was no more than a carport really.

It’s a crappy place that, by the looks of it, doesn’t get many clients. No WiFi  and not cheap either. But at least it’s dry.

Tomorrow I plan to start early towards Ollantaytambo. Wondering if I’ll be able to visit Machu Picchu tomorrow or the day after that.

Sunday 06 January 2013.

This day had everything. Heat, cold, dry, rain, hail,  feeling depressed, feeling very well…….
Last night one of the travellers in the hostel, pointed my attention to a hummingbird, just outside the hostel. This was the first time in my life I saw one that wasn’t caged.
I took a picture on which you can’t distinguish it’s wings, because they go so fast.

When I started today’s trip at 08:00, it was already hot. Nazca is desert area, so I estimate it was some 28° C when I left. Within the hour I was in the mountains where it got so cold already, I had to change to my winter gloves and put the insolation lining in my jacket. Later on, it started to rain and it even hailed from time to time. There was a cold strong wind all the time.

Although there were some spectacular views from the long winding road, it simply was to dangerous to stop. The roads are pretty good but there are few guardrails and most trucks and buses have the tendency to cut corners. Most hairpin corners and even the non-hairpin ones, are cut out of the rock. There’s no way to know what’s around the corner, so defensive riding was imperative.

My destination Abancay was 489 km away; riding 30 to 40 km/h through the mountains really made me doubt if I could reach Abancay before nightfall. Last night the hostel organised a saturday night party, so I didn’t sleep all that long. Riding through the mountains, feeling cold and wet (rain pants only kept dry for about 10 to 15 minutes) I really wasn’t in the best of moods. Worrying is never good and the result was that I felt like I forgot everything I learned of riding winding roads. On top of everything I almost ran out of fuel and there were no fuel stations anywhere. With the fuel taps on reserve, I kept the clutch in as much as I could so the motorbike would idle and roll out. Fortunately, the road just started to descend in to a valley and for about 35 km I could easily practise the idling.

Arriving in the valley of Apurimac was a nice surprise. A river floats next to the road the whole time.   Everything looked lush and green. The temperature was comfortable and the road excellent. After I filled up at a fuel station, I started to feel a lot better and got in to my confidant riding mood. Despite the rain that occasionally did stop, the only thing I really had to consider was the crossing of livestock. Cows, sheep, donkeys, goats and Llamas were abundant.

Because the road was in such a good condition, I made up a little time, really enjoying hanging in corners. 30 minutes before arriving in Abancay, 2 other big bikes joined me. They were from Colombia, but I didn’t get a chance to talk because I lost them in the busy traffic of the town. The last surprise of today, was that I couldn’t fill up on Euro 95, because the maximum they sell here at fuel stations is 90 RON. I needed no more than about 5 litres or so. Hopefully The bike won’t have problems. When I arrived at the hotel, I had been on the road for 10 hours. To state that I was tired, is an understatement.

In the hotel I repacked and threw out even more. The large bag on the back has gone. I re-allocated everything I keep over the other bags and I will wear my backpack while riding. Because of the rain and the dangerous road, I did not make many photo’s.
The destination for tomorrow is Ollantaytambo, just before Machu Picchu.

Today, 05 January, I went out to ride without the luggage. The destination was the so called “Necropolis”, a place where a number of open graves contain mummies that date back to the pre-Inca time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauchilla_Cemetery.
It’s quite amazing to see how well they are preserved and still sit outside in their open tombs with merely an overhang as protection.

The road towards the cemetery was gravel and sand for the last 15 to 20 km’s or so. This was my first actual dirt road, other than a couple of times practising. It went pretty well, but I was rather tensed during the whole trip, back and forth. Standing on the pegs, I never got above 40 km’s/hour.

This reality check, made me wonder about my itinerary. This trip was without luggage and all the freedom to move around. Will Bolivia have also more than 1000 km’s of dirt tracks? How much time will I loose on those when riding fully packed?
Are there any sights in Bolivia that I absolutely must see? My main 2 goals on this continent are Machu Picchu and Patagonia. Bolivia was an extra maybe.

I have decided: I am going to skip Bolivia and go for Chili straight after Machu Picchu.
The amount of riding days at best are at least another 25 or more. In that case I will have to ride nearly every day and nothing can go wrong. I have taken into account that seeing Machu Picchu will at least take another day and Patagonia maybe 2 or 3. It seems I have lost too much time at customs in Lima to be able to complete this itinerary in a realistic way.

Tomorrow I will be on the road again to towards Abancay and then Machu Picchu. After that I will see how much time it will take to reach Conception in Chile. In my mind that will be a point where I should decide wether Patagonia is still feasible (taking into account that there are numerous gravel tracks as well) or I might have to cross straight through Argentina for Buenos Aires.

The trip to Abancay tomorrow will show me if the gear on the bike is still too heavy and therefore I may need to make even more sacrifices or that it will be acceptable.

Today I left for the first trip in Peru, from Lima to Nazca.
Nazca is famous for the Nazca “Lines”, giant shapes ‘crop circles’ style drawn in the desert floor.
How they’ve been made has been clarified; why they were made or what they mean, remains a mystery.

This morning I started packing the bike at 07:00 and soon realised that I brought a lot of stuff.
REALITY CHECK 1: Bike is top heavy and too ‘light’ in the front.
Stubborn as I am, I left anyway. It would work out, just needs getting used too, I told myself.

Finding my way out of Lima was quite the challenge. My sense of direction, which is 95% of the times spot on and amazingly accurate, was in an ongoing battle with my Garmin GPS. In time I did manage to find the right route 😉
Riding a motorcycle in Peru has pro’s and cons……  1 disadvantage is, that usually the motorbikes here are small and no more than 250 cc. Other traffic disregards anything on 2 wheels. At least 4 times today I had to escape to the side of the road to prevent from being smashed by upcoming trucks and cars that were overtaking on my lane…..
On the positive side: Toll road attendants also treat bikes as unimportant, and therefore let you pass without paying.

REALITY CHECK 2: the desert is really hot and dusty.. 😉 My riding gear couldn’t keep me cool….
Many times I remembered the Sahara desert back in 2005, since the landscape was so similar and the temperature too. The heavy sidewinds made me lean in the wind and I wondered if my tires weren’t wearing out too much on 1 side.
Also after lunch, the warmth and the monotonous noise of the wind, made me drowsy and that is always dangerous. Fortunately I acknowledged the sensation very quickly and made myself focus a lot more.

It got more cloudy and eventually it even rained for a little bit. Not enough however to stop and change in to rain gear.
The road was winding through the hills and even with the substantial extra weight, de bike went great.
Close to Nazca is a lookout tower which presents a view on a couple of line drawings nearby. Across the road is a small parking space where I put the bike on it’s side stand.
After I got back to the bike I suited up and just when I was mounting the bike, it fell through it’s side stand. I couldn’t believe this was happening on the first day of the actual trip.
2 Very helpful bystanders helped me pick up the bike and held it upright while I mounted up. As far as I could see, besides the broken jiffy, there was no damage… 🙂 it landed mostly on my large bag. Only the mirror needed adjustment.

When I arrived in Nazca, 2 guys in a car persuaded me to come check out their hostel, where there was room for the motorbike. I followed them and the 2 men held my bike while I put all my luggage inside. When I mentioned the broken jiffy, they directed me to a man 2 blocks up the road who could weld it. I found the man and was very relieved that it was fixed straight away.
When I returned to the hostel, they gestured to ride the bike inside the hostel… 🙂 Nice and comfy my Supertenéré sleeps indoors.

Realising that the luggage is too heavy, I sorted out what I carry with me. Clothes and tools are the main things that I will disregard in order to slim down the weight.

For diner I had the Peruvian popular ceviche, raw fish, marinated in lemon juice, served with onions and sweet potato. Pisco Sour was my drink for the night.

Let’s see how things are in the morning… 🙂