Day 59 - 68. Beauty and the butt ugly beast

Day 59 Santa Maria

Still amongst the shorter, flatter "holiday" riding, we had 78km with only 486m of climbing.

At lunch, we stopped at the beginning the dirt road leading to the Quilmes ruins. Only a few of us opted to ride the climbing dirt road to visit. I wouldn't have forgiven myself for not satisfying my curiosity, as I still had plenty of daylight left to finish the day. The ruins themselves weren't all that spectacular. Aside from the fact they were a bit higher than the valley we'd ridden in from, so there was a nice view. The ruins were basically low walls made of stacked rocks like what we'd previously seen being used as paddock fences up until now. The stall selling cold drinks however was most welcome. 

If anything, I couldn't drop the feeling that the ruins have been restored a little to become a political tool. The information leaflets were all about the indigenous people of the region, and the treatment these people received during colonisation, and nothing about the ruins themselves, or the lifestyles of the people when the place was first built. I found even this fascinating, as it sounds much like a similar story to what is heard back in Australia.

Part of the riding was on very soft gravel which the tyres sink in, and can cause the bike to squirm and even throw you off if not careful. Hard work.

It has been said that in Argentina in the previous years of this trip, people begin to put back on some of the weight they've lost. I can see why. Even in the smaller town of Santa Maria, the ice cream shop was still open during siesta time, and the 1/2kg tub of ice cream was delicious.

Speaking of siesta. In Argentina, siesta is strongly followed. So the shops MIGHT open in the morning, no guarantees there. Then loosely around midday, siesta begins and the place becomes a ghost town. At around 6pm, the shops begin to open again. If you want to go out for dinner, good luck finding a place open before 8pm.

Day 60 Hualfin, the butt ugly side of cycling

122km with 680m of climbing. When this amount of climbing is spread over this distance, may as well call it flat. Long low rolling undulations, hardly enough to slow us down. Instead, it has another dreaded feature, the long straight road. Some of the riders find this difficult due to the lack of changing landscape, and do their best to ride together to at least chat while getting the distance done.

I made it to the lunch spot at 65km, and was suffering catastrophic butt failure. The day after day of sitting on a bike saddle for so many hours, it can go from being sore to quite painful. In my case it was getting so painful I was slowing down, and was no longer able to properly take in my environment, and the legs weren't too keen on moving. Not mistaking it with some other people have been experiencing, which is broken skin from the constant friction when pedalling.

We stayed at a spot which was a little out of the way, yet had hot springs. So our showers consisted of going into a concrete shed, and there was a pipe constantly streaming out nice big volumes of very warm water. Quite nice.

Day 61 San Blas de los Sauces

Still suffering catastrophic butt failure, I opted to recover sitting in the nice, wide, soft, padded seat in the truck. As a result, I missed a 160km flat day.

Day 62 Chilecito

119km with 842km of climbing. A howling beast of a day I won't forget in a hurry. Well, until I meet the famous Patagonian winds later I suspect.

Yes, the day was windy. All day, with headwinds except for a brief 30 second tailwind when meeting a junction between valleys. The day should have been easy given the lack of steep climbing. Instead it felt like we were climbing a moderately steep hill constantly all day. Oh, then add the occasional dust storm which masked the surrounding countryside. In this region, not seeing far wasn't much of a problem as it was more of long wide valleys, with mountains running either side. We'd been seeing this for days, so most of us had stopped taking pictures which is quite surprising, as some are stopping what seems every 100m to take a shot of something.

By the time I reached Chilecito and the beginning of a rest day, I was covered in dust except where my sunglasses had been.

In Chilecito, we were staying in apartments spread over a small property. Quite comfortable. I was sharing with the party animals. Later that night, I was woken by a soon to be squished mosquito. When I came out of my room for a moment, the party animals were still being animals having a party, and they misheard me when I said "There's mozzies in my room man!". They heard "there's an aussie in my room!", which got some chuckles, as the aussie was no longer in the room, and this has been brought up multiple times in the days since.

Day 63 Villa Union

119km and 1240m of climbing. Well, that's what the sheet for the day said. The route was changed however, and so rode the same distance, but climbed 1679m. Nope, not flat. 2 significant climbs rather than having the undulations spread out over the day. 

Look it up if you would like, but in the difficulty level used by rides such as Tour de France, my bike computer later calculated this day as difficulty level 1. Level 4 is the least difficult, through to level 1. There is 1 level above level 1 which is "HC" which apparently means "Hors Category", or in english means outside category, but I prefer to think it stands for Holy Crap.

Not that it wasn't enjoyable. The first climb was on dirt road, and in some parts very steep, which now I'm capable of getting through them, I'm finding I enjoy the achievement. Not only that, when at the start of the day we see on our sheets how much climbing we have to do, it's nice to get them done in big chunks rather than having the climbing drag throughout the day.

During the first climb I rode with Tamsin from the UK, but once descending the other side into a long valley. She's a good consistent climber, and more cautious when going downhill, especially when the road is not sealed. I waited for her to catch up once during the first descent, but after that I was enjoying the rough road continuously going downhill too much to hit the brakes.

Once starting the second climb, I encountered Christine and Yolande. There were some thorns on the road, and there I was coming round the corner when Yolande was holding the spare tube. So I pulled over to help out. Not that I minded, although unfortunately for me this also won me the llama mascot for the day.

Looking back down the valley during the 2nd climb of the day

A reminder about the llama. The llama is our little toy mascot that a rider keeps with them for the day, and is passed from rider to rider. Usually the person who gains the llama has done a "llama moment" that everyone remembers. The challenge then is to keep note of what everyone gets up to, so that there's a story to tell with it the next day about what happened. Whoever does the best llama moment, wins the llama. So we all enjoy some of the stories we hear, until that moment when we get it!

Camping beside a petrol station that night was quite good. It had wifi, and the shop attached was open, so there was coffee, drinks, ice cream and toilets. Luxurious.

Day 64 San Jose de Jachal

A 143km 886 day. Although for me it was shorter, I only got through 73km. I started having a lot of coughing fits after going through the dust on the way to Chilecito, and was getting worse so decided to back off. I certainly didn't want a repeat performance of what happened during the first month of this trip, which back then had landed me in a private hospital for treatment.

Day 65 Tocota

116km and 1806m of climbing. This climbing was constant, and done through the entire day.

Richard takes a photo of the lake and the visible again snow capped mountains

Compared to the other days, 116km doesn't seem so tough. However, at perhaps half way through, the road became unpaved. There were a few who suspected the last part of the day will take too long, and opted to go in the truck to get to camp. Not so silly in hindsight.

At first, quite a few of us were saying that the surface wasn't too bad, remembering how bad it can get after riding in Bolivia. Oops, instant jinx. After we'd taken the time to even dare thinking that the surface was ok, it wasn't ok anymore. It became the dreaded loose gravel and sand. The energy sapping, wheel sinking and spinning, bike kicking and squirming, tough to ride through stuff. But wait, there's more. Then the wind turned from being a cross wind, to headwind.

There were parts that couldn't be ridden it was so soft, there many trails of footprints beside tyre tracks.

With perhaps 20km to go, I hit the wall. No fuel left in the tank. What was I to do though? No phone reception, the trucks had already passed and gone to the campsite. So the afternoon became as much a mental challenge as it was a physical one. I finally reached the campsite just before 6:30. A long day on the bike, when we left the hotel that morning just after 8.

That night we celebrated Adrian's (UK) birthday. He does enjoy beer, so with a little inspiration, a fake cake was made where first there were some beer cans taped together, then coated in icing. When Adrian went to cut the cake...POP! Geyser of beer. Awesome. That can was quickly recovered and put to its intended use. Then the real cake came out.

The campsite was a surprise, as we camped beside a police station. The police station was in the middle of nowhere. Apparently the police at this spot are more concerned about making sure people don't damage or hurt the flora or fauna. So we had a cold shower, toilet and soft grass to put the tents on, and surrounded by paddocks with horses with the sound of the wind through the poplar trees to fall asleep to.

Day 66 Barreal

129km with 695m of climbing. I hadn't fully recovered from the previous day, so I made it to lunch after riding 86km, with the first part of it being on the dirt road from yesterday, but at least it was downhill and the surface seemed a little more solid.

Just before lunch however, we had secretly agreed to all meet together. Didier, the crew member who is the medic, truck driver, supplier of lunch and all round good guy didn't know we were about to celebrate his birthday. So when everyone had caught up, as a group we armed ourselves with silly party hats, horns, rattles and then rode around the corner making as much noise as we could to where Didier was wondering where everyone was. Complete with Richard in the 2nd truck with the fire engine siren and lights going. The 2 trucks are old fire engines, not sure if I'd mentioned that previously? Didier broke out with a big grin, so that worked.

Rock formations before reaching Barreal

Day 67 Uspallata. Should be prounced "oo-spa-yata", I prefer to say "you splat a"

112km and 808m of climbing.

This was just the day I needed both mentally and physically. We had far more paved road than was expected, the climb was barely noticeable with a single hump up, then downhill the rest of the day. The unpaved road was a much better surface than expected, with few soft spots.

During the climb before the unpaved part, I was able to ride with Malcolm and Tamsin side by side across the road as there was so little traffic. Quite good chatting away and eating up the distance so easily even though we were still climbing thanks to some help from a tailwind.

Once the top was reached, it wasn't long before the paved surface returned and a nice downhill started complete with a strong tailwind. Most of the time at this part I was happily moving along at 50km/h with no effort at all.

The town where we were camping was my kind of town. Not so big that everything becomes an inconvenience, but just big enough to have the essentials and still be pleasant. It was a Sunday, and beside our campsite there was a horse riding competition, and a road bicycle race going through town, so it had a festive atmosphere to the place. It also had a place to get coffee and ice cream. When riding back from the cafe to the campsite, one of the racers on a bike had gone in front of me, so the crowd on either side of the road first saw a racer go past, then another cyclist approach with a name plate on the front of the bike, but then became a little confused when they saw it was a mountain bike, and the rider was wearing casual t shirt and shorts (I'd already changed from the battle clothes and had a shower). A bit of fun.

Day 68 Mendoza. First impressions don't always last

111km and 1270m of climbing.

The first 30km was all up. Not too steep at between 3-6% incline (briefly I saw 12% just before the top), with the last 16km of climbing on unpaved surface. Thankfully, very few soft patches that cause the wheels to  sink and squirm to the side.

With the climb and lunch done however, there was the most beautiful downhill. A descent of 2000m. Starting at 3000m above sea level, there were over 300 curves on this unpaved road that was in good condition. All amongst proper rocky mountains, and the wind pushing clouds up the side. During the descent I saw a herd of Guanacos (type of llama) and a falcon who took off from a rock just above me as I passed. This is what I had in mind before coming here, of what it's like to ride amongst the mountains.

Let the fun begin!

Once the descent from the proper mountains was done, the downhill wasn't finished. The surface became paved and kept dropping to the plain where Mendoza is. Nice curved road that I happily carved up the corners on at over 50km/h.

The road eventually flattened out and for 30km perhaps, there was a headwind and even the look of rain. The air was misty below the clouds, but never felt a rain drop.

Once reaching the edge of town however, not so good. Didier meets Malcolm and myself with the news that 2 people riding a motorbike had pushed Ghilly over when she was riding, and tried to steal her bike, with 1 of them displaying what looked like a gun. I heard later that Ghilly was convinced the gun was fake, which goes along with what they did when she refused to let go of her bike. Rather than properly threatening to shoot, they were hitting her with it. Either way you look at it though, not good. She yelled out enough that the locals all came out, and the 2 idiots left empty handed. She had a scrape to the knee, but otherwise she later seemed ok and she had continued riding from the incident to the campsite.

Malcolm and I also saw a motorbike rider lying on the road after having an accident, with people around him. This was on the same road that Ghilly had her moment.

Welcome to Mendoza!

We later heard that the road we first used should be avoided. Experience prompts me to agree.

Our campsite was right out on the edge of the city. When visiting the city, it looks very western, with the typical Spanish touch of a plaza in the middle. The Plaza Independencia is quite large, with trees and fountains. As far as cities go, it's quite beautiful. The coffee I later found to be excellent.

Day 54 - 58. Holidays, coffee and vineyards

Day 54 Quebrada de Humahuaca

First, no photos in this post. The internet connection where I am is not much better than 2 cups connected by a piece of string. Let your imagination fill the gaps this time.

118km and 541m of climbing. In other words reasonably flat and uneventful day just eating up some distance.

For a good portion of the morning we experienced a headwind, which any cyclist will tell you makes things immensely more difficult. Mostly mentally, as the eyes tell you it's easy, yet there's this invisible hand pushing back.

It was enjoyable still, and this time I had Richard (one of the crew) riding beside me. He noticed with my downhill bike, my pedalling position wasn't as good as it could be. He asked me if my legs get sore, which my response was "always". This is a good thing, as it means something can be done to make me faster!

The end result was the seat was moved forward and up. The difference was significant. More power for the climbs!

Day 55 Yala. A day to make the eyes water

So we had a 151km day with 421m of climbing. Looking at the profile, it was almost entirely all downhill. It was dropping off the 3500m high altiplano down by more than 2000m. My kind of day!

The day starts with a VERY cold start at bushcamp. So we wake with one of the trucks having some upbeat music being played as we settled in for breakfast. Next thing I knew people were having a dance party as the sun rose. Some people may be overall grumpy and sluggish, but that morning was a rather enjoyable and amusing experience. As I was walking past the kitchen benches, Kirsten suggested I move (as in dance with the music), my answer was that of course I'm moving, I'm walking! Wilbert throws in "that's man talk". Hehe, too right. Dancing is a spectator sport.

The riding first thing in the morning was cold and fast. Most of the time moving along anywhere between 30-40km/h. By the time we'd reached the lunch spot, we'd descended enough for it to become warm enough to shed all the jackets, arm and leg warmers.

From lunch onwards, it should have been more of the same fast easy pace. It sure as hell wasn't. The wind howled through the valley. It would have been faster and easier to turn around and climb back up the road with the wind behind me. On the same sort of slopes where we were travelling at up to 40km/h downhill, we were pushing hard into the wind at between 10-15km/h. Good mental exercise in advance of reaching Patagonia.

The day ended upon reaching a rather nice campsite. Complete with cafe. So I sat with Paul, Babette and James drinking coffee and having ice cream while learning of their riding experiences in other places. Nice.

Day 56 Salta

122km with 1296m of climbing.

The ride to Salta shows a hint of the days to come. The crew and some other riders who have seen this area before describe these areas as beautiful and easy to ride. Very much a holiday. Ok, in a sense we are on holidays for the entire trip, but it's mostly hard work!

The ride was very enjoyable going through the Argentinian countryside. In many ways it felt like home with the sort of hills and trees. The rural areas were clearly far wealthier than the places we've seen in Peru and Bolivia.

After lunch we rode a side road which was like riding through a national park. Weaving road up and down hills. A great way to travel.

I was also really beginning to notice the huge increase in leg strength thanks to the improved riding position and the product of a lot of riding to get this far. I'm not having to spin my way up all the climbs, but rather leave the bike in a taller gear and muscle my way up which is much faster if the endurance lasts!

At Salta we had 2 rest days waiting for us at a campsite. Some opted to rest in hotels at their own cost. I chose to camp.

That night we celebrated reaching half way to Ushuaia with a barbeque. It was a looooong and great night. I finally stumbled to my tent at 4am.

Day 57 Quebrada del Conchas

96km and 519m of climbing. So in the grand scheme of things, pretty flat.

The day was easy with mostly a gentle downhill all day with the occasional hill. It felt so easy that I kept expecting something to happen like a huge headwind to even things out. Instead, we gained a tailwind.

We arrived at a private property, and the owner lets the group camp each year Bike Dreams comes through. A nice place with some open areas and huge cactus plants. Plenty of midges too. Scratch scratch scratch...

Day 58 Cafayate

94km with 940m of climbing. Essentially a gentle uphill all day, with the occasional bonus bump.

We spent most of the day riding through a canyon, full of cliffs baring their red and yellow bands of colour.

There were a couple of stops along the way, where there are natural amphitheatres in the cliffside. In the one at our lunch spot, Paul (Australia) played his harmonica to take advantage of the acoustics. It's a tourist attraction there, so there was already a guitarist busker who plays to the tourists. After Paul had played for a little while, the guitarist joined in for an impromptu jam session, followed by a song by Pink Floyd. A very enjoyable lunch!

Cafayate is an area known for their vineyards, and the place is beautiful. Better still, on arriving in town, there were multiple heladerias (ice cream shops). I had to sample from a couple of them!

Day 46 - 53. Tough days, spectacular scenery and perhaps some decent coffee to be had soon.

Day 46 Altiplano (bus crash)

Loooong day with 146km which was relatively flat with only 416m of climbing over the whole day.

This is the altiplano, or in english high altitude flat plain.

We stayed together for the most part, and throughout the day I was riding with a group. It worked out that we took turns at the front to push through the wind, including myself.

Lunch was protected from the wind in a building that had hot baths should we have chosen to indulge. I was too eager to keep going, like most of us.

With land this flat, even at a respectable 30km/h, the scenery changes very slowly. I know my room mate Lee was not looking forward to this day because it's such a slogging it out grind, even though he's one of the strongest riders. He prefers to be challenged and see faster changes in the terrain.

Towards the end of the day I was riding with 5 other people. I let slip that with the ground being so flat, we'll have a great view of the night sky, so then I said "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with S". I was referring to seeing many stars later that night. Yet somehow that became a game between us as we rode to camp. When the letter S came up again, Malcolm volunteered the answer "subsistence farmers" to which I volunteered a quick 2 word expletive in return. Kevin added he couldn't have said it any better himself (my expletive, not Malcom's answer) which got a chuckle or 2. What an unexpected way to finish the ride. Playing I spy.

The camp site is called bus crash because there was a bus crash there some years ago, and the shell of the bus is still at the side of the road as a memorial to those who died.

The site had mud brick buildings that weren't finished and didn't have a roof on any of them. Someone in our group had taken the time to mark out signs to be like a hotel, such as the lobby, dining room, free wifi ( and a few other signs marking out who had claimed a particular spot. A nice touch.

Day 47 Meteorite Crater!

A much shorter day of 83km and 483m of climbing. Not that the numbers meant much. This is where we saw our first example of Bolivian dirt roads. ROUGH. Sandy and corrugated. Quite often the locals drive beside the road and create their own much smoother track, but also often quite sandy.

So the day still presented a challenge. This was also a very good day to have dual suspension like how I do with my bike, and also Fred and Adrian Moye also have dual suspension. Still, sometimes the corrugations are spaced in such a way that it causes both wheels to lift at the same time which can be quite unsettling. Go over them too fast, and it can become too difficult to even focus to see where to go.

Still, despite the adventurous ride, we were treated to camping beside a meteorite crater. Best guesstimates of the crater were between 600m and 1km wide, and 30m deep. A special place to visit.

Taking a photo of Ilkka taking a photo of the crater

Not only that, some of the locals have recognised the tourist potential of the place, and over the last year they'd started building a visitor's centre. So we had toilets, and they even stocked up on beer for us which was appreciated and we bought quite a few!

Camping here was not one of the things I knew to expect, so what a pleasant surprise. I've never had the opportunity to see a crater, let alone camp beside one.

Day 48 Tahua

Again a short day of 73km with 509m of climbing. Again, not that the numbers meant much. A tough day with some of the climbs being through deep soft sand.

At one stage I was climbing up the hill riding sideways. My back wheel out to the side spinning in the sand. That takes a LOT of energy and effort!

In the later part of the day we all rode together at a group, stopping at each dirt road intersection as it could get confusing with so many ways to go. The directions list was a full page. So Wilbert led the way.

Yes, we even get to ride around a volcano!

The scenery was regularly changing and enjoyable. Especially when we reached the top of the last hill. It was then that we could see the huge Salar de Uyuni. The world's largest salt flat.

The first view of Salar de Uyuni

When we dropped down to our lakeside camp site, it was just fantastic. Soft grassy ground to put our tents on, and the view of the salt flat.

That night we had the coldest night (I think it was anyhow) that we had yet when camping. I normally keep my camelbak (backpack with a 3L water bladder) with me in the tent. Not only did the tube to the mouthpiece freeze, but also a crust of ice inside the bladder itself. Best guesses was it reached -10C that night. Not that I minded, I had the right tent and sleeping bag for the job.

Day 49 Salar de Uyuni

So on this day we had 102km of riding, with 0m of climbing. Nada, zilch. Dead flat.

After taking the short track to the edge of the salt flat, there was a little bit of shallow water to ride through, then we were on the salt.

Normally salt flats have the reputation of not only being flat, but also smooth. The ride to lunch at the Isla del Pescado was rough. Very rough. So Yolande who has a cyclocross bike which really is a mildly adapted road bike, she had a very tough time.

After lunch however, we were following the traffic tracks to the hotel near the edge of the salt flat, so the last 60km of riding was much better.

Yup, I'd say that's flat!

The hotel was made of blocks of salt. So definitely a novelty factor there. Later in the afternoon there were rally cars roaring past doing a training run. This is what I was expecting to see!

Hotel made of salt

It was great with most of us sitting outside watching the sunset until the sun dipped below the horizon and the temperature plummeted. At this altitude like everywhere else, the sun may be warm, but the air is always cool. On  the salt flat even more so, as the salt doesn't warm up as much, but rather bounces the sun's rays back off. We've been spending quite a lot of time at over 3500m above sea level, and I'd been riding the whole day with arm and leg warmers on. My bike computer in the middle of the day may say the temperature was 30C, but that's because the sun was on it. Cover up, and still feel not too warm, and not have to bother with sunscreen for the covered areas.

Dinner in the hotel was by candle light given the lack of lights.

Day 50 Uyuni

What's this? Only 35km?! Anyone would think we're on holidays!

So we start the morning with an almost 7km long time trial. I tried warming up and had ridden an extra 8km before my turn (so I rode 43km in total for the day), but asthma still kicked in when I started. Pity! The time trial was fun and something different.

Once off the salt, we had the usual dirt road full of sand and corrugations to Uyuni.

The hotel was quite comfortable, and a small group of us visited the nearby train graveyard. The trains were left to rust when there was no further use for them when the local mining industry collapsed partly due to mineral depletion in the 1940s.

Day 51 Atocha

A 103km day with 689m of climbing.

Once again deep sand on the roads, and corrugations. Acceptance of the surface is sinking in, and just appreciating the day for what it is.

The scenery was clearly showing more mountainous country rather than the usual flat altiplano. The deep red and purple colours in the rocks towards the end of the day was quite spectacular.

Kevin and Graeme admiring the change in landscape

For the last part of the ride, quite a few of us took the option of riding on the river bed rather than the road. The river bed was by far a better surface, and a bit of fun too before arriving in the mining town of Atocha.

Christine and myself about to cross the river again and reach Atocha

Day 52 Tupiza. Thanks Bolivia!

109km with a more mountainous 1541m of climbing.

No doubt about it, a very tough day.

At first, after following the river bed again and crossing through water with soft silt, the climbs were gentle enough. The road weaved around and over the rolling hills at first. So I got the feeling I was riding in a big playground. Probably not the best way to describe it, but that's how it felt and the word playground came to mind when I was riding it.

Then the road got serious.

STEEP in parts. Up to 14% incline. This is still on sandy corrugated dirt road don't forget. The climbs got more brutal approaching lunch.

At lunch Susana asked me if I was hitting the wall (running out of energy) yet. I replied I was close. She mentioned that most of the other people were feeling the same way.

There was still 1 last climb before a downhill. Another steep climb, at one point I measured 10% incline. It was one of those climbs where I saw a corner way up and decided that must be the top, then when reaching that corner, see another corner way up again. That happened 3 times.

The downhill wasn't too bad, had to be careful with the corrugations, and once again when it flattened out a little, opted for the river bed.

Riding along the river bed was fun, and the scenery changed noticeably until I thought I was in roadrunner (the cartoon) country complete with tall skinny red rocks and canyons.

The day may have been tough, yet the scenery throughout the day did not disappoint. So exhausting, sore and enjoyable would be a way to summarise the day.

So in Tupiza we had a rest day, and our final stay in Bolivia.

Day 53 La Quiaca Argentina. Hello Argentina! I hear that in your cafes you have real coffee! If so, we'll get along fine.

A 93km day with 1296m of climbing.

It starts with a gentle downhill, so a good speed to warm up with and watch the scenery go by. I should mention we start and finish this day on beautiful, smooth new sealed road. So out of character compared to what I'd seen up until then in Bolivia, except for the first 2 or 3 days in to Bolivia from Peru.

At one point we went through a dark tunnel which was unnerving as I didn't have any lights on my bike, and going from bright daylight to dark tunnel meant at first I was guessing where I was going. Lucky for most of us, no potholes or surprises.

After perhaps 35km of cruising, it turned uphill for a 7% incline climb for roughly the next 10km to reach 600m higher. Climbing on paved road is SO much easier! I also discovered that since my previous climbs on sealed road, I was noticably stronger in the legs and so faster at climbing.

Lunch was at the top, then for the rest of the day there was just rolling hills all the way to the Bolivia/Argentina border. Crossing the border was uneventful, and our hotel was just on the other side.

Let's see what Argentina offers.

Day 42 - 45. Pleasant surprises and a not so pleasant reminder

Day 42 Hotel Titicaca

A short day, and quite cold. The coldest day of riding yet. Even compared to riding through the high altitude National Park Huascaran back on day 21.

So we had 75km and 845m of climbing. The climbing was done in lumps, which I've begun to appreciate just getting a climb done and then on to a flat or downhill part rather than a long drawn out gentle climb.

Woke in the morning to find the surrounding mountains covered in snow. Quite pretty. Left the hotel and straight into a climb. As usual when there's an immediate climb and no warm up, asthma kicked in and I had to let it settle down, which it did after perhaps 5km. By then of course my fellow riders had disappeared. No matter, I had a peaceful ride.

At the top of the climb, the scenery was beautiful with the mountains and Lake Titicaca both to the north and south of the spit of land I had climbed. As the road weaved its way to the water crossing, I guessed this is how it would look to ride through the Scottish highlands with its terrain, water and climate. Not that I'd know, I've yet to go there, but it still didn't stop me hoping to catch a glimpse of Nessie (Loch Ness monster) in the water.

I made it to lunch and the water crossing in good time despite the annoying asthma at the beginning, I was only a minute or 2 behind Tamsin. Some of us hid in the trunk during the lunch break to try and warm up. Even Ilkka from Finland had arm warmers and was sitting in the truck. I need to say no more than that!

The water crossing. Oh boy. The lunch truck went on one err...umm..ferry? No. Raft? Better. Collection of drift wood! There it is. A collection of drift wood with a small outboard engine on the back. Watching the truck go out first rocking across the water was rather amusing. Then it was our turn. The...I still have difficulty calling it a ferry, but ferrying was its function. It contorted and twisted with the small waves so that the front was twisting one way, and the back the other way. The little engine made very slow progress across the water.

The wobbly raft. I'm faking confidence in our fate, standing to the left in the grey and red jacket.

With the crossing safely done, we had another climb then some easy rolling hills to this fantastic on the side of the lake.

The hotel is worth mentioning as it was unlike any other place we've visited up until then.

It's a place you'd imagine wedding receptions, or a place to stay for weekends away. It had a playground which some of us big kids enjoyed, a pool (covered over this time), the rooms were comfortable, a nice big lounge area with fireplace with views of the huge lake, llamas grazing nearby and views of the snow capped mountains. Put this altogether I had a feeling of immense satisfaction staying there. In my rather jovial state, I then said yes to 1 beer which somehow never became empty no matter how much I had, which later magically transformed into 2 shots of whisky.

The hotel, complete with UFO on top of the slippery slide on the left of the photo 

One of the many views from the hotel. Photos cannot give this place justice.

Day 43 La Paz

Another relatively short day. 80km with 408m of climbing making it rather flat. Except for the 400m or so of descent into the city to finish the day.

The ride to lunch was uneventful. I was up at the front behind Paul and Babette for the first 25km or so, on the way to lunch until my achilles' heel appeared in the form of a climb, and the rest of the group who apparently had been following 300m behind me caught up. So I joined them to save some energy by letting the riders in the front push through the wind.

I rode with the group for perhaps another 10km before deciding on a snack break and some peace. There are advantages riding in the group. It's easier due to the lack of wind resistance when riding behind someone. There's also safety, as drivers are less inclined to try and squeeze past, but rather pass properly like they do with other vehicles. The downside in my view is there's no peace. There's also a lot of concentrating on the riders around you to make sure you keep a safe distance, and so less noticing the environment.

The lunch stop was good with 2 benches were put side by side and a ping pong net set over the top. So there were all us gringos setting up a picnic beside a petrol station playing ping pong. Not something the local drivers see every day.

After lunch we later grouped together to ride into the large city of La Paz. The downhill into the city had a dangerous road surface where each lane sometimes was at a slightly different level. It was steep enough for us on bikes to reach around 70km/h, so if we weren't careful changing lanes we would have fallen. That has happened in previous years of this trip. We all got through without a scratch.

Looking down on the city of La Paz before the descent

We then had 2 rest days waiting for us.

During the rest days I tried to do as little as possible. Although I still had to hunt down some road tyres to replace the overly soft and puncture prone tyres I'd been using before then, and so I could return the borrowed tyres to Anna that I'd been using for the last few days. The city was at first just a chaotic city. After walking around it became more fascinating with its churches, plazas, witches market (complete with many llama foetus hanging from the entrance), and cafes.

I'm also in the company of certifiably crazy people. Most people when they come to La Paz, book in to ride the Death Road. A descent from almost 5000m above sea level, down to 1200m. Great fun you might say? Nooo. Rigo, Richard and  Lee decide they want to ride UP this road. So that's what they did on the first rest day. Congrats guys, huge achievement.

The hat maker across the road from our hotel, also had a very good few days from us!

We also said goodbye to one of the original Quito starters. Kees from from the Netherlands. He originally booked himself in to ride to Ushuaia, with the thought of seeing how the first 2 months go. So the decision was made to go back now that the 2 months was done that he's missing home. We had a big farewell dinner with him. We also said goodbye to Tim who joined us in Cusco. His farm is calling him back home to manage.

Day 44 Lahuachaca. Test of nerves.

On paper, not such a bad day. 136km with 936m of climbing. Approcimately 400m of the climbing was at the beginning to get out of La Paz.

Started out well. Of course climbing started immediately, so had the usual asthma kick in and watch everyone drift off. Once that settled, I didn't find the climb too bad. Perhaps I even enjoyed it a little? I'll be submitting my brain for further studies later.

At the top at El Alto, I wasn't surprised by the annoying taxi mini vans. They all want to stop at the same place. So first they'll fill the far right lane. Now that spot is full, but more want to stop there so they'll stop in the 2nd lane. So the process continues until all 4 lanes are full of mini vans going nowhere with someone leaning out the side yelling where they're going. A traffic jam for no reason. Once I'd weaved through this, all was well.

The road begins to shed its lanes, but there's still plenty of traffic. Eventually it's a single lane in each direction and busy. Quite often the shoulder disappears as there's road work going on, and there was dirt heaped on the side of the road right up to the white line. So I was forced to ride in the middle of the lane. Very comforting when there's a bus or truck approaching at over 80km/h constantly on the horn and I have nowhere to go!

The weather played a part in the day as well. Some of us experienced sleet. All of us experienced cold winds, and I had some cold rain. The landscape was quite open, so it was nice to be able to various weather systems develop and do its thing.

The road work is actually due to a dual carriageway being built, which will be great when it's finished! Quite often to get away from it, I rode on the new unfinished road. So quite often it was unpaved, or had large ditches cut across it, or fresh wet bitumen. Still preferable to playing with the traffic. The new road slowed me down quite a bit with all its obstacles. So eventually arrived at lunch after 1pm with 75km to go.

I decided to continue, knowing that I'll be pushing my luck to get to our final spot for the night before running out of daylight.

Eventually the new road became too annoying with all the pipes and drains being put in, and not yet covered, and then it disappeared altogether. So I was forced back on to the busy road.

The truck drivers aren't too bad. They'll leave some space. The bus drivers here however must be on some sort of time incentive. They drive dumb and selfish, and therefore dangerous. They'll always try to squeeze past with only a few cm to spare between bike and the side of the bus. I had a previous example of this when I was brushed by a bus in Peru approaching Cusco. When they pass at more than 80km/h, they create a blast of wind that can make the bike unstable. Not to mention they're very aggressive with the horn. So by the end of the afternoon I'd felt like been assaulted with all the noise, wind blasts, stress and near misses. I was hit by a car last year, so that started to come back to the front of my mind with the sound of each approaching vehicle every minute or 2, wondering if this was the time I was going to be hit. A few hours of that, my nerves were totally frayed. I arrived at our hostel at 6pm just on sunset.

Even at dinner later that night, I had to go to bed early as I couldn't handle the noise of everyone talking.

Day 45 Oruro

Given the previous day's example, and this day was on the same road, I opted out of riding. I didn't want to be in the same condition by the end of the day. A pity, an easy day of 99km and only 354m of climbing.

Not that this day wasn't enjoyable.

I was in Richard's truck, with Adrian (UK) whose nerves were also frayed by the previous day, James (NZ) who has been unwell since Cusco, crew Susana and Jaap, along with Richard driving of course.

We first went and visited some nearby graves which are from pre-Inca times. On approach they looked like they made a small city. Inside they still have bones inside. Whether they're truly the original bones, or from more recent times, I didn't have a way of checking to be sure! Either way, a fascinating spot.

The pre-Inca graves on the altiplano

On arrival to Oruro I was quite surprised by this town. Statues and sculptures all over the place, and the centre of town looked quite modern. I even saw 2 cinemas. The 2 plazas were quite beautiful with trees, grass, fountains and more statues. Remember this is still the altiplano, which is high altitude and dry. So seeing trees and grass is quite startling after seeing the surrounding landscape. I also surprised myself appreciating the work that has been put in to make the town beautiful. I wouldn't call myself a person who goes seeking and appreciating art, but in the absence of it for a while, seeing it this time really made me take notice.

Day 38 - 41. The force is sometimes with me

Day 38 Raqchi Ruins

We depart Cusco and begin our final days in Peru.

Cusco left me with mixed feelings. Being one of the final stepping stones to Machu Picchu, it was very tourist oriented and with prices to match. I once called a bad tourist because I refused to buy this girl's beanies even after she tried to offer me a discount, which I might point out I was simply walking through the plaza and she approached me. I didn't feel Cusco reflected the Peru I'd seen before that point. Still, it wasn't a bad place.

The ride was moderate. 122km long and 1086m of climbing.

I got through the whole day well enough. Not without discomfort. My previous climb at Machu Picchu left my legs very sore.

We camped beside what was called the Raqchi Ruins. I would have been keen to have a look, but I was wrecked. Put up the tent and snoozed until dinner.

Day 39 Pucara

Loooong day. 159km and 1228m of climbing.

To start the day, once again I had another flat tyre. When I've been using these very nice rolling, narrow, grippy Maxxis slick tyres, I've been getting punctures once or twice per day. The tubes look like works of art with all the patches on them. All their advantages are also their disadvantages. They get their grip from being soft. Which means EVERYTHING goes through them. There's holes and slashes all over them. In the holes, pieces of glass are often found. They're too soft, I'm too heavy, and I've been using them at maximum pressure so that it's a perfect combination for punctures. The morning was the final straw. Anna kindly offered me her road tyres to get me by until La Paz in Bolivia, those tyres are much tougher. I happily accepted.

Most of the climbing was done first thing in the morning, but it was gradual over 60km. I'd never thought I'd say this, give me a nasty steep climb straight up and get it done with rather than a long drawn out climb.

I hadn't woken fresh. My legs were still sore from the Machu Picchu climb, and the previous day's long ride hadn't helped. So by the time I reached 48km I stopped for a rest totally spent. I'd hit the wall. Fortunately the police were following me (which I normally really hate, I like to be left in peace) and they pulled up beside me and asked how I was. My reply was "mucho cansado" which is terrible Spanish for I'm very tired. They told me to get in the back, and who wants to argue with the police?

So I get dropped off at the lunch spot, which once again was beautiful. The final peak before dropping down onto the Altiplano at 3800m above sea level, which is where we'll not drop below for more than 2 weeks. I'll have mining companies chasing me for the iron in my blood, I'll have so many red blood cells by the time I leave this place.

Lunch before dropping to the Altiplano

So it was a truck ride to the campsite which was 100km from lunch. I had made the right decision. Even though the first 20km or so from lunch was a gentle downhill, it then became a 80km grind on the flat. This would have been fine except for the strong headwind that built up in the afternoon whipping up dust storms. As much as I hate not completing a day, I have to be in good enough condition to take on the next day. I'm getting stronger, and I'm completing more days. I've also lost an unbelievable amount of weight.

When I was putting up my tent, this boy who was perhaps 6 years old was first watching us from the top of a hill. Each time I looked up he was still standing still, but that little bit closer to me until eventually he was right beside me. From there on he was full of questions. Most of which I couldn't understand. I got some of them though. I was like him at that age, so full of curiosity. I still am for that matter. I never had a whole bunch of foreigners turn up in my front yard and set up camp though when I was 6.

Day 40 Puno. Promising.

A rather flat day. 111km and 474m of climbing.

This day surprised me in the best way.

We set off from camp and the pace kept creeping up from 25km/h, even though the day wasn't being timed. Normally I just fall off the back of the peloton (group), and ride at my own pace. Although there are advantages of riding in a peloton. The main one being that the rider in front cuts through the air for you, making the ride that much easier. The bad part is you concentrate on the rider in front, and less on the scenery.

As the pace went over 30km/h, more riders began falling off the back. Yet somehow I clung on by leaving my bike in top gear and slugging it out with strong pushes, even on the short climbs. This surprised some of the other riders, no more than myself! I arrived at lunch still with the lead group.

Setting off again from lunch I was able to keep up with them until there was a final bump, a 200m climb. Rigo surprised me with his strength. Before the climb properly started, there was a steep hill leading to it. I of course began falling off the back. So I'm quick on the downhills, getting there on the flats, but uphills are still my Achilles' Heel compared to everyone else. Rigo rides up beside me and with one arm starts pushing against my back. I stepped up 2 gears and kept up with everyone. Wow. Rigo up until now has been content to socialise with people, take photos, have breaks here and there. If he wanted, my guess is he could be a real contender when the rides are timed. A strong rider who has chosen to live the experience with the environment rather than focus on the race, not a bad choice.

On arrival at our hotel in Puno, a lot of us set off to the Uros islands in Lake Titicaca. The Uros islands are traditional artificial floating islands built of reeds built by the pre-Incan Uros people.

I enjoyed the Uros islands for their beauty, especially as we saw them at sunset. The explanation of how they were built was interesting as well. The part I didn't appreciate was the undercurrent of buy buy BUY! The eagerness to show something, get me to agree that it is beautiful, I say no I'm not buying anything before trying to show me the next thing. Perhaps I should stop being so polite and just say no and move on, yet my curiosity of what it is they have to show got to me. I have what I need, and I only had enough Peruvian currency to buy dinner before reaching Bolivia. Yes, these people earn their living from tourism, but that sort of approach doesn't work for me. I like helpfulness rather than being pushy.

Day 41 Copacabana Bolivia

Our final day in Peru as we work our way around Lake Titicaca to the Bolivian border.

A long day, 145km with 723m of climbing. No big climbs, just a few smaller ones scattered through the day.

The peloton broke up with the first climb, and I found myself riding with Tamsin for the majority of the time until lunch. The scenery was really opening up, and the surrounding mountains were getting lower and lower relative to the plains. It was nice to have Lake Titicaca within sight for a good portion of the ride.

The wind picked up half way into the morning which made things marginally more difficult. It wasn't strong, but definitely noticeable. Rather than easily cruising along all day at say 28km/h, we were varying between 20 and 25.

By the time we reached the next lunch spot after 70km, I was sore, tired and quite uncomfortable with sore neck and shoulders. On the long flats you hold the same posture for a long time. I was due for a rest break, as our rest days in Cusco were busy and active and covered quite a lot of distance since then.

I took the truck to the Peru/Bolivia border. Getting through the border was quick and easy. Approximately 10km later we were at our hotel in Copacabana. A lakeside town. The view from the hotel room window over the lake was very much appreciated.

We have 2 more short and relatively easy days to get to La Paz, then 2 rest days. Some of that time will be spent getting more tyres and tubes!

A few words on Machu Picchu

Up until now I haven't said much about the places we've stayed, or what our rest days have been like. Although of course Machu Picchu deserves a special mention.

Machu Picchu to start with isn't the only site worth mentioning. It's like Cradle Mountain of Tasmania Australia, everyone hears of it, yet there's so many other places nearby with their own merit.

We started seeing signs of the Inca Empire back in Ecuador, when we visited Ingapirca. To my untrained eyes, Ingapirca was simply a smaller and less complex version of Machu Picchu. The important buildings such as that for the King had excellent work done fitting the stone blocks together so perfectly, whereas the more functional and everyday buildings and walls have a mix of larger and smaller stones packed together.

In the Sacred Valley on the way to Machu Picchu, we also visited an Inca Fortress of Ollantaytambo. If it wasn't for Machu Picchu, people would often mention this place. For example, there's a storage house half way up a steep mountain. Those poor workers. I can imagine the Inca would say "Hmm, we need storage houses. Let's put them....hmm....up there! Get on with it". There were real reasons such as being above the flood plain, and the building of terraces on mountain sides made them more water efficient as the run off went to the next terrace, and also maximise how much sunlight they get.

Another fascinating feature shown to us at Ollantaytambo was there was a narrow water channel cut into granite which then had a small fall to a pool beneath. The theory goes that because the granite contains quartz, it builds a small static charge as the water runs over it. Our guide rubbed his hand against a dry area of the granite first, then rubbed his hand over the granite that had the water running over it. The result was the water twisted as it fell until it eventually flattened out again.

Ollantaytambo's store houses half way up the mountain

Some clarification. The word Inca refers to the King, not the people. At Machu Picchu and surrounding areas, the people are known as the Quechua people.

There are various theories about the functionality of the buildings at Machu Picchu. Our guide for the day was Quechuan, and here's what we were told.

• Machu Picchu was a university, where students stayed for a year before returning where they came from (other theories exist). To be honest, a lot of detail of what is discussed is theory, there's simply no ancient Inca to ask, and no written language.
• The city was a central point for communication, where runners ran a relay to other cities. Their messages were carried on a stick with different coloured ropes with different knots on them. The messengers were also educated in how to read them. The Inca trail splits off into many trails. Some of these messages from what I gathered have been found, but apparently the interpretation is anyone's guess.
• The modern Quechuan people have a belief that the Inca will return from the jungle.
• The city was built around 1450, and was abandoned over 100 years later thanks to the invading Spanish. The remaining people living nearby kept the existence of the city a secret. Smallpox also took its heavy toll, again thanks to the Spanish.
• Throughout the city there's buildings aligned, or setup to observe the sun and the moon.
• Sacrifices of animals (and if I remember rightly people also) were made to the mountains.

There's many more details that we were told, some of which was hard to catch given there was so much to see, and while our guide's english wasn't bad, it was sometimes hard to follow. If you want to know more, the internet is out there, you have the technology. Or you can ask a question and I'll try my best to let you know what I remember.

To visit a place like this, to truly understand what's known and what is theory, I'd say the city would need to be visited multiple times. The first visit is merely an introduction. Only after the first overwhelming amount of detail and information would I suggest a person could then begin to study it.

The terraces at Ollantaytambo 

Excellent quality mason work. The nodules apparently there to assist transport, and then normally cut away.

The obligatory smug here I am at Machu Picchu photo

Fellow riders collectively having the smug here we are at Machu Picchu photo 

This is the gateway into the city. 

When first found in modern times, it was blocked off. Note the stone sticking out over the top and holes either side of the doorway (Adrian is in front of the one on the right).

Looking up to the guard house. These terraces were to stop landslide and provide gardens as opposed to crops. 

Temple of the Sun

Famous coca plant! Hard to see in this photo. It's small as it normally grows at lower altitude.

Description of the Inca cross. The detail baffles me as it was hard to follow, but a good point to research from.

Looking down to Machu Picchu after climbing Huayna Picchu.

The steps alternated between ridiculously large and hard to step over, to small and hard to find a grip on.

My legs were very sore after clambering back down.

Day 31-37 hey....these legs actually do something!

Day 31 Abra Huamina

First, you'll notice the descriptions of these days are only mentioning the impressions that I'm left with rather than any detail. I'm writing this after 3 days and visiting Machu Picchu, so there you have it.

A half day for me as there was a large climb at the beginning. My legs were beginning to work, but they weren't that keen.

The ride was on unsealed road at over 4000m in altitude. Quite nice actually. The road was actually in very good condition for the most part, as there's a lot of roadwork preparing it to be sealed.

A rather uneventful day except for the campsite. A wide open area on a slope. Very cold at night, well below freezing. The sky put on a very nice show at sunset.

Day 32 Chincheros

Ah, the day of delays at roadwork sites, starting with a chilly morning with ice covering everything.

When road works is done here, it's a little different to back home where they'll work overnight, close 1 lane and try to keep traffic disruption to a minimum. Here, different story. Close the road and only allow traffic through between 6am and 7am, 12pm and 1pm, and 6pm-7pm. Any other time queue up and wait.

The locals can be quite smart and take advantage of this. You'll often find them setting up a small fire cooking up a storm with usually rice, eggs, potatoes and tea.

The ride was otherwise enjoyable and uneventful on unsealed roads. On the downhills and flats I quite happily was able to pass quite a few people thanks to the dual suspension bike while others are enjoying their bikes shuddering over the rough surface. A good sign I'm becoming stronger too.

Day 33 Andahuaylas

The route chosen for this day was such a great choice.

After a first large uphill of I remember rightly 1200m of climbing, there was this magnificent downhill. Just a beautiful part of the world on an unpaved road.

I opted to start from the beginning of the downhill. It still bugged me doing this while most of the riders earn the downhill by climbing to the beginning of it, but I'm still racing the sun at my climbing pace. There's not enough hours in the day.

After the downhill, the lunch spot was exceptional. A very good place to feel mellow and appreciate the mountains.

Found THE spot to relax and appreciate the scenery

After lunch however, it became a VERY tough uphill. Sometimes with a 10% slope on rough ground. I have no shame in saying I walked parts of it.

Part of the climb.

Photos often do not give away well how steep something is. 

Let the fact that there's switchbacks tell part of the story.

Day 34 Eucalyptus Forest

MORE roadworks after lunch. Although this time it was because of a rather large landslide.

Later in the day though it was such a gift. The scenery was beautiful, the climbs short and gentle, and the downhills were had a nice flow to the corners. This was on unsealed road.

Yolande was taking it easy on the downhills. She's on a cyclocross bike. So no suspension, and skinny tyres, and the corners were sometimes sandy. So she was being very cautious.

Once arriving on the campsite, I found it's a eucalyptus forest! Just like being back at home. Just missing the possums in the trees and the thump of kangaroos or wallabies.

Day 35 Abancay

A relatively short day. 60km and 714m of climbing.

Rode the whole day, and given it was a short day, experimented a little with my technique. Much to my surprise my legs could take a little more strain than even a few days ago. Up a gear or 2 more, still going well. What's this? These legs can climb now?

Day 36 Limatambo

The last of the big hitter days with respect to climbing of over 2000m, In this case 2459m and 118km long. There are longer days to come, but they're flatter.

Despite being rather pleased with myself from the day before, the first climb right at the start was huge. Well, it was long, even though the slope apparently was at a manageable average of 4%. Still, that would take me a long, long time. So up to the lunch spot I go in the truck. I don't miss out entirely, there was more climbing later.

At the top of the climb, there's a little chapel and great views of nearby snow capped mountains.

At the lunch spot with Adrian, Graeme, Kevin and Christine along with Didier of course

After lunch, there was a rather long downhill. Another moment where I was catching bugs because my smile was so wide.

At the bottom of the downhill there was a river, bridge and a small village. I stopped to get an Inka Kola for some energy before the climb. There's a shelf at the front of the shop full of drinks and snacks. I saw the fridge behind the counter, so I ask for a cold bottle instead. So of course the girl open the fridge and gives me the bottle. This was great, the fridge wasn't turned on. Warm Inka Kola. One of those little quirks that we often get each day during our rides.

The climb to our camp site went well. I was riding a little distance behind Kevin and Graeme. This time I didn't watch them fade off into the distance. Nice. I declared to Kirsten while she was cooking dinner with a huge cheesy grin, no more half days for me. I'll be doing all the climbs from that point on.

We camped outside a hostel. Some people took a bed, but there wasn't enough beds for all of us. So we had tents in their yard.

A lot of us including myself tried cuy (guinea pig) for dinner. Many compared it to rabbit. It was marinated, so plenty of flavour. They're little buggers though, you wouldn't order just 1 if you're hungry. Not much meat on them!

Day 37 Cusco

This day has been highly anticipated by many of us. It's a larger city, and the stepping stone to Machu Picchu.

Not too long a day with 78km, although 1479m of climbing. 1000m of this climbing was as usual first thing in the morning in one big chunk.

With my new and growing confidence in my ability, I elected to take it on.

Don't get me wrong, I took 3 hours to climb that first mountain. I arrived at lunch on the other side of the mountain just after midday. I stopped after every 150m of climbing to drink and have something small to eat like a biscuit to prevent running out of energy like I had in the past. It worked, and my legs while sore, kept going.

Turned out the tough bit was also my preferred bit for this day.

For perhaps 30km there was a flat area which gradually began turning uphill again. This is when the first unpleasant bit happened.

Happily rolling to 1 side of the road, where a bus decides it can squeeze past. The silly thing actually BRUSHED me as it went past. It would have scared the crap out of me, only I haven't had diarrhoea for some time now. I was hit by a car and injured last year, so I did feel a little rattled after that.

Towards the top of the 2nd and last climb before dropping into Cusco, I got hailed on. Still, I'll take that over being brushed by a bus any day.

Finally enjoying the drop into the centre of Cusco I had a puncture. I had perhaps 4km to go. During this trip when I've been using my slick road tyres I've had many punctures. The tubes inside the tyres could be works of art with the amount of patches on them. I didn't have any spare tubes left, so walked the final distance to the hotel alongside the chaotic traffic.

Next I shall describe the visit to Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu and how Cusco is so different to the rest of Peru we've seen. That's later! A very memorable 3 rest days for so many reasons.

Day 25 - 30 Settling in

Day 25 Cerro de Pasco

A big day. One of the toughest with 120km and 2611m of climbing up to the mining centre of Cerro de Pasco. One of the highest cities in the world at 4330m altitude, and also claimed to be the ugliest.

I was enjoying my turn to have a very upset stomach. I optimistically took the truck to lunch, with the expectation to ride to the hotel. 3km into the ride however, I was getting VERY uncomfortable. Ride back to lunch.

I have to admit, the city didn't appeal all that much. It did however have an open pharmacy. It seems you can get anything here without a prescription. Antibiotics, prednisone, you name it.

The hotel was interesting. The bathroom was so small I had to step over the toilet to get in the shower. In the shower there's the tap to turn on the shower, but no handle. The handle was separate, which is fine if you want to screw it on to turn the shower off. Useless to turn it on. I managed to jam one of my tools from the bike into the hollow thread and twist. It's a cold place, the water came out hot, by the time it reached me it was getting rather chilly. The hot water was supplied by an electric shower head. In general most of us are glad to see them, as they provide reliable warm water. Unlike most places.

The night was cold enough for 1 of the 2 trucks to appear to have the diesel thicken in the fuel lines, enough for it not to start. The altitude wouldn't have helped. Diesel engines at this height belch out huge amounts of soot. Petrol engines aren't much better.

Day 26 Tarma

A long day at 141km and 863m of climbing. So once climbing out of Cerro de Pasco, it was reasonably flat.

For whatever reason I was feeling extremely lethargic. Perhaps it was due to the previous 3 days of dealing with being unwell. I was otherwise getting better, just wanted to sleep. Perhaps I hadn't drunk enough water, perhaps the altitude contributed, could also have been the fact that my body was getting tired from the sudden change of activity level over the last month.

So I helped with lunch, and remained with the truck for the day. On the way through the plateau with small villages, we saw this plaza with so much work done to it, it was quite surprising. It felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, but there it was.

Going from Cerro de Pasco, to Tarma which is known as the pearl of the Andes was a totally different experience. Flowers and gardens to be seen on the way in. Nice place.

On arrival at the old style yet comfortable hotel, got a good amount of snoozing in before heading out for dinner.

So we enjoy a rest day in Tarma. Did a little exploring purely hunting for lunch, but otherwise read and slept. Exactly what I needed.

Day 27 Huancayo

I was feeling MUCH better. No sickness, no chest problems, no sore knees or wrists. Wow, how good was this!

A 99km day with 1085m of climbing. Not wanting to push my luck, and to see where I was at, I was in the truck until the first climb to a plateau was done. From there I road across the plataeau at over 4000m altitude, then dropped down to Huancayo, with a small climb in between.

The ride went well, and I enjoyed it.

Huancayo, riding through that city was chaotic. Turned out I was riding with Paul and Babette for the last few km. The taxis and tuk tuks were all over the place going in any direction that didn't make sense. At one stage we went to ride through an intersection only to find all of a sudden traffic started coming at us from the right hand side. I looked to the left to see they had a green light, but then when I looked forward, I couldn't see any red light to stop the traffic going in our direction. They stopped anyhow and let us through.

I was pleasantly surprised at one point where there was this especially steep but short part which I was able to climb without changing gears, but use strength instead. An obvious improvement.

On arrival at the hotel, it was very impressive. It was called colonial style. Think of it like being a huge hunting lodge mixed with a mansion. A fire place on the second floor complete with deer heads on the wall and on old wind up telephone.

All very comfortable, complete with 4 pillows on the beds. Nice.

Day 28 La Esmeralda

Left Huancayo feeling good. 99km and 1085m of climbing.

Morning traffic wasn't as chaotic as the previous afternoon, and the ride was enjoyable.

I'm still relatively slow on the climbs however, so on arrival to lunch, Didier pointed out that it was unlikely I would make it to camp before dark. I may have, or may not have, but it was borderline. Didier knows what he's talking about, so I joined him and a very sick Kevin in the truck. His turn to be unwell. Yolande was with us as well, as she must take care of her back, and there was some unsealed road coming up.

Just before leaving the pleasant lunch spot, which was setup on a bridge over the river, there was this old lady slowly lumbering her way up the hill towards us. She stops beside the bridge and stands there for a moment. Then with a sudden burst of youthful energy ejects a bag of rubbish into the river, then returns to her slow elderly self as she watches her bag float down the river. That burst of energy seemed so out of character I burst out laughing, tears almost coming out of my eyes. Apparently waste management isn't common in the smaller areas. So this town dumps their rubbish in the river, and near other villages we've seen plenty of rubbish on the road side.

The surprises for the day wasn't finished yet.

Our intended campsite apparently was not a good idea according to the police. The area had become a thoroughfare for drug dealers. So we were directed to a compound that used to house an anti-terrorist group of the army, but not now houses workers of the local hydroelectric plant. We were first told to wait outside, as a helicopter was due to pickup some VIP's. Just before sunset we were told it wasn't coming, and to come on in.

Now THIS was a campsite. Our tents went on the grassed soccer field. Soft grass! I placed my tent between the goal posts, I figured I'd score there. Didn't work, but you've got to appreciate the thought? Wait there's more. There was SHOWERS. Toilet too! Our other bushcamps haven't had that. Showers were normally provided by a water bottle or river, and the toilet is wherever you can find out of view. Remember to bury anything that can be stepped in. Nothing worse than being the second person there stumbling in the dark...squish! Or splat, depending on the health of the previous stumbler.

Speaking of health. Aside from the dusty road causing a lot of people to cough, almost everyone was feeling good. A good sign we're getting used to the place. Adrian (Aus) and Kevin were doing it tough still.

Day 29 Mayocc

A very inviting day. 88km, 967m of climbing with almost entirely unsealed road. Some climbs, but trending downhill. Oh hellooooo. My kind of riding. Downhill and offroad.

What a great day. Starting with plenty of downhill. I kept up with the front of the group for the morning, with the group slowly being split up as some get through roadworks, while others have to wait.

The road took plenty of concentration. It was barely 1 vehicle wide. Blind corners, huge drops off the side and sometimes a very soft surface that will cause a person to slide the front tyre if a rider tries to change direction. Throw in the occasional herd of goats, cattle or donkeys on the road and there's a fun day to be had. I'm serious! It was great to truly interact with the place we're riding through.

I'm waiting for the cattle to pass. Looks peaceful right?

Try watching them come towards you when the jostle each other with those horns.

This is an opportunity to get the real taste of Peru. The dust of Peru courtesy of trucks and cars. Don't forget to chew, great for cleaning teeth.

At lunch there was a truck hosing the local streets and the main road to reduce dust. They were also so kind to hose down my bike on the side of the street which had my helmet hanging off the handle bar. Thanks guys. Wet helmet. No big deal.

So after lunch for the next few km I was able to play in mud rather than dust. Now my bike looked how it's supposed to look, mud everywhere. Mud is also great sunscreen.

A great ride, and pleased to have gotten through the day to camp without burning out.

Camp was beside a river. The water was great to swim in and wash the dust and mud off. It also had a full compliment of sandflies (midges) in the air. The air was thick with them. These aren't the boring ones from home that swarm together but don't seem to do much else. These little pests bite. Bring on the insect repellant and cover up as much as possible and hopefully forget about them. Turns out the next morning not everyone was able to forget.

The night was incredibly clear. A million star bushcamp. Stunning. We also had a camp fire for the first time. So it was great to sit with a few others and just stare at the sky, feed the camp fire and talk about whatever. The night was warm, and there was flashes over the horizon. Later that night rain came in. RAIN! This is the dry season, and we're up in the mountains.

Day 30 Ayacucho

First, the aftermath of the midges. Ghily had a bite near her eye, and looked like she'd been in a fight. Some of the girls had bites on their bums, as they don't have the same convenience as us guys where the world is our urinal. Paul and Babette apparently left the mesh open of the tent. I saw their legs, spots all over them. Looked like Paul had even begun to bruise. When there was some exclamations from some of us at breakfast, his only response was he didn't want to talk about it.

So this day had a 78km ride with 1371m of climbing. Over half of it still unpaved.

Still not being all that keen for all that climbing as it takes a long time, I opted to ride from lunch. There was still 450m of climbing to go, but at least I get to the hotel at a reasonable time, and wouldn't make Didier wait at lunch.

I left with Yolande and later caught up by Colin, and Christine (NL) from lunch. Yolande being an especially experienced rider was pointing out I need to lower my cadence (speed that I pedal) on the climbs. With a high cadence and a relatively easy gear (called spinning) I protect my knees and prevent the muscles burning out from using a lot of force, but then risk exhaustion which has happened a few times. So finding the right balance is the key to me becoming a mountain goat I think. That and continuing to lose the cargo (weight). I've lost a significant amount of weight already, even in the past 5 weeks. I'm struggling to keep my bike shorts on when I stand, and I've had to punch a new hole in my belt when I wear jeans, as there's no adjustment small enough. During the climb up to town, Christine pointed out that I had a cloud of midges chasing me which made her chuckle. Until the climb got steeper and she slowed down as well, which she had a cloud of her own. I figure a midge can fly at no more than 12km/h.

The night in Ayacucho was very good. There was a festival on with a live music in the plaza. Quite a few of us found the same restaurant upstairs overlooking the plaza. Ilkka tried alpaca which he recommended. I was more excited by the fact they had milkshakes!

View over the plaza from the restaurant