Cusco and beyond in Peru

It was a very hard day getting to Cusco. 

Who could that be down in a water crossing? Note the front end loader that was moving the rocks out of the way. Do you suppose we should wait until he is done moving the rocks and mud?  No, let us ride on through! Down she went with a big splash! A young man was waiting for the bus and hastily took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants to help. Where is Carl? Documenting the first wreck of the day.

There had been a big rain the night before and this is a mudslide.  The water was running across the highway.  That would have been ok but then there were also big boulders in the water.  The water does not look very deep there but it did go over the tops of our boots. 

This was on our way to Cusco.  Have I mentioned that the drivers in Peru are not very considerate of motorcycles and if they feel the need to take up the entire road they will.  Well, later on that afternoon, I was approaching a sharp curve when a car comes from the other direction in my lane.  I swerve out of the way and what do I see coming, but the concrete ditch.  Wham, I go into the ditch and stop pretty suddenly.  I got on the CB right away and told Carl, "I just wrecked!"  I shut off the bike and then thought, I guess, I should tell him I am ok.  So, on goes the bike and I CB him "I am ok".  Another young man to the rescue, he was waiting for the bus and came over to help us.  I do not know how they were able to pull that heavy bike out of the ditch, panniers a little bent but not too bad.

Well, now we make it to Cusco, stop and try to figure out where to go.  Our friends, Kevin and Raquel, had made reservations for us at a hostal, San Juan Masias.  We have the address but the GPS is not leading us right.  So, we call Kevin and Raquel.  They are both in a meeting and will meet up with them later.  And by the way, the hostal is 2 blocks from where we stopped.  It is a lovely hostal, with great helpful staff located on an all girls Catholic School grounds.  Monday was the first day of school and the school yard chatter in Cusco sounds just like any other school yard chatter.  Having the nuns around all of the time was very interesting.
Well, wreck number three is  on the horizon!  The streets in Cusco are steep, narrow and cobblestone, and to top it off the street adjoining ours is under construction.  I make the turn up the street, there is a lip of a couple inches and I hit it going way too slow and wham, down she goes again.  This time there are construction guys all over trying to help me get the beast up.  Now, I am scared and my leg that barely reaches the ground is trembling.  Did I mention that I can not hold the front brake and push the start button at the same time.  My hand does not reach.  I finally make it up the hill with the assistance of many, including a taxi and ambulance honking their horns at me to hurry.  

The trough that I should not have been riding in, or should have been going faster in. 

Carl did not get the last two wrecks documented.  We stayed in Cusco for several days.  I think it was time for a rest!  We both have come down with colds again.  When we were in Lima we bought more amoxicillin and have been taking it and drinking some horrible cough syrup a pharmacy recommended.

We met up with Kevin and Raquel, visited Norton Rat's Tavern on the Plaza, met the owner, Jeff, got our names in the registry for bikers. Kevin worked up a tour special for us, so that we get some tourity things done. We are drinking the coca leaf tea thinking that maybe our hacking and coughing might be altitude sickness. We are not getting much rest because of all the coughing we are doing. At one point the gal at the hostal offered to have a doctor come see us. We should have taken her up on that.
Norton Rat's Tavern

Carl in his element, in a welding shop fixing the frame that holds my pannier that got bent in wreck number 2.

We took a tour bus to take us to Ollantaytambo , then we take the train to Aguas Caliente arriving in the dark and rain. 

The ruins at Ollantaytambo.  There were 17 terraces.  Nice hike uphill when you can barely breathe on the level and elevation 2800 meters.

Then we get a room and get up at 4:30 to be at the bus by 5:30 to go to Machu Picchu. Oh my, what a sight when you step out from behind the rock and actually see Machu Picchu. It is amazing and the location is superb!

It was very foggy when we got there.  The clouds would lift and move to another area.  The 4 hours we were there it was cloudy the entire time, one place or another but it was still breath taking. 

We returned back to Cusco via the train to Ollantaytambo then a taxi ride on into town.  We had left the motorcycles at a Honda shop to have the tires that we bought in Lima put on.   So, we get back to town in time to pick them up and plan on leaving early in the morning with  a stop at Kevin and Raquel's for a quick visit.

 In front of the work shop at their place in Sacred Valley

Sharing the route with Kevin and Raquel

 The gal is mixing mud for the roof

The Mano en Deserito ( hand in the desert).  The wind was blowing about 50 miles an hour!