CUSCO

After arriving in Cusco, I met the rest of the group. We have 9 riders & 2 pillions altogether, all Aussies, (apart from 2 Italian speed freaks, but they have been living in Sydney for a few years, so that is good enough) & have spent a bit of time getting to know one another and our Compass crew, Wiki & Lisbet, a young Belgian couple. We had a familiarisation ride out into the hills surrounding Cusco, & the traffic conditions & general mayhem out on the roads surprised a few of the group, but sofar there have been no major dramas about riding on the right, & being ignored by everyone else on the road.

The compound where the bikes are kept is a real sight. You have to ride down a sidestreet which is more like a motocross track to get there, & its behind some huge steel gates, & has a resident caretaker who lives in a pile of rubbish at one end. South America can certainly be confronting at times, & Cusco does not appear to be a wealthy town. But it is the tourism hub of Peru, & the centre of town is interesting notwithstanding the obligatory beggars, touts, shops full of tat, etc. There is some good stuff to buy, & some good restaurants, & food & grog is reasonably cheap. How does less than $2 a stubby sound? (Pause for a sip.) Some of the group are suffering already with altitude sickness (3300m), & stomach bugs, so far I have been spared anything serious.

I am currently back in Cusco, after having been up to see Machu Pichu. Quite a complicated process, as the train from here to there is still out of action due to last years floods. We rode part of the way, then took a 90 min train ride to Aguas Calientes, where we stayed overnight. Early next am, we took a mildly nerve wracking bus ride up to the site. It certainly must have been remote when it was built. Nobody was disappointed, it is quite a fascinating place. We then reversed the process, & took a different ride route back here. Great scenery, but the roads are not great, & you just never know what will come at you from around the next bend. There are heaps of speed humps which you usually dont see until the last moment, & all sorts of animals wandering around the place.

Tomorrow we finally get going up to Puno & Lake Titicaca. I am having trouble loading photos & will catch up when I can find a faster computer.