In a state somewhere between awake and sleep three hours had passed. The rain, thunder and lightning added dramatic effect to my sprawled body with my left leg in a cardboard box splint as I laid in the Tica Tica medical clinic. Still no ambulance. In a town with one telephone, one restaurant and no […]
What can you say about the unexpected? Sometimes such events bring joy. Other times pain. The unexpected. Whether good or bad, smart or stupid, ugly or beautiful or even happy or sad, unexpected events evoke undeniable emotion. Today, little did I know that after embarking on a early start under blue skies and bidding Potisi […]
I’m getting tired of the rain. I know just a days ride away is perhaps the driest place on the planet – the Atacama Desert in Chile. Though I imagine the scenery will be much like northern Peru – flat, uninteresting and fast. But to the south volcanoes, salt flats, flamingoes, hot springs await for […]
Pouring over maps, weather forecasts and intelligence culled from other travelers, internet sites and local people Jeremiah and I decide to make a break for the Salar de Uyuni, the highest and largest salt flat in the world. By taking this route we’ll have a chance to spend a day or two in Potosí, the […]
Sure you don’t have any money, gringo! Pull over there and we’ll talk. A problem we encountered while roaming the streets of Copacabana on Lake Titicaca’s southern shore would come back to haunt us as we made the cruise from the lake, through the snow and on the notorious ferry had to do with cash: […]
Sitting on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca Copacabana is a small town of about 50,000 people. Surrounded by hills a few streets tumble down to the lakeside. The main drag is littered with both market stalls, local shops and restaurants and hostels catering to the budget tourist. It’s here that I’ve seen more backpacking […]
There are a lot of reasons to visit Lake Titicaca. Perhaps you want to find out the truth as legend dictates that in dividing up the lake between the two countries it’s proudly asserted by the Peruvian people that Peru got the titi and Bolivia got the kakka. For me, it’s an all of none […]
Winding my way up and out of Cusco I let my mind drift. Drifting through the history of this Andean city, wondering how life was during the Incas and how things changed after the Spanish Conquest. And then how Cusco was practically forgotten for hundreds of years as the sea-faring Spaniards found Lima to be […]
Like all plans, the one we thought was locked and tight was subject to change. It was time to give our Dakar’s a bath. Washing the bikes periodically is important because if you do it yourself (as you should) it provides an excellent opportunity for inspection. Always checking for loose bolts, dangling parts, something odd […]
For nearly 400 years while the Spaniards in their ‘great’ conquest of South America, Machu Picchu lay buried beneath the growth of the jungle high on a mountain top just 50 miles or so from the great city of Cusco. Perhaps lost. Perhaps forgotten. But Machu Picchu and much of the Inca history may be […]
