Day 8 (Oct. 11)Moquigua to Juliaca
From Moquigua it was about 80 miles of desert leading to Ariquipa. Then back to the mountains. Big ones. Another pass around 15,000. Juliaca is a bit over 13,000 feet so I'm acclimating tonight. Big towns with incredibly crowded and
narrow street are bad enough for someone on a moto but when you don't know where you're going, it's REALLY tough. The streets of Juliaca are so crowded its virtually unbelievable. Three wheeled bike taxis and motorized three-wheelers as well. Sometimes 3-4 wide fighting for space with large vehicles and full sized taxis.My extra gas can that I've been carrying for emergencies came in handy today. I didn't expect the 4-5 towns between Ariquipa and Juliaca to be without filling stations. So the mountains almost had a new resident as my tank was depleted with several miles to go. Unlike in Argentina and most of Chile gas stations in Peru are just gas. Nothing vended or offered for sale. In fact I didn't see a single "restaurante" sign anywhere except inside the big cities.
Day 9 (Oct. 12)
Juliaca to Cusco
A good short day of around 250 miles. For the first time on this trip I saw mountains with vegetation. Some green valleys and a couple of rivers. Still pretty barren but more green. Cusco, I'm told is around 300,000. Not much to comment on until you get to the central district and Plaza de Armas.
When I arrived I immediately was greeted by a man that showed me to a hotel and gave me information about his tour offerings to Machu Picchu. The hotel was three blocks from the Plaza de Armas. This area reminded me of Antiqua, Guatemala with tourists everywhere. However the age and beauty of the Inca buildings are fantastic. The famous (to moto travelers) "Norton Rats Bar" was on one corner of the plaza.
Tomorrow morning I'm being bussed to Agua Caliente (6 hour drive). This route will take us through the "sacred valley of the Incas".
Day 10 (Oct. 13)
Cusco to Aguas Caliente
The Sacred Valley is the portion of the Urubamba river valley from Pisac to Ollantaytambo. The Sacred Valley was home to several cultures prior to the rise of the Inca Empire.
The valley is guarded at either end by Inca citadels hanging high above the valley floor. The stronghold at Ollantaytambo was the only Inca fortress to withstand a sustained Spanish attack.
The Sacred Valley was absolutely beautiful. Pisac is a location of an ancient Inca village and we stopped for about two hours for a trek into the mountain. I recognized my limitations and just took pictures without the trek. I think saving my knees for tomorrow at Machu Picchu is a good idea. We arrived at Olantambo (another very old Inca city and two of us from the bus got on the train for Aquas Caliente which is the only way to get there. This is a great way to celebrate my 65th birthday! Machu Picchu would perhaps have been better for the occasion but the sacred valley was pretty special.
The train usually takes about 90 minutes but because they knew I was on an adventure the train people obliged. About 30 minutes into trip the train stopped. Just stopped dead. It was dark except for a full moon and no one knew for almost two hours what was wrong. There were two sets of tracks along a mountain wall and next to a river. We were passed by two complete trains and one really short train (like an engine and one car). Well it turned out that our engine was not strong enough to continue but was, thank goodness, strong enough to be unhooked and sent back to where it came from! A new engine was sent out to us and somehow they managed to hook us up and we finally arrived in Aguas Caliente two hour late (10:30).
I was met by tour representatives and taken to the hotel. The hotel was good and I had all I need for the big mountain except enough sleep. Some birthday right?
(above) Plaza de Armas. The central square in Cusco.(below)Young boy in Cusco that acted as a tour guide in addition to selling small woven finger puppets.
Look again at the above photo and you will see a small house. Typically
the tiny dwellings in many Latin countries have no windows and I suspect no toilets or running water.
