To Puno

After that nice rest in Cusco we were ready to move on to Puno and lake Titicaca. I had mad a reservation online as I usually do and left early on a very nice road with great natural scenery of mountains and rivers. we reached Juliaca a town before Puno fairly early since we didn't expect the roads to be so good.

While crossing Juliaca Ali and Hussain spotted a couple of motorcycle travelers and stopped to say hello. I made a U turn and found out that it was David on the 800GS who we met in at the BMW dealer in Lima. and with him was Uli from Germany on a Triumph Tiger.

We chatted for a while and they joined us on a convoy for the rest of the Journey to Puno. When we reached the hotel it was closed with a notice on the door addressed to me. stating that the Hotel was closed and that arrangements were made at another hotel nearby that was even better. We went to the other hotel which was very nice. They even gave Dave and Uli the same rate they gave us as walk ins.

We rested for a while and since it was Christmas day most of the restaurants were closed. We managed to find one that wasn't and in true middle eastern tradition invited David and Uli for dinner.

As usual every one gets really tired towards the end of a riding day so every one went to sleep early as we got ready to go to Bolivia.

City Walking in Cusco

Ali and Hussain really liked the Guesthouse and city , and the fact that we got in really late from Machu Picchu yesterday made us decide to stay another day to rest and walk around Cusco.

We visited some hand crafts places and went to the main square were there was a temporary market setup before the holidays. We walked around and saw many different things for sale.

Train to Machu Picchu

 

When we got to the hotel yesterday we found out how to go to Machu Picchu . It turns out that there are several ways and days to Machu Picchu ranging from 7 days to just one which we were interested in.

The Guest house we stayed in helped us with information to first go to Peru Rail and get the tickets to Machu Picchu station which turned out to be a 3 hour train ride. After that we had to buy a bus ticket and the entrance ticket. The bus took about 20 minutes to reach Machu Picchu and then we got Niomi our tour guide to show us around.

It was quit a site and there is no wonder that people like to visit the craftsmanship and the fact that it is virgin ruins where a stone still has the wooden rollers underneath it from when they were being moved.

The picturesque mountains and landscape was quit exciting also with steep rises and paths. Once we were done we went back down and had lunch before riding the train back to Cusco. on the way we were entertained by a fashion show of Peruvian made alpaca garments. We all bought scarves on the train and found out next day that the prices on the train were better than the one's in town.

Up and Down to Cusco

After a restful night in Hotel Tampumayu we headed on route 3 for about 289 km to Cusco which kept going through mountain-passes which made us go up and down with a big difference in temperature from 10 Deg. to 27 Deg. C. Stopping several times to put on or take off the jacket liner.

But the scenery was amazing and the roads were nice and twisty until we reached a big valley full of farms and villages.

We reached our Guest house not knowing where it was just that as per the map it was here. We then found the address and a door leading to a courtyard which had another door to the Guesthouse which had a local rustic style to it.

We parked our bikes under a shelter in the back and got to meet the owner. We like staying at there small local owned Hotels. you really get great service, and you also get a sense for the locals.

Tomorrow we venture out to visit Machu Picchu.

To Tampumayu

As per our new plans we left Nazca on our way in the direction of Cusco but to stop at mile marker 361. Why because that is where the hotel is, the one recommended by the guy we met at the BMW dealer in Lima.

The rout was great especially for our tires since riding the Pan-American highway was creating a flat patch, and we wanted round tires which we got via the mountainous rout that got us more than 4500 meters above sea level. With little oxygen and getting really drowsy, I had to let Ali become the road captain since I couldn't talk until we got down to a sensible level.

The last 40 km it started to rain and then we reached the hotel, and it was just us no one else is here especially since it is not tourist season.  There is no internet and our phones didn't work. So it was time to send messages through the SPOT Connect just to tell everyone that we were OK.

Later after dinner a couple came in who were from Germany driving a camper heading in the other direction.

To Nazca

When we were at the BMW dealer in Lima we met a guy who does tours and he recommended a different route to Cusco than what we had planned. So we decide to take his advice and after spending three nights in Lima we were ready to continue our journey. 

 

So we headed south on the Pan-American Highway all the way to Nazca. The weather was great when we were riding along the pacific coast , but when the road diverted inland it started to heat up and got all the way to 37 Deg. C . 

We got to Nazca in the late afternoon and dipped right in the Hotel's pool to cool down. Nazca is a touristic town and the Hotel we stayed at was lovely as well. We had our dinner at a local restaurant then went back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow's ride.

The City of Lima

After spending yesterday relaxing, resting and fixing things we decided to take a city tour of Lima .We are staying in a very nice Apartment Hotel called Daniel's, in fact Mr. Daniel was very interested in our travels and his staff have helped us get the guide for the day to tour the city of Lima and get a sense for the capital of Peru.

We headed to several landmarks and got to see an old map of the city when it had a wall around it. We also managed to witness the changing of the Guard at the Palace.

Tomorrow we head towards Cusco and Machupiccho.