Being a tourist in Peru

The high Andes is the most spectacular place I have seen. Abundant wildlife and colourful local culture is set in scenery of high plains, alpine lakes, smouldering volcanoes and colossal  snow capped mountains.
Through northern Chile  and southern Peru the Pan American highway drops down and climbs up mile deep canyons, and snakes around shattered  and quarried peaks of mountain ranges. It was the toughest prolonged stretch of riding that I have encountered. I needed some reward for all this effort, so I decided to visit the tourist hotspots of southern Peru.
I climbed to the old Spanish city of Arequipa from where I joined a minibus tour to the Colca Canyon. Thus is the best place in the world  to see Andean Condors. Ten to fifteen  of the huge birds soared through the canyon, gliding really close to us. On the return journey we stopped off to see the herds of alpaca, llama  and vicunas roaming wild on the high grassy plateau.
On the following day I rode a long, hot climb from 8000 ft to around 15,000 ft. When I reached a summit I stopped for lunch and soon started to feel the cold. I rode on, my head hurt from the altitude. The temperature fell away as the sun rapidly sunk towards the jagged horizon. I wanted to reach a hostel in the next town but the repeated  climbs slowed me up. I stopped and stuck my thumb out, The first vehicle to approach was a pick-up truck, it lived up to its name.
The 20 mile lift meant the next day I could easily reach a town near Lake Titicaca. Taking a back road out to the lake I saw the locals getting ready for the festival  of Corpus Christi. The women were resplendent in traditional white, red, orange and gold customes topped off with a white bonnet decorated with a pair of red pom poms. I said " 'ola" to one group, some smiled, some replied, one threw a stick at me. So no photos there then!
When I reached the old Inca capital  of Cusco I booked a two day, one night trip to the ruins at Mahcu Pichu. There is no road there, so you have to walk the last six miles beside the railway line. I was in a friendly  group, in fact everyone going there was in a happy mood. We had a guided tour of the site by a Quechuan. It is interesting to  hear the local version of events surrounding its rediscovery.
My detour into the Andes has given me a new challenge. When I entered  Peru the immigration  officer asked "Quantas dias?" I was so surprised that I understood her that I blurted out "30 days please" without stopping to think. Now I need to cover 1400 miles in 14 days. If  I over stay my visa then I will get fined and banned from Peru. I think I had better learn the spainish for "Please don't ban me, I want to cone back".

Condors flew so close overhead you could hear the air rushing through their eigth foot wingspan.

I rode past many flocks of alpaca, llama and vicuanas

Too high, too cold, too late. I hitched a lift with these kind Peruvians.

Lake Titicaca  was serene and beautiful

Mist rose up just in time to make the picture of Machu Pichu marginally more interesting

Wooly tights, four skirts , blanket bag containing shopping, produce or baby, and a bowler hat. In the Andes, traditional wear is everywhere.

Chile - Ouch

Ignoring the "No cycling "signs I rode onto the four lane expressway out of Santiago. I was worried the police would stop me, but they drove on by. Sometimes the four lanes shrunk to two so I waited for a gap in the traffic and was wearing my high vis rain jacket, I got through unscathed. So far.
After 30 miles I had escaped the city and stopped for a toilet break at a cafe. As I got back on my bike there was a bark, a snarl and a a stabbing pain in my right leg. I looked down and saw a dog with its fangs embedded in my calf. I twisted my leg and shouted. The dog let go and trotted away with its mate. At least they looked like healthy animals, but what should I do?
I resolved to ride to the next big town where I could consult Dr Google, check my vaccination record  (which was buried in my luggage) and if necessary see a real doctor. Shortly afterwards I bumped into another cyclist going my way. Actually he was riding home to San Francisco via Argentina. He  spoke fluent Spanish and got us a lift through a couple of long tunnels, the driver dropped me at a town with a hospital, and took him a lot further up the coast.
The next day I saw a pair of touring riders. Two days later they passed me in a truck, their bikes lashed to the back. I don't blame them.
The Pan American  Highway is brutal. It rolls over the foothills of the Andies for the entire length of South America. To my right I sometimes see snow covered peaks, or the profile of volcanoes, sometimes to my left I see the Pacific

Ocean. Sometimes there is an isolated cafe, rarer still a small town or city. All of the tine there is desert. Whether I enjoy the ride entirely depends on the wind direction. You crouch down into a headwind and see little and make slow progress. With a tailwind I sail along, admiring the view, doing perhaps 20mph with no effort.
The forecast is for a week of tailwinds. That should help me conquer the Atacana desert and reach Peru.

Dog bite. Fortunately the dog had a shiney coat, clear eyes and a wet nose. so little risk of rabies.

 Will - the rider from San Francisco - fixing a puncture. He also had been attacked by the dogs, but got away unscathed. 

Surfers  at Antofagasta,  I had a rest day here

 

The Pan American  Highway has a wide hard shoulder to ride on. Many  of the truck drivers say hello as they pass.