04/10/2013 05/10/2013 sightseeing in and around Copacabana/Isla del Sol

2013-10-05 click for more

We leisurely explored the Basilica and market before climbing the mountain overlooking Copacabana with its beautiful religious statues and monuments. Getting used to a new currency all over again takes time and we had the initial impression that the market prices were inflated for Gringos as it was cheaper to eat in a restaurant than to buy the individual ingredients. Either way it remains incredibly cheap . Lunch was fresh trout seen coming off the fishing boats and into the restaurants before appearing on our plate shortly afterwards . You can't get fresher than that. The only fly in the ointment came when we had to pay the bill . The bill was 60 Bs and we paid with a note of 100 and the stall owner insisted for some time that the change was 30 and not 40 . She gave in eventually but we're certain that she wasn't trying to fiddle us but rather that she couldn't count .

Overnight there was a prolonged thunderstorm with torrential rainfall that made sleeping difficult but when a storm is that violent it's quite entertaining and you don't mind . When we got up for breakfast we discovered that the hotel had leaked like a sieve and the staff were busy mopping up everywhere . Perhaps the rain will compensate fractionally for the 10 cm/year fall in the water level of Lake Titicaca due to the slow disappearance of the Andean snow top..

The Island of the Sun is where the Inca lineage is supposed to have begun and our two hour boat there was beautiful surrounded as we were by the vast expanse of the lake bordered by the mountains . The boat dropped us off at the northern end of the island and we first headed to the Inca ruins and overlooking mountain at the most northern tip before trekking south for four hours to the southern boat pick up point where tourists ,Alpacas , donkeys and locals all mixed together either getting on or off their respective boats . The only red faced moment was when we were asked to move aside as a Bolivian women of seventyish skipped down the steep steps leading to the harbour whilst carrying her load and leading her donkey. I'll have whatever she's on .

Back on the bikes for a two day stage to La Paz tomorow

In case you hadn't noticed we love the snow capped mountain views!

03/10/2013 Stage 37 Puno - Copacabana (Bolivia)

2013-10-03 click for more

03/10/2013Stage 37 Puno - Copacabana (Bolivia) by malcandmarjetpatterson at Garmin Connect - Details

The first 80 km or so of the day passed by pretty quickly on good roads just gently undulating. The landscape was pretty uninspiring though. We had had high hopes off cycling out along the lake but had to wait until we had climbed over a small pass for the scenery to improve. And soon it did get better, the lake was blue and it was much quieter and less build up. It was beautiful riding. We even saw the odd white Bolivian peak in the distance across the lake. To call it a lake seems odd as it seems as vast as the sea.

The plan at the beginning of the day was to try to do the two day distance in one but the contingency plan was to finish the day at Juli if the progress was slow . Juli was preceded by an off putting headwind but fortunately after climbing the only big climb after Juli the wind eased and we picked up speed again . Pomata was a beautiful town where we coincided with all the school kid going home , some on motorbikes, without helmets of course , and looking to be only 12 -13. Quite a few of them tried to say hello or something similar in English. After Pomata we turned 90 degrees to the East and straight into a strength sapping headwind again at which point we began to regret the decision to push on to Copacabana . There was a confusing routine at the border of seeking clearance from the police, checking out of Peru and into Bolivia , but all went well and the Bolivian border guard was very helpful and insisted on extending our visa from 30 to 90 days. We were cheered to see that from the border it was only 8 kms to goal but cruelly disappointed to find them hilly just when the fuel tanks were beyond low.

When we finally rolled into Copacabana after 142 km we immediately liked the place. It is quite small with beautiful views of the lake and we managed to find a hotel right on the beach with beautiful lake views and breakfast for £ 5.- each. There are nice places to eat and it didn't take us long to decide to stay. 

02/10/13 Day off in Puno

2013-10-02 Click date for more photo's

02/10/2013 Day off in Puno

Puno is mostly famous for it's position on Lake Titicaca and it's floating settlements. There was yet another day of Paro or strike but this time it was the miners  and despite a strong police presence the transport people were working normally at least .
The Quechua people have made their homes on islands made of reed which take them a year to construct and which more or less float on the lake. Four or five families share an island. They catch fish, shoot ducks, collect eggs and peel the reeds to eat the inside. Some of the islands choose to remain isolated but others welcome the tourists with open arms. Everything is laid on thick for the tourists , the clothing, the songs, etc. but it does give you a glimpse of how life is on these islands. The guide explained that children row themselves to school on the mainland each morning which takes about an hour and in the rainy season doesn't sound like a lot of fun. It was interesting to see the solar panel on the roof of some of the reed houses which would power the TV. An interesting morning followed by a Cusquena (the local beer) and a great lunch back in Puno. 

01/10/2013 Stage 36 Pucara - Puno

2013-10-01 Click date for more photo's

01/10/2013 Stage 36 Pucara - Puno by malcandmarjetpatterson at Garmin Connect - Details

01/10/2013 Stage 36 Pucara – Puno and rest day 02/10/2013

Traffic chaos in Juliaca

On paper today looked to be an easy day with only just over a 100 km and 450m ascent to cover. The wind was in our favour and we made good progress until we hit the town of Juliaca. The town obviously has great ambitions with the start of a 6 lane motorway leading into town. So far only one lane was open and it wasn't surfaced and it was utter chaos to get through. There were so many moto taxis, mini buses and cycle taxis it was total bedlam. As seems to be the way, you find that in a particular street only one kind of item gets sold. It could be motor bike street, metal gates street, mattress street or whatever. Very convenient for the shopper and I’m sure it keeps prices competitive. We had every intention of stopping for some nice food but we couldn't find food street so we had to settle for the obligatory tin of tuna in the next small town. We got our first few of Puno and lake Titicaca after a short climb of 230m and arrived at about two in the afternoon.

First view of Puno

30/09/2013 Stage 35 Sicuani - Pocara

2013-09-30 click on date for more

30/09/2013 Stage 35 Sicuani - Pucara by malcandmarjetpatterson at Garmin Connect - Details

30/09/2013 Stage 35 Sicuani - Pucara

Cereal and coffee by the roadside

The 40 kilometre climb was much tougher then we had anticipated. The road surface was good and the incline not bad so I blame the altitude. We topped out at 4350m wher we were greeted by a coach-load of tourists who were more interested in taking photo's of us and cheering than taking photo's of the surrounding scenery. At the top this time I wasn't ill but just felt a bit weak and breathless. Gone are the really tall snowcapped mountains. Once we started going down the landscape stayed much the same for the rest of the day and we remained over 3850 m. The road was quite straight so you see the same view for a long time. Even at this altitude there are lots of cows. And of course dogs! Luckily today they were too sleepy or too nice to chase us. I even got into giving them a bit of my lunch. Fried eggs and tomatoes again. Our little stove is amazing. At this altitude it takes no time at all to boil water for a cup of coffee. So far we haven't had to resort to using petrol as the fuel because we have managed to buy the gas cartridges. In the evening we bumped into Thomas and Paul, two cyclists we had previously met in Cusco. We had a meal together which cost us about £1.25 each. Sadly there wasn't enough to feed a sparrow never mind a hungry cyclist. We had been on the road for over 9 hours to cover the 140 km We will make up for the lack of food when we have a rest day. 

In many districts of Peru we find these 'blue toilets' We think they must be part of the governments sanitation programme.

29/09/13 Stage 34 Cusco to Sicuani

2013-09-29 click on date to see more pictures

29/09/13 Stage 34 Cusco to Sicuani by malcandmarjetpatterson at Garmin Connect - Details

29/09/2013 Stage 34 Cusco – Sicuani

After the days off in Cusco we were both looking forward to getting on the bikes again. I think we like the simplicity of it. You just get on and go, no hassle nothing. There was only one worry. Our legs felt as if we had just run a marathon. The thousands of steps up and down Machu Pichu Mountain really played havoc with them. Walking downhill was a torturous affair and going down stairs could really only be contemplated backwards. If you had seen us hobbling to the bathroom in the night you would have thought we were in our eighties. However! We managed to cycle 140 km today with an ascent of just over 1000 meters and we hardly broke into a sweat. It must be different muscles but my legs did just fine. It was a lovely ride on good surface and for most of the way a big hard shoulder and not too much traffic. It makes an amazing difference in the distances you can cover now that we have left the 2000m plus straight climbs behind. The road is now undulating as we head for the altiplano ( the high plateau). Over the next three weeks or more we will be staying over 3500meters and our worry will not be with big ascents but about road surface and wind strength and direction. Today it was all good! The scenery was still nice if not as breath taking as it has been before and there is some satisfaction in covering the miles for a change!

Macchu Picchu

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macchu french clickto see more

25,26,27,28 September 2013 Cusco and Machu Pichu

After gleaning lots of information from other cyclists we decided against embarking on an expensive trek into Machu Pichu on the Inca Trail because although beautiful it is also extremely busy. Instead we opted for the cheaper package which involved car journeys, hikes, a bus and a train journey. Yet another strike dictated that we left the hotel at 2 am instead of 8 am. This time the strike worked in our favour because it meant we had more time in the day to look around. We met up with a lovely French couple Julian and Marlene who were wonderful company and an excellent source of information. We started the hike at 4.30 am in order to arrive at the gates for 6 am and it was magical to see the sun come up over this amazing place. Due to the strike it was very quiet and there were only 2 other people apart from us on Machu Pichu mountain and the sight itself seemed deserted until the train arrived at 10.00 and hordes of people arrived. After a scary journey back with a 3000 meter ascent (boy was I glad I wasn't cycling that one!) through thick clouds we went out for an absolute gourmet five star meal on the advise of Julian. Probably the best and poshest meal we've ever had for a pub meal price . Must repeat.

 Today we struggle walking down stairs. Our legs are aching after the more than 1000 meter ascent on what seemed like thousands of steps. Hope our legs will be fine for cycling again tomorrow?

One kilometre up on steps