Cycling with Sally

After weeks of email correspondence with Yoyo our SERVAS host in Urubamba;  we were very happy to finally meet.  He had allowed us to use his address for getting new rims for Big Bird from Co-Motion (thank you!) and some care packages from family sent to us.  It was so wonderful to receive some love from home (Canada and New Zealand) so thank you to those who sent us a little something something!  We received a ridiculous amount of chocolate but we have already destroyed it all….. but we did gift some of it away (albeit difficult to do) as we needed ‘the brothers’ to try the gutsiest chocolate bar in New Zealand and the best French chocolate in Canada.  Yes, you read that right!

Interesting Facts:

• Moro bars are not unique to New Zealand;  there is also a Moro bar made by Cadbury in  Ireland that is slightly different.
•  A Moro bar is eaten every 2 seconds in New Zealand.
• There is a Wikipedia page on Moro bars.
• Belinda is sad enough to do a web search on Moro bars.

Yoyo couldn’t be more laid back and big-hearted.  He casually invited our friends, Seth and Parker back to the house with us and then suggested they stay with him too.  This was so wonderful but by no means expected.  He was full up but wanted to house us all so we pitched our tents on his veranda that we shared with his three dogs and two parrots.  This was a perfect situation for us and as always we were every so grateful to have somewhere welcoming and safe to rest our heads after cycling our leggie’s off.

An excursion to Huayllabamba (a neighbouring town) had a festival on that Yoyo wanted to show us.  We arrived as a parade started and were able to see energetic dancing and fantastic costumes that depicted different stories and times in the town’s history. 

Machu Picchu

After lengthy discussions and number crunching (thank you so much Seth) between the four of us on the best way to get to Machu Picchu; we decided on the train.  Other options included: the ‘Santa Teresa’ way, trying our luck with walking or cycling on the railway or our 2nd favourite option was to tube-it down the river (not a real possibility but sounded fun).  There is no straightforward or cheap way to get there so you eventually just have to run with something.  Basically there is no road getting to Machu Picchu’s nearest town, Agua Callientes and Peru Rail charges exhorbidant prices to take this 1 ½ hour trip from Ollantaytambo (a nice town to spend an hour or two).  Fortunately for us they have recently introduced a new ‘backpacker’ class which offers tickets for considerably less (but are still ‘Gringo’ prices that are not congruent with the cost of other things in Peru and run at undesirable times).   ANYWAY!

We managed to score a great price on a hostal in Agua Callientes at Number One Hostal (only the best for us!) for 12.50 soles each.  Agua Callientes is a total tourist town filled with restaurants and hotels.   Desperate and persistant workers line the streets beconing your attention,  trying to convince you they have the best offer even though the neigbouring business is selling the exact same thing at the same price.  The other sucky thing about this tourist drenched town is that retailers size you up before giving you a price for a product you’re interested in, let alone that prices are already ridiculously marked up to start with.  ANYWAY AGAIN!  This is not meant to sound negative but I guess it's been a bit of a culture shock after spending over a month in rural Peru and it takes some readjusting in the head.  Sorry people!

So you either gripe about this tourist trap that you have CHOSEN to experience or you take it for what it is and have a nice day.  So soon after ‘starting to have a nice day’ I (Bee) ‘started to have a terrible night’.  Our entire stay in Peru has been tummy bug free (which is quite a feat apparently) until the night before visiting Machu Picchu.  Excellent timing.  I lulled the boys into a dreamless sleep as I made numerous trips to the bathroom all night to spend quality time with the toilet bowl.  It was then not possible to leave with the boys at 4am as I was still needing more time with my new found friend in the bathroom.  I managed to make it up the mountain later in the day but missed out on climbing up Wayna Picchu and walking out to the Inca Bridge but was able to take in the spectacular and classic views of these ruins from ‘Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock ‘ and slowly stroll around the bulk of the rest of the ruins.  We still think other ruins are just as impressive but there is definately something special about the location of Machu Picchu up so high and (often) shroaded in mist; it is a very beautiful setting.

As you can see by the photos; the boys got some interesting (and they hope original) ideas into their heads but also did a huge amount of walking.  They viewed Machu Picchu from every possible corner and the last couple of days have been paying for it with extremely sore legs.  Ask any long term cyclist about walking long distances and they will tell you how hard it is.  This is very frustrating considering we are so fit but cycling and walking use such different muscles.  As we were walking back to Yoyo’s in the early hours of morning we all agreed we were glad to have seen Machu Picchu but equally happy it was over.

It was tempting to stay longer in Urubamba in the easy company of Yoyo and his family but after yet another  satisfying breakfast we jumped back on our bikes  and followed the river to Pisaq which has a famous Sunday market.  It was infact Sunday when we cycled through so we had a nosy about before climbing one last time to reach Cusco; the biggest and most modern city we have experienced in over a month and another milestone (cycling wise) for us all.

Summary of our  trip to Machu Picchu (for those planning their own trip to ‘the Lost City’)

• From Urubamba to Ollantaytambo we caught a Collectivo that took 30 minutes and cost 1.20 sol each.  Our return was at 2am so meant we only had a taxi option and we paid 15 soles for all four of us.
• Book your train tickets with Peru Rail online in advance to get the best choice of ‘backpacker’ times.  We booked it the day before and meant we had to catch the 10.30pm train back to Ollantaytambo which was a very drawn out wait.  The tickets were roughly $30 US one way per person for the ‘backpacker’ class.
• Number One Hostal which is on the same lane as Number Two Hostal (on the otherside of the bridge to the train station, near the Mercado Central) gave us a room with four beds and a bathroom for 12.50 soles each.
• The boys Left Agua Callientes at 4am to walk up the mountain and get their tickets stamped to allow entry into Wayna Picchu which was perfect.  The boys  chose the second group to go in which gave them time to look around other parts of Machu Picchu before it got busy and they didn’t have to step aside for people on the descent.
• Be prepared to pay for the toilet at Machu Picchu even though you paid 126 soles to enter the ruins.
• Take your water purification device so you don’t have to pay for water.  I.e. A 500ml bottle of water in Machu Picchu is 8 soles and in Agua Callientes the Phura Peruvian 2L bottle of water is between 3 to 3.50 soles (you can pay 5 to 6 soles for other brands).
• Take food with you.  The cheapest ‘menu’ you’ll find is in the upper floor of the Mercado Central for 7 soles but they do sell a great fruit salad for 6 soles that is well worth it right in the centre of the upper floor.
  

Why didn’t we go the DYI Santa Teresa way?

• Time (at least 10 hours of travel from Urubamba to Agua Calientes, not including wait times and possibility needing to stay in Santa Teresa if we missed connections)
•  Alot of transfers (collectivos, walking/train, taxi etc).
• Potentially only works out to be able $10 cheaper after all is said and done.
• We know this way is very scenic  and has hot baths in Santa Teresa but we were not feeling it!
  

Why didn’t we take our bikes  or walk the railway?

• No guarantee we would be allowed on the tracks.
• After going in the train, it didn’t look like there was much space to the side of the tracks, going through the tunnels would be hairy and pretty bumpy terrain too.
• Didn’t fancy a five to seven hour walk.
  

It feels pretty amazing to have completed this stretch of cycling; it really feels like a great accomplishment. 

In a span of roughly 500kms and nine days we managed to scamper over five 4000m passes and then drop down to 2000m each time on mostly dirt road.  Being treated to snow, hail and rain for the first three days turned the road into a ‘soupy cheese grater’ which made progress slow going and quite mucky.  We had mud splattered from tip to tail and took some time scrubbing it out of our clothes and off Big Bird and the Bob.  We would hate to think of the state we would have been in if we didn’t have fenders!    There was no way we were going to camp out in these soggy and freezing conditions and so we would quite happily cram into a room for a total of 20 soles (about $2 each) to thaw out and get the feeling back in our toes.  

We have never encountered such a concentration of physically demanding days spending 6-8 hours on the saddle and maybe only going 50 to 60kms in a day.  Even after a few days of sun worshipping and the roads all dried up we still didn’t go much faster due to an incredible amount of road works and rocky wash board terrain which ate through three of our tires and caused our frame to break (again!).  Fortunately, this happened as we arrived into Abancay (the first substantial town we had hit in several days) and the end of the dirt roads.   A great thing about Latin America is there is no shortage of welders/mechanics open on a Sunday evening and within an hour and payment of two beers Roland had Big Bird back in fine form and ready to roll.

The night before arriving in Abancay we camped out at the top of a mountain pass on a brilliantly clear night with views of a snowy mountain range (Cordillera Vilcabamba) in the distance.  There has been such an abundance of natural eye candy going this remote route.  We thought the next day’s riding was going to be one of our easiest as it involved a 55km downhill.  We were wrong.  The road turned into a spaghetti noodle that squiggled its way down the mountain.  Once again, Roland did tremendously well steering the bike and taking the brunt of the pressure with applying the breaks for several hours on end.  Although our drum-brake (our third extra brake that slows our bike down because we are so heavy) is making a few strange noises these days it has been invaluable.  Even the brother’s who salivate over dirt and more challenging roads felt weary and sore.  However, it doesn’t take long to forget the hard stuff when we can chow down on a heap of food.  In Peru, if you are feeling bored of the ‘menu’ (economical set meal) then the next two most common options are ‘pollerias’ (fried/barbecued chicken and chips) or ‘chifa’ (Chinese food).  We opted for a hearty portion of chifa and finished off the day with a selection of pastries from a good old panaderia and feel asleep in our room that cost 7 soles ($2.50) for the night.

Our last three days of cycling to Urubamba in the Sacred Valley were noticeably smoother due to the pavement but still offered some decent climbs.   When we hit the bottom of the Rio Apurimac canyon (at 1900m) just before Limatambo we were attacked by intense heat and our first real swarm of Zancudos (persistent bugs that like to eat you alive).  We didn’t muck around chugging up our next ascent to get back into a more agreeable climate and to also beat the storm that was rolling in.  As the winds picked up and we heard the thunder and lightning cracking in the distance; Seth and Parker found a camp spot and we set up our tents in record time and jumped in ready to weather the storm.  However, the winds turned out to be so sudden and strong that the storm blew right over us and we were able to enjoy the ‘show’ in dry comfort as the town (Limatambo) where we had lunch several hundred metres below got a dousing.  Love when that happens!

Our last day of cycling took us into the Sacred Valley in the district of Cusco where a series of Inca towns line Rio Urubamba and have the Vilcanota mountain range towering above.  After rounding beautiful Lake Huaypo we had our final descent into Urubamba where we could give our bottoms a welcome rest and visit South America’s number one tourist attraction: Machu Picchu.

Extra mention:

Not only has the scenery been something special but cycling through Peruvian everyday life in the remote mountains will never be forgotten.  We haven’t taken too many photos of this aspect of our travels as we are never quite sure how to capture it without bluntly sticking a camera in their face.  At times it works out that we can ask permission but you run the risk of being asked for money or have just simply missed the perfect snapping moment.  We are sorry we can’t share more of this side of our experiences with you but this is how we feel and only hope our memories stay vivid.  Just to name a few mental pictures we have in our minds: boys making figurines out of mud on the side of road to play with; woman carrying enormous and heavy loads on their back while simultaneously knitting; men, woman and children tirelessly working the land such as shepherding, ploughing, harvesting fields such as potatoes at these high altitudes; families sitting together, laughing and observing life go by; the delight and surprise on children’s faces when we ride by greeting them with a smile.

Pictures in need of extra explaination:

• Seth and Parker divide everthing 50/50 to ensure it's fair and avoid disputes; especially when it comes to food.
• Mile markers are painted on rocks.  We hope no one moves them!
• Roland's hair is out of control!
• Found a hockey helmet on the side of road.  Boy, has that come a long way!
• Roland's tire fix: using a soccer ball as a tire patch lasting over 600kms on gravel before hatching!
• Plastic bags work a treat when your shoes are full of holes and feeling the cold.
  

Huancayo is home to some pretty unusual exhibits and we were fortunate enough to explore some of them with our host family, Andrea from Couchsurfing. On Saturday afternoon, we all piled into a taxi (6 of us) and made a bee line to a Cerviche restaurant. Ordinarily a seafood dish would not raise any eyebrows or spark any special interest, but eating shrimp, mussels and oysters drenched in lemon juice at 3000m is pretty weird, a bit nerve racking, but also very tasty. Next stop on our city tour was the look out area (Cerro de la Libertad) which is also home to the city zoo. Ordinarily this type of attraction does not really appeal to us, but we were finally able to see the ever elusive toucan and gigantic condor. Talk about a huge bird, their feet are the same size as a coffee pot, but with a tripod trajectory!  

Either we were getting bigger or the taxi cabs were getting smaller, as we once more squished in and headed to an equisite rock garden, (Parque de la Identidad Huanca), complete with water features, bridges, sculptures, music and grass. This well known landmark took 3 years to complete, is manicured, maintained and looks impeccable. This is however in stark contrast to the surrounding neighbour where 99 percent of the buildings are a basic brick structure with re bar protruding from the roof top and often encompassed in rubbish.  

Grilled cow heart on a skewer (anticucho) and Inca Kola, typical Peruvian cuisine, completed our day and we made arrangements for a lunch together the following day. We would like to thank Andrea and her extended family for their warm hospitality and guiding us through their vibrant city.  Having a couple nights here allowed us to regroup with our traveling companions, the fishing brothers and we eagerly hit the road knowing some special landmarks awaited. Cycling with Seth and Parker has been awesome. Being able to meet up periodically throughout the day for a set menu meal or two, sharing experiences, taking photos, camping and just the comfort and security one gets from knowing others are nearby has been fabulous, particularly in these more remote areas. Additionally they are a bit more knowledgeable about the different routes available and what these different paths might reveal. Huayraccasa, the highest drivable pass in the world at 5059m and a 170km detour is a sparkling example of their influence and we are so grateful. Feeling a bit dizzy, breathless and exhausted we finally reached this summit where upon we all exploded with excitement, relief and admiration for one anther's efforts. All in all it was a very special moment, shared by some pretty special people and some animal biscuits (no champagne at hand)!  

After five (thrilling yet gruelling) days we arrived into the town of Ayachuco just in the nic of time and escaped most of the freezing rain and snow. Originally the plan was to arrive early, resupply at the local market, hand wash our clothes and savour a hot shower before hitting the road the next day. The (old) Roland would have been very pleased with this idea, but the (new, more sensible and thoughtful) Roland realised that an extra day to rest and relax before arguably the hardest stretch of road on our entire trip would be a smart thing to do, especially for team Sally!