Lobsters to Llamas, Maritimes to Argentina

[Kedgi]

With the unbelievable help of Poolman, I was able to go back to Norton's Pub and find and sign the Rider's guest book.

ADVrider is an amazing resource. It's hard to believe a guy in the Washington DC area can tell a guy, he's never met, who's from Shediac, NB, what to look for in a book in a bar in Cusco Peru in almost real time. How cool is that? Thanks Poolman.

Can you tell I was happy to find the book? Oh and by the way, poolman, I had the Cusquena for you



Kedgi

[Reaver]

Rock on Dwight!!!! A fortunate turn of events.

It's so cold here I still haven't installed my Christmas farkles on the bike! The Great White North.

Thanks again for the inspiration.

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by Reaver

Rock on Dwight!!!! A fortunate turn of events.

It's so cold here I still haven't installed my Christmas farkles on the bike! The Great White North.

Thanks again for the inspiration.

It is indeed fortuneate not to have left before they got here. I am trying to meet up with them in the next few minutes to play some chess with Niko while the girls walk around and shop.

It's about 15C here right now, not exactly warm but a lot better than Winter

Kedgi

[poolman]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

Oh and by the way, poolman, I had the Cusquena for you



Kedgi

Awesome Kedgi, I'm glad things are taking a turn for the better! I can almost taste that ice cold Cusquena

[lmcanje]

Long time lurker, or longish anyway.
I have to say that I appreciate your honesty with your report, the good and the less good.
I am glad you are feeling better about this epic trip you have embarked on. It something I would love to do but I don't think my "plumbing" could handle the food so well.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that there are probably a ton of people like me riding your report, imagining or wishing that they are with you.

[KLRJRS]

Hi Dwight
The smile on your face says it all ! I am glad your friends have arrived and you will be able to hang out for a few days and take a well needed break. Hope you recharge and enjoy the time with friends so that you can carry on feeling like a new guy! When you are all alone in a strange place and everything is out of sorts it can be a very lonely place ! But even one friend can make all the difference in the world. And knowing you as I do, you will have hundreds of new friends before you finish your journey. With you every mile along your way,
Jim

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by KLRJRS

Hi Dwight
The smile on your face says it all ! I am glad your friends have arrived and you will be able to hang out for a few days and take a well needed break. Hope you recharge and enjoy the time with friends so that you can carry on feeling like a new guy! When you are all alone in a strange place and everything is out of sorts it can be a very lonely place ! But even one friend can make all the difference in the world. And knowing you as I do, you will have hundreds of new friends before you finish your journey. With you every mile along your way,
Jim

Thanks Jim

I can't tell you how nice it was to see Jana, Niko, Lawrence and Malene. We had a nice day together. Niko and I played Chess, we all played darts. We discovered we are all lousy dart players, so we have that in common. Then we all took a break back at our hostals and met at 7pm for dinner. great to have friends around. Awesome.

[Kedgi]

Jana and i had hoped to celebrate our birthdays toghter. Mine is on February 6th and hers is on the 7th. She wants to have a party, that starts on my birthday and ends on hers. I like the way she thinks but sadly I don't think it will happen. It looks like tomorrow is the last day we will spend together. They are going on a four day hike to Macchu Picchu. That's something I won't be doing. 50 steps at this elevation is enough for me. I felt quite sick this morning. This altitude stuff sucks. Jana is quite stuffed up and feeling sick too and she may have to cancel the hike. I guess we'll know better tomorrow.

My bike is a parking that is locked up on Sunday so they leave on their hike on Sunday and I will just chill here until Monday then leave for Puno. There are a couple other guys I met in Cartagena who will likely be there too. Then I think my plan is to ride around Bolivia via Chile. Then head for Buenos Aries. I have about 3700 kms to go, not counting detours to see things. I can see the end approaching.

By the time my Birthday comes I will likely be in Argentina and Jana and co. only plan to be in La Paz. They say thats a 10 hour bus ride from here, I haven't checked my maps, but if that's the case I can't see hanging around here for another several days or even doing Punos and trying to kill time to make the party happen. I don't want to disappoint Jana but I need a plan.

Kedgi

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by lmcanje

Long time lurker, or longish anyway.
I have to say that I appreciate your honesty with your report, the good and the less good.
I am glad you are feeling better about this epic trip you have embarked on. It something I would love to do but I don't think my "plumbing" could handle the food so well.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that there are probably a ton of people like me riding your report, imagining or wishing that they are with you.

I'm really glad to have you following along. The food kills me. Again tonight, another restarant another less than appetizing meal. I went where the kids wanted to go, they seem to tolerate it. Malene says she loves the food. I don't get it. She had spinach soup. I had a chicken breast, cooked to death, french fries that looked like the spuds had an issue and they were stone cold. Oh my.

When Niko and I played chess today we were at Norton's pub. We ordered their burgers. YUM! It was really good. Real ground beef, cooked, hot, on a nice bun. Wonderful! I'll have another one of them before I leave Cusco. OMG it was so nice to have something good to eat.

Speaking of plumbing, hostals down here in many cases don't provide toilet paper. many don't have toilet seats for that matter. Lawrence was saying his hostal is the same as mine, no TP. The stores all sell it so you have to bring your own. I say build it in you price. I find that very strange but that's the way it is. BTW you can't flush any paper. It goes in a little trash bin beside the flush.

So this morning Lawrence has to go. There is no TP, he doesn't have any, he goes to the front desk, they sell it, 1 Sole, like 30 cents. It just so happened he didn't have one sole on him at the time. He begged for credit, they relented.

I'm just thinking maybe I should have separated the dinner description and the TP post but, What the hell.

[eddyturn]

Altitude = more water. Less booze. Might make you feel a bit better up there.

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by eddyturn

Altitude = more water. Less booze. Might make you feel a bit better up there.

I have learned to take it very easy on the beer and I'm drinking water as I write this. It's very good advice for anyone that comes to these high elevations. The hostal even sells a compressed gas can like a big can hairspray used to come in, sort of, called an oxishot. You can give yourself a blast of Oxygen if you need it. I didn't drink at all tonight and I have been on the water but I felt sick to my stomach for a while this morning and have that heartburn feeling you get at altitude or at least I get at altitude. I'm fine but I'm aware of the feeling and I'm very tired and calling it a night at 11pm. I found today that i got a headache playing chess. malene said that your bloodflow really slows down and that's likely why. It's funny, elevation didn't seem to effect her, Lawrence or Niko at all, Myself and Jana are a different story, both not feeling well. I said to them I would love to go out with you guys tonight but I just don't feel that well.

Tomorrow they have things to do to get ready for the hike and I need a haircut again, have to do some route planning etc, so were going to get together after lunch. I am having one of those great burgers or KFC while I have the chance.

Good Night

Kedgi

[eddyturn]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

I have learned to take it very easy on the beer and I'm drinking water as I write this. It's very good advice for anyone that comes to these high elevations. The hostal even sells a compressed gas can like a big can hairspray used to come in, sort of, called an oxishot. You can give yourself a blast of Oxygen if you need it. I didn't drink at all tonight and I have been on the water but I felt sick to my stomach for a while this morning and have that heartburn feeling you get at altitude or at least I get at altitude. I'm fine but I'm aware of the feeling and I'm very tired and calling it a night at 11pm. I found today that i got a headache playing chess. malene said that your bloodflow really slows down and that's likely why. It's funny, elevation didn't seem to effect her, Lawrence or Niko at all, Myself and Jana are a different story, both not feeling well. I said to them I would love to go out with you guys tonight but I just don't feel that well.

i

Sounds like a good description on why the Broncos played the Ravens so darn poorly. Brain cells die at altitude.

[Fabio_Kilao]

hi kedgi...

i really enjoy read your rr... about the altitude you can try the coca tea, 'Te de coca' in spanish, i was in Cusco in few years ago and the tea worked very well for me...

in Bolivia the food is worst, when i was in there i just eat pizza, but when you arrives in argentina and chile the level of food will increase a lot... in argentina you can try the beef of chorizo...is one of the better meat in SA...

i'll be on de road to cusco in march and after i'll go down to san pedro de atacama on chile... who knows we meet our paths...and if you came to Brazil...we'll be with the doors open for you here and will be a pleasure help you on your pass through this country...

i hope you continue enjoying your travel and don't be sad because the more interesting in this type of journey is the differences between the people and culture.....

Kilão

Http://kilao.blogspot.com

[Kedgi]

One of the riders that crossed on the Stahratte trip I was supposed to have been on is here in Cusco. He had some issues with his bike earlier this month that delayed him quite a while in Cali, Colombia.

Now he's had a crash while riding in the sacred valley near here. he's OK, some scrapes and bruises is all, but when he tried to restart the bike, the engine has issues. He may have to truck it to BMW Lima.

I have offered assistance, such as I can offer. I told him about Alex Luna at Peru Moto Tours, that I happen to know about thanks to Poolman's excellent advice.

Fred has another contact, Jefferson through Norton's. People Fred knows in Cali. they say he can find Jefferson at Norton's and that Jefferson is a good guy that should be able to help.

I have offered to buy Fred a coffee at Starbucks this morning and I've offered to meet him and introduce him to my backpacker friends at Nortons this afternoon. We are all getting together there at 2pm

I have plans to leave here Monday for Lake Titicaca. I have figured out where I can ride and spend a few days and still meet Jana in La Paz for our birthdays. What I can't figure out is how to make my birthday my 19th like hers.

I am beginning to acclimatize to the elevation. I had a pretty good sleep last night and feel much better. Not 100% but much better. This high elevation can really kick your butt.

I have some picture to post asap

Kedgi

[SparkyL]

Hey Dwight,
I have to confess that I stopped following your RR back in October when you posted about your troubles with your GPS and I-84 with trucks whizzing by and your bike conking out, etc. I told myself there is no frickin' way this guy is gonna make it to Texas, never mind SA.
I checked back in a few weeks ago, where I left off, and holy crap! You're doing great! I'm all caught up now and I'm loving your RR. Your honesty and candor is refreshing. Please keep going and reporting. I'm with you for the duration. If you ride through this area on your way home, let me know. Burgers or steak (and beer) on me.
I think it was Eddyturn that brought up a point that I've been wondering about: are you drinking enough water or juice on this trip? I'm not a doctor, but I believe loss of appetite is one of the symptoms of dehydration. This brings up one of the four main obstacles to a trip like this for me; I consume a lot of water and I would worry about availability of pure water in some of the countries you have been through. The other three are $, time, and No Habla Espanol.
I have to say that you have a big set of brass _____ doing what you're doing. Ride safe and keep up the good work!
Thanks.

Dave