Lobsters to Llamas, Maritimes to Argentina

[Kedgi]

Some pics from Cusco

The huge town square














One of the main streets i walk each day on my way to the square, gotta go here in a few minutes on my way to Starbucks



One of Cusco's many narrow streets




A tile mural depicting the town





Somebody moving some mattresses




The Cathedral





An unusual Cat fountain!





People...LOTS of people









A cool little rat bike. The young owner spoke English very well and he told me he and his cousin built this. I never thought to take his picture. I went back to get it and he had gone. The engine is a KTM, he told me it is a 350 and it's a twin.




Evening




Inside Norton's. Mostly everyone was on the balcony




Jana and Lawrence




Niko at the board





The kids went to buy pancho's to hike with and Niko liked this sleeping bag




Lawrence, Malene, me, Jana and Niko last night after supper



I've been wonder what the hell this is in the lobby of the hostal. I finally figured it out. It is a bar made from a tree, that opens like a typical little bar, complete with a rack to hang wine glasses from.








A better look at my friends. Niko still sporting his cast.




I paid my bill for five nights at the hostal. $70. I had been told it was $25/night I thought. Good deal. I'll buy my own TP and endure cold showers for that.

Off to Starbucks

Kedgi

[liferider]

Kedgi, hi!
Your RR crossed my way, and today I have been reading it here and there. Great time you are having, glad for that.
Isn't Cuzco amazing?

You have written "So like I say, parts of a SA trip are outstanding. Some parts, not so much. All in all it's a fantastic ride.", which makes me wonder if you already have defined your route from Cuzco to Ushuaia. Why? because once you get to Patagonia, there are only 3 reasonable choices on your way south, undertaking a long trip like yours:
- Atlantic Coast,
- Ruta 40 along the argentinean side of Los Andes,
- and Ruta 5 along the chilean side of them.
Briefly, in order to avoid boring you with something you didn't ask for , I can say that if you don't like the "not so much" routes, may be you should consider not to take the Atlantic coast as your first choice. It's the fastest but also the less amazing one.

Anyway, it's just my personal taste after have been riding lots of routes from Cuzco to Ushuaia all these years.

I'm 300kms from the Cordillera de Los Andes, in Northwest Patagonia.
If you would like more information, or you need help around here, just let me know, you can count on me for whatever you need.

Ride safe.
See you, mate.
.

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by liferider

Kedgi, hi!
Your RR crossed my way, and today I have been reading it here and there. Great time you are having, glad for that.
Isn't Cuzco amazing?

You have written "So like I say, parts of a SA trip are outstanding. Some parts, not so much. All in all it's a fantastic ride.", which makes me wonder if you already have defined your route from Cuzco to Ushuaia. Why? because once you get to Patagonia, there are only 3 reasonable choices on your way south, undertaking a long trip like yours:
- Atlantic Coast,
- Ruta 40 along the argentinean side of Los Andes,
- and Ruta 5 along the chilean side of them.
Briefly, in order to avoid boring you with something you didn't ask for , I can say that if you don't like the "not so much" routes, may be you should consider not to take the Atlantic coast as your first choice. It's the fastest but also the less amazing one.

Anyway, it's just my personal taste after have been riding lots of routes from Cuzco to Ushuaia all these years.

I'm 300kms from the Cordillera de Los Andes, in Northwest Patagonia.
If you would like more information, or you need help around here, just let me know, you can count on me for whatever you need.

Ride safe.
See you, mate.
.

Thanks

I really appreciate your input and readership. I only intend to go as far as Buenos Aries and then ship my bike back stateside from there. I plan to spend the next several days knocking about Puno and the surrounding area, Airiequpe (Sp) etc. the head to La Paz for my birthday party with a friend who has a concurrent birthday and then head south.

Cusco is a nice city. It's a spectacular morning here.

You ride safe too!

Kedgi

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by 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

Thanks Dave. I may take you up on that steak in a couple months on my way home, you never know.

I really try to keep hydrated and use one of those Camel Backs. My appetite is fine. I'm just not a fan of the food.

Bottled water is really easy to find everywhere. I brought one of those water purifiers with me and have never needed it. I throw it away but it was expensive. Water is plentiful and cheap.

The Spanish problem can be fixed. I am going to take Spanish at home.

The $ not so easy maybe, but this trip is not all that expensive in the grand scheme of things. I take a few hundred dollars out and it lasts several days. Places like this hostal at less than $15/ night are great for the budget. Beers and meals are cheap. Gas in Ecuador was $1.50/gallon. Here it's more like in Canada over 5 maybe 6 dollars a gallon. The KLR gets such good mileage it does matter a whole lot unless you do a huge day like I did riding in here

The big costs are things like flying the bike across the gap and back stateside. The Gap cost $1300 including bike and myself the flight to Miami or Houston will be about $1500 for the bike and I'm not sure about the cost of my ticket yet.

Riding here is dirt cheap compared to riding in the USA or Canada. In Fishkill NY I paid more for one night in a Comfort Inn than I'd pay for two weeks accommodation down here.

Thanks for reading. I have good friends in Jersey, you may see me yet.

Kedgi

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by eddyturn

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

That's good advice. I really haven't had all that much beer here and I do try to stay hydrated. I just seem to be one of those souls that doesn't do well at altitude. It takes me a long while to adjust. I am feeling much better today than I have the last several days. I actually have some energy today. I'm coming around.

Kedgi

[yokesman]

Is there as reason many are not going to Brazil?

[liferider]

Originally Posted by Kedgi

Thanks

I really appreciate your input and readership. I only intend to go as far as Buenos Aries and then ship my bike back stateside from there. I plan to spend the next several days knocking about Puno and the surrounding area, Airiequpe (Sp) etc. the head to La Paz for my birthday party with a friend who has a concurrent birthday and then head south.

Cusco is a nice city. It's a spectacular morning here.

You ride safe too!

Kedgi

Ok, Buenos Aires is your final destination.
Well, looks pretty little probable you pass near home, here in Cipolletti/Neuquén cities, because it seems you will look for the shorter diagonal Santiago de Chile - Mendoza - Córdoba - Buenos Aires, for example.
Anyhow, feel free to keep in mind you have an ADV inmate around here just in case.

Keep it going

.

[liferider]

Originally Posted by yokesman

Is there as reason many are not going to Brazil?

In my case, I love Mountains and Desert, but I suffer too much riding in the humid and the hot weather of the rainforests.

.

[Smithee]

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 was wondering how your body was handling the altitude. It's something you don't see being written about in some of the other ride reports from folks riding in Peru. I had trouble with a hike last summer in the Maroon Bells area of Colorado, and that was around 9,000'. Cant imagine trying any serious exertion at the altitude you're at in Cusco (like a 4 day hike that your friends are going on.

Good thing the bike is running ok for you at that altitude. My old BMW f650 had carb problems and would have puked and died long before this if it was along on your trip.

Ride safe, Dwight!

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by Smithee

I was wondering how your body was handling the altitude. It's something you don't see being written about in some of the other ride reports from folks riding in Peru. I had trouble with a hike last summer in the Maroon Bells area of Colorado, and that was around 9,000'. Cant imagine trying any serious exertion at the altitude you're at in Cusco (like a 4 day hike that your friends are going on.

Good thing the bike is running ok for you at that altitude. My old BMW f650 had carb problems and would have puked and died long before this if it was along on your trip.

Ride safe, Dwight!

The secret to my friend's success at high elevation is they are all under 20. Niko and I were walking across the square last night looking for Lawrence and the girls and he said, "maybe they're still at out Hostal paying for the hike. I'll run up the stairs and see" The he ran up about 150 stairs and turned the corner out of sight. I was having a time just plodding along the sidewalk. There is no substitute for youth and enthusiasm unless it's old age and treachery.

I am feeling much better today. I was really altitude sick I think, leading to feeling down and depressed. It can really screw you up.

Today I have energy again. I walked over and met Alex Luna at Moto Tours Peru and he gave me a map to guide me right up to the train to Machu Picchu. I'm going ride up there on Monday I think, just so I can say I did it. Screw paying $200 to ride in a packed bus with a lot of tourists.

Got a haircut and shave at the Peluqueria otherwise known as the barber shop. It's hard to shave when you haven't had hot water for about a week, I feel somewhat human again for the first time in several days.

I looked it up today, Cusco is at over 11000 ft. One of the highest cities in the world.

[dryden_rider_54]

Hi Dwight

Not sure if this applies to you, or you were already aware, but saw it on Bryces ride report regarding money exchange in Argentina. Might be worth a read.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=918

[BKMLWR]

glad you are getting recharged with "people" time...

[Cal]

Kedgi
I did the 4 day MP hike at 54 years old and my buddy was 59. It took me 3 days in Cusco to get acclimatized, I went to the pharmacy and got something for the sickness, do not remember what it was but it worked. The hike reaches 14000' at dead womens pass. The porters actually run ahead of you and camp is all set up when you arrive

[liferider]

Originally Posted by dryden_rider_54

Hi Dwight

Not sure if this applies to you, or you were already aware, but saw it on Bryces ride report regarding money exchange in Argentina. Might be worth a read.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=918

Didn't know about Xoom... sound great, but here in ARG the official and black market values are just as named in the link above...

.

[Kedgi]

Originally Posted by dryden_rider_54

Hi Dwight

Not sure if this applies to you, or you were already aware, but saw it on Bryces ride report regarding money exchange in Argentina. Might be worth a read.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...&postcount=918

I appreciate that. That will likely help me when it comes time to pay to ship the bike home from BA. The shipper only accepts cash.

Thanks

Kedgi