Copacabana is on the shores of Lake Titicaca and it appears that the Bolivian Navy knew that I was visiting since they laid on a Guard of Honour.

Colca Canyon

The next day I was still without lights so this unexpected tunnel proved a bit of challenge. The dust thrown up by the trucks was expected to cause problems but teamwork prevailed. The view of the canyon and the condors that were flying around us made the ride down the dusty road to get there all worth well.

A pair of XT250s

In Cusco I met up with 2 Canadians, Dan and Claire riding a pair of XT250s and I rode with them to Colca Canyon. It took us two days to get to Chivay the town before the canyon.

That night Claire could not resist joining in the entertainment but she did get a bit violent.

This witch standing beside the road was obviously a good witch snd looked over me. That day I lost both high and low beams and so the night time ride down the switchbacks into Chivay required some teamwork to avoid the rocks and potholes. Dan in front and Claire behind. They must know what a 'guide dog' feels like

A genuine Inca Village

Ollantaytambo is little known so far, except by artists, interesting expats and Inca historians. A friend suggested I visit it so of course I did. The town population is 2000, a lot smaller than it was in Inca times. But you can still get llama for lunch and grilled guinea pig for dinner. I won't get either one again but at least I can say I tried them.

The ruins are an engineering marvel. Particularly the interlocking stones that withstand earthquakes and the stone baths with their patented turnoff feature. Just pass your hand through the stream to turn off the flow and then throw some water at the channel to turn it back on again.

Okay, enough resting. Tomorrow its back to Cusco and riding on.

And now I'm here !

From Cusco it was nothing but an early morning wake up followed by a taxi and a bus, getting herded around like cattle, and finally the train (where I discovered I'd left my tools behind), followed by another bus, and then arrival at Machu Picchu. I must say, this was less strenuous than the last time I visited (4 days on the Inca Trail) but less satisfying too.






But this place isn't the top tourist destination in the Americas for nothing. It's stunning. I ditched the group tour and employed my own guide. The first thing to notice at any Inca ruin is the bloody astounding stonework. No mortar, no metal tools, no JCBs, nothing but alpaca skins and a few thousand workers to fit and lift the multi-ton stones into place. The fit is so precise that even today one can not fit even a sheet of paper in between adjacent blocks.










The climb up Waynapicchu is a bit of an endurance event. I made it in 20 seconds (sorry, I meant 20 minutes). The view from the top though is really gobsmacking. Here I am, literally sitting in a cloud.