The first chapter complete.

Street children in Cuzco


We made it, the first leg of this amazing journey finally came to an end at around 4pm on November 15th. We'd always intended to arrive on that date but it still came as a surprise after two months and almost 20,000kms.

Saqsayhuaman (pronounced 'sexy woman')


After Nazca our route took us inland to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, the heart of the Incan empire. As the road climbed steadily into the Andes we caught our first glimpse of the snow capped peaks. We entered Cuzco shortly after sunset as the early evening sky came alive with a spectacular thunder storm. The city took us by surprise with it's lively tourist scene, narrow cobbled streets between huge colonial cathedrals which sat atop ancient Incan temples. We settled down for a few days to catch up with some friends and enjoy all the city had to offer visiting many if the old Incan cities which surround Cuzco. The scale and precision of the stonework is remarkable, with primitive tools they carved rocks weighing over a 100 tonnes to fit together in an intricate jigsaw which has withstood the test of time and numerous earthquakes. We could only imagine how they looked before the Spanish arrived and plundered their golden treasures. The Peruvian approach to tourism, however, left a lot to be desired and Cuzco is showing the symptoms of an over exploited destination. Selfishly, we wanted to explore alone but coachloads of tour groups stole a lot of the magic we had hoped for. It was a good opportunity to catch up on news of the road conditions in Bolivia and the reports were not encouraging. The early arrival of the rainy season was rapidly turning the already notorious roads into impassable quagmires and the prospect of riding two up on an already heavy bike was not something we were looking forward to. With heavy hearts and a deep sense of regret we made the decision to cut Bolivia out of the trip plan, for now at least. Reports since have confirmed we made the right choice but we can't help thinking `what if?´. From Cuzco we turned South towards Lake Titicaca. At over 3800m and surrounded by towering volcanoes it provided a nice change from the chaos of Cuzco. The lake itself is populated by the Uro people whose existence literally rests upon the Tortora reeds which grow abundantly around the shoreline. Their houses, boats and even the islands they live on are constructed from the reeds.

Sunday drivers


From Titicaca we decended once again toward the coastal deserts, through the `white city` of Arequipa and on to the Peruvian border. Getting pulled over for bribes was no longer amusing and in the end we would simply refuse to pay. They threatened to confiscate licences, we carry several fakes for this very reason, we even got escorted to their headquarters but in the end the only thing it cost us was our time.

The final frontier

Entering Chile brought home the realisation that this leg of the journey was nearing it's conclusion and with the faintest hint of reluctance we continued South. We made good progress through the northern deserts of the Atacama, the world's driest region although we were constantly battered by strong coastal winds. We stopped briefly in San Pedro de Atacama to appreciate the high altitude salt flats and enjoy the sunset in the Valley of the Moon, but the proximity of our destination kept us moving to where we are today. A mixture of emotions, wanting to reach our goal but wanting the adventure to continue, swept over us as we entered the Maipo valley. What little we have seen of the area so far leaves us in no doubt we have stumbled into another little slice of paradise. Snow capped peaks where condors soar overlook the steep sided canyon of the Maipo River. Pristine thermal pools lie hidden deep within the high Andean passes where you could spend weeks exploring the endless rock faces. The Argentinian border is a several days away on horseback so we may have to make that trip. We have been on the river several times already and although challenging it is well within our capabilities, how much work we will get is still and unknown but the area has endless opportunities for exploration so I doubt we'll get bored. With warm people, good wine, a fine climate and a superb river on our doorstep we are in no rush to move on just yet.

Sunset in the Valley of the Moon

We do intend to continue the blog so tune in occasionally and there will be updates. The real adventure of discovering Chile is just beginning and where that will take us nobody knows. Thanks to everyone who has supported this trip and all of you who followed our progress.