When Matt and I sat down a few weeks ago and mapped out our remaining time in South America day 86 between Nasca and Cuzco involved 450 kms of riding, very much attainable given our current form. Google Map confirmed this. Imagine our surprise when we exit a gas station in Nasca to see a sign stating "Cuzco 660 kms". Overindulgence the night before and a blazing heat was not going to help the cause of getting there in one day. And after 3 hours of tight turns on bad roads any remaining chances of getting to Cuzco before the sun went down had been shot clean out of the water.
We'd been told by various sources that this new route had been paved but that didn't marry with what we found. By the time we arrived in Puquio, 160 kms east of Nasca, I was in a foul 
mood as the remaining distance in similar conditions would take several days to ride, time we simply don't have. Imagine my mood 5 minutes later when a motorcyclist pulled out in front of me on a dusty diversion in Puquio, traversed the entire width of the road and leaving me nowhere to go except the sidewalk. Black Yammy takes another tumble, covers the pavement in water coolant and my nogin bounces off the side of someone's house! I don't know what choice of motorcycles or helmets you readers make but I can strongly endorse Yamaha and Arai respectively! Both bike and rider came out unscathed although the fall-down stakes now stand at 7-3, which pretty much hands Matt the victory trophy, save a complete loss on Matt's part on how to ride a bike. He did try and high-side just shy of Cuzco and twitched on the slippery cobbles in the city but the score remains the same.
mood as the remaining distance in similar conditions would take several days to ride, time we simply don't have. Imagine my mood 5 minutes later when a motorcyclist pulled out in front of me on a dusty diversion in Puquio, traversed the entire width of the road and leaving me nowhere to go except the sidewalk. Black Yammy takes another tumble, covers the pavement in water coolant and my nogin bounces off the side of someone's house! I don't know what choice of motorcycles or helmets you readers make but I can strongly endorse Yamaha and Arai respectively! Both bike and rider came out unscathed although the fall-down stakes now stand at 7-3, which pretty much hands Matt the victory trophy, save a complete loss on Matt's part on how to ride a bike. He did try and high-side just shy of Cuzco and twitched on the slippery cobbles in the city but the score remains the same.What we found after Puquio, however, will remain with us forever: 500 kms of the best asphalt through the most amazing scenery. And we had it all to ourselves. For hours on end we 
passed nobody and we could comfortably use both sides of the road like it was our own private race track. The thin air and perfectly engineered corners assisted ridiclous speeds and untold grinning inside our helmets. Knowing full well we wouldn't make it in one day we spent Wednesday night camping by a river cooking up a feast in ready preparation for a continuation of the same. Although I've said it many times before these were two amazing riding days, very much in contrast to the other days of riding we've had. It seems a shame that, ultimately, both Matt and I will forget little pieces of what a fantastic experience it was to ride between the two cities of Nasca and Cuzco high up on the Peruvian plains.
passed nobody and we could comfortably use both sides of the road like it was our own private race track. The thin air and perfectly engineered corners assisted ridiclous speeds and untold grinning inside our helmets. Knowing full well we wouldn't make it in one day we spent Wednesday night camping by a river cooking up a feast in ready preparation for a continuation of the same. Although I've said it many times before these were two amazing riding days, very much in contrast to the other days of riding we've had. It seems a shame that, ultimately, both Matt and I will forget little pieces of what a fantastic experience it was to ride between the two cities of Nasca and Cuzco high up on the Peruvian plains.
3 comments:
Blimey sweetpea, is the house OK ?
It all sounds very hairy to us but just think of those Tetley Tea Bags and the fry up waiting for you at The Real McCoy in Cuzco - that should spur you on as well as the scenery.
Mum & Nigel
Hhaaa! the camping gear finally got some use.
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