All the way south

Yeah yeah yeah, I know its been a long time since I’ve updated.  I’ve been traveling almost non-stop.  I’m going to spend the next couple of entries catching up with my pictures and telling some of the more interesting stories.  For the record, I’m now in Mendoza, Argentina.  I’m going to work on my blog posts in between eating massive amounts of steaks and chorizo coupled with fantastic wines.

Anyway!  On to Machu Picchu!

Biking through the Americas has its benefit:  Instead of having to travel with the herds of gringos along the Inca trail or the train from Cuzco, I got to ride to Machu Picchu on my motorcycle.

Fantastic Ride.

Super fantastic.  In fact, I’d consider it one of the best rides of the trip.

I started the ride from Limatambo,where we stayed at a hotel that also raised cuy.  Another cuy video to follow!  CUY!!!!  They were safe as we weren’t that hungry.

In Lima, I met an American who told me to look up a guy named KB who runs KB Tambo Hotel and Tours in Ollantaytambo.  We showed up in town and amazingly the first person we asked where KB was knew exactly who we were talking about.  After finding KB at a coffee show we met up with him a few minutes later at his hotel.

KB is a great guy.  I’ve met many travelers who are always looking for something– I think KB is one of the few who’s found it.  He’s from the US and bought into the hotel a few years ago before Ollantaytambo was as developed for tourism as it is now.  KB lives a great balance of work and lifestyle.

After talking to him for an hour, he told us about the following route:
Ollantaytambo -> Santa Maria -> Santa Teresa.  From Santa Teresa take a collectivo (microbus) to hidroelectica, the hydroelectric plant.  From there, you can take a train or hike for 3 hours to Aguascalientes.  Upon arriving at Aguas, you’ve once again rejoined the herd.  Here you can either take a bus like everyone else or walk up the mountian to Machu Picchu.

The pass from Ollantaytambo is amazing.  Truly spectacular.  This is only one half of the road that made it one of the best rides of the trip.  It was completed a few years and the pavement is smooth as glass.  There are hairpin turns where you can really lean the bike over as well as parts of the ride where you ride 65 mph through gental shicanes.  One more thing:  NO TRAFFIC!!

Eventually after crossing almost the entire pass the road turns dirt for a couple of hours.  It was an all weather gravel road that was in OK condition.  If you stuck by the side of the road, it was fairly smooth.  After about one hour of riding through tourist free villages you get to Santa Maria.  You make a left across a bridge and there is a row of abandoned buildings.  I wish I knew more about these, but they look like they haven’t been used for a few years.

Then the second part of the fun starts:  The ride from Santa Maria to Santa Teresa.  This was the most perfect non-paved road I’ve ever been on.  The views were fantastic.  There was even a nice photogenic water crossing.  The surface was smooth and predictable.  The penalty of error was severe.  This road makes the “Death Road” in Bolivia’s Yungas look like an interstate.  The road was thin and twisty with massive drops if you strayed away from the mountian.  Absolutely beautiful.

Once the road ends, you’re in Santa Teresa.  There are tons of very simple Peruvian style hostels.  You could expect hot water from a death heater in a shower where you have to stand over the toliet.  Small rooms lit by a swinging lightbulb….. BUT things were clean and cheap.  My favorite!

Theo and I found the hotel “Hospedaje Auqui”.  They were clean and had great parking for atleast two bikes.

The town was charming.  They had beautiful statues and people were actually living in the town, unlike Aguascalientes which is an actual tourist trap.

The next day, we woke up and took the collectivo to the hydroelectric plant and train station.

Arriving at Aguascalientes was a shock.  It was terrible.  As I said previously tourist trap.  I really mean trap too– there is only a train to enter/leave town and a bus service that goes up to Machu Picchu.  Everything is 4-10x as expensive as the rest of Peru.  It is full of retired people wearing thier overpriced hats that brag about thier Machu Picchu visit.

So I finally made it to Machu Picchu.  My visit to South America is official.  I do have to say, it was beautiful.

Even though I’m part of the herd now, there were tourists everywere you looked.  MP is a money maker.

See.. I was there!!!

The one non-tourist I saw on the mountian.

I’m glad I went because the ride to Santa Teresa was tops.  Honestly, I could have skipped Machu Picchu.  It was nice but for me, it didn’t really pop past the pictures that I’ve seen.  I am certianly lacking some appreciation for the history, but as far as the piles of old rocks I’ve seen on my trip, I prefer Tikal.