From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

We felt a lot better, mentally and physically, after resting a few days in Abancay. It’s been nice to stay in the same place for a little while – it allows us to relax, decompress, sleep in the same bed for a couple of nights in a row! We don’t have to look for a place to stay or somewhere to eat, we don’t have to shop for groceries, and it’s nice to get a “feel” for the place. We also got to meet with a super friendly Microfinance Institution.

Quechua

Abancay is 2400m above sea level, and the next mountain is 4000m, so we have a pretty good climb ahead of us. We camped in a little village, about half way up, in front of the house of a little old lady. She only spoke Quechua, a dialect of the Andes region (and not just a brand of hiking equipment!). When we asked if we could camp on her land, she answered that she didn’t have any room in her house! Luckily her neighbour came by to help us out, and the old woman gave us a big smile and said that we were welcome to camp anywhere we wanted. Sara took a very cold shower in the river, but the temperature dropped quickly in an hour, and Sébastien decided to forgot a shower that night.

Cordillera de Vilcabamba

4003m in altitude: The next morning, the snow-capped peaks of the Vilcabamba range were spread out before us – a beautiful sight. It was a little chilly up there, but we decided to have a picnic, Peruvian hats on our heads.
We continued our way down to Curahausi – 35 km of breaking, no pedaling required, except to get away from the dogs that chased us, much the delight of the locals. We found a “hospedaje” (hotel) with hot water and a floor so clean that we could have eaten off it! We went into the local market to pick up a few things – we often go for fruits and vegetables, and sometimes pasta and cookies. We always avoid the fish stands though – in the mountains it’s mostly trout – and the meat stalls that we can smell before seeing. There’s no refrigeration here – everything is laid out in the open all day, exposed to the sun and the insects. Sometimes the smell can get pretty overpowering.

A bit of thumbing…

The next day we continued our way down to Apurimac, about 25 km. It was a record breaking 60 km descent, going from 4000m to 1900m in altitude. Then we had “only” 1750m to climb to get over the next hill…

We finally arrived in Limatambo, exhausted, annoyed by the sand flies and wiped from the heat, after 20 km and 700m up. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to “cheat” a little and take a public taxi for the last part of the climb, 23 km and more than 1000m up. It meant that we would be able to get to Cusco the next night and go to the famous Pisaq market on Sunday. When we reached the summit, the taxi driver seemed overcome by the remorse of overcharging us for ride, and offered to take us all the way to Cusco. We refused though – we would get there tomorrow, on our own steam!

As the sun was going down, we searched for a place to pitch the tent, and we settled down in a little field. It was cold, but the brilliant starry sky soon made us forget the chill.

A frozen orange and a town with two faces

It was cold this morning when we woke up. As Sara reached for her fleece, she noticed that the part that had been touching the tent was frozen. We unzipped the door flap – the ground was white. There had been frost overnight, and our little orange tent was covered, and so were our bikes. We made like onions and layered: 2 fleeces, 1 Gore-Tex shell (wind and rain proof), and our warmest gloves. We looked at each other, incredulous. We were “only” 3400m above sea level, and Bolivia is 4000m up! We thought about buying a thick, warm blanket, but then we would have to carry it. In the end, the cold prevailed – we’ll buy something in Cusco. Happily the sun was shining, the frost began to melt, and we started to warm up. Little by little, we peeled off all our layers.

After about 40 km, we saw the sign for Cusco, naturally accompanied by an increase in rude drivers on the road. We were a little overwhelmed – this is a big and important step for us. Cusco, also known as “the world’s belly-button,” is a famous colonial town, supposedly very clean and beautiful. Before we got there, however, we had to go through some less attractive areas, slums with mud huts and with garbage piled up in the roads. Beneath us, the famous Cusco awaited. At our feet, we could see the centre of town with clean and wide boulevards. The juxtaposition was striking. Up here, the locals eked out a living, while down below was “gringo land”, where the tourists came and went, without ever seeing the local poverty, barely a stone’s throw away. Up here, they leave the “gringos” alone, but down below, “gringo” mean “dinero”, and on every corner the travel agencies, trips planners, and hotels and hostels do everything they can to get the tourist buck.

That morning we had contacted Mario and Marianella, our hosts in Cusco. We were descending on them a day earlier than we had originally planned, but it wasn’t a problem. We called them from the main square, right after having been “attacked” by a young New Zealander and 4 Argentineans who wanted to know everything about our trip. They were from the Santa Fé region and invited us to stay with them when we are passing through.
Mario and Marianella gave us directions to their house, and Mario left to meet us in his car. They were very warm and welcoming, and invited us into their home with open arms, even though we’d only ever exchanged a couple of emails. They’re going to keep our bikes for the next two weeks while Sébastien’s parents come and visit. We’re all going on a bus trip, itinerary yet to be discovered!

But first we have a couple of days to work on our Microfinance project and explore the city – with our backpacks, the international sign of the gringo!

Sara & Sébastien