Adios Peru...Hola Bolivia!

(note: fibre-optic internet does not seem to have made it to Bolivia yet, and has a very hard time dealing with photos -- reduced photo sets into the foreseeable future)

Another day, another border crossing. Despite all the on-line hype about the dreaded border crossings, we sailed through another one. This one was actually one of the easiest. No line-ups, no gringos, just like clockwork. Once you understand the Latin American border system, which requires one to have an exit stamp from the country you’re leaving, then followed by a dated entrance stamp from the country you’re entering, you’re laughing. Where the actual “border” resides is actually irrelevant. No one is standing on the road checking people going by. It’s all about the passport stamps and finding the right guy in the right building with the right stamp. Our panniers could be loaded top to bottom with cocaine, and no one would know or care (but that would be rather stupid).

So Peru. In retrospect, a good place, no regrets. Despite that fact that we literally flew over a gigantic piece of it, what we saw and did – the best parts we think – were worthy missions. In total we spent 37 nights in Peru. Ironically, the majority of that was spent off the bikes, either soaking up sand and surf, hiking in the mountains, or island-hopping in a boat. Kind of speaks to the fun and adventure to be had in this land of the Inca (we didn’t even scratch the surface).

OK, Peru trip stats and Amy and Rob’s top pros/cons on Peru...drum roll please:

Total kms on bikes: 939
Number of riding days: 13
Average kms per riding day: 72
Cheapest accom*: $7
Most expensive accom*: $30
Average cost per night accom*: $21
Highlights: Beaches of the north, high Andes of the south (do I need to say Machu Picchu?)
Highest elevation: 4610 m (Salkantay Pass)
Lowest elevation: 0 m (Mancora)
Rob’s fav street food: salteñas (going to be hard to beat)
Amy’s least fav local beverage: Pisco
(*accom = private room)

 Amy’s top pros/cons on Peru:

 

         +                                                                         —

Salkantay Trek/Machu Picchu            heavy horse blankets piled 6 thick on a bed
Highland grazing farm animals          vehicle horns
South America on steroids                  getting gringoed

Rob’s top pros/cons on Peru:

 

         +                                                                       —

great food                                                 insane drivers

big snowy mountains                              incomprehensible Spanish
wine is getting better and cheaper      general lack of street food**

 **Note: salteñas could be the best street food item on the planet, however, they only appeared at the end of our sojourn through Peru, and only in one town (Puno). In general, food on the streets was lacking.  

The 2-day ride from Puno (Peru) carried us across into Bolivia and to the resort town of Copacabana (aka Copa). As mentioned previously, not the infamous Copa, Brazil (the subject of Barry Manilow fame), but Copa, Bolivia – population 6000, elevation 3800 m, and nestled on the south shore of Lake Titicaca upon South America’s altiplano (Peru and Bolivia share Lake Titicaca). The site of Bolivia’s only public beach, Copa appears to be popular with vacationing Bolivians (La Paz, Bolivia’s capital, is only a 2-hr drive away). Although, who would venture into the 10-degree water is beyond us (haven`t seen any swimmers yet). But the scenery is stunning and there is plenty to keep a gringo traveller busy.

The ride from Puno has confirmed our fears: Bolivia is cold. Amy is pretty much done with it already. Of course writing to a predominantly Canadian audience, “cold” is a relative term. It’s not winter-in-Canada cold, but not what one thinks of when cycling for fun either. Our timing is perfect for their rainy season, which means we can expect a lot of cold rain (5 to 10^oC). Nights are down-jacket weather. We have officially unearthed all of our cold-weather clothing that has been buried in our panniers for the past 4 months, including my very sexy wool tights J And, we are in the process of supplementing our stores. Amy picked up a smashing pair of tights (20% wool, 20%spandex, 60%rabbitfur) for the outrageous sum of 4 dollars. I’m on the lookout for a pair of gloves to beef up my rather girly pair of Swix cross-country ski gloves, which just aren’t going to cut it around here. However, when the sun is out, it’s hot, so there is hope! Here’s to el sol...please show us your power and have pity on two silly Canadians trying to cross the altiplano on bikes.

On a high note, Amy’s on-line accommodation sleuthing skills have become second to none (new talent...who knew?). As such, we have landed what could be our best accom situation thus far. A lovely Inca-motif suite with private garden and view of Lake Titicaca. With the afternoon sun streaming through the windows, one would be forgiven to think vacation home in Tuscany (Amy is in absolute heaven). Given our current surroundings, described as “enchanting” and “charming” by Lonely Planet, and the proximity to Christmas, we have decided to milk our stay here in Copa so that it overlaps with 25 December – in other words, Christmas in Copa! The alternative is to make our way to the big smoke of La Paz, a crime-ridden city of 1.4 million, and spend Christmas in the midst of the urban chaos. But that would be wrong.

So we’re digging in and going to stay put for a while. The area has a lot to offer, including another island called Isla del Sol (sun island), which sounds intriguing. It’s also a good chance to clean the bikes, gear up for the cooler weather, and hey, just get used to being in Bolivia. So that’s the plan. More on Isla del Sol and Copa in the days ahead.  Adios.