What a roller coaster! This country has the highs and lows of extremes. Lamas greeted us on top of this pass...seemed like they were smiling at us before they ran away, but that is solely our interpretation...
Kishuara wasn't anything much to be desired and there was a dirt road leading around the village. (and way down into the village for that matter) Road construction workers let us fill our water bottles right at the intersection and helped us make the decision where James and I agreed to skip the pueblo and stay up high and in nature. The road was rough but doable. Around the next bend we put on our layers...the sun was setting and the thin, dry air could not hold the heat of the day. Starting down we could make out Abancay still another 70km in the distance deep down near the river valley...seems so close, but we knew...can't fool us!
We camped right next to the dusty road but behind some thick bushes on a amazingly flat grassy place. I slept like a baby until the sun woke us up - it was so damn beautiful up there I could hardly move. We took our time with breakfast and hit the dirt taking our time to descend. We had to stop and take pics numerous times.
Towards the river and the end of our descend we encountered road construction as expected.....hot, dusty, sweaty we crossed a Rio again, had lunch on one of the side restaurants already on the next up slope to Abancay climbing 15km back to 2400m. I had myself a cup of coffee and since I don't drink coffee very often the caffein propelled me up the rest of the way ....I like the heat anyways, so, for me the uphill was a pleasure this time.
We had planned to stay a day, but feeling the energy of Cusco (a REAL CITY) was getting me excited .....I had no interest to waste time in Abancay when this jewel of a city was now so close by. Needless to say we left the next day - up and over the next long, long uphill windy, twisty road to the pass and down....to Curahuasi, spend the night in a very pleasant little hotel, hot water and all...and the next day was down to the river again where we were greeted by millions of black flies that basically ate me alive (they are truly worse than mosquitos....and I am still scratching 4 days later..). On the next to last pass before Cusco we stopped early near some inca ruins and bumped into this wonderful young polish couple. They were going the opposite direction and we couldn't stop talking and had to call it a day in terms of cycling....camping amongst the inca ruins.
we slept peacefully under the stars (but in our tents). Even the breakfast couldn't be hurried - we had too much to say to each other...so we left late in the morning again, climbing up to the plato and across it, up the last "bump" which was indicated as another pass ....and here it is: the first sight of Cusco:
This is BIG!!!!
Anybody realize????
Looking at a map days, weeks, month, a year before, I couldn't imagine getting here -making it. Looking at the squiggly road on google, hearing about road constructions, cyclists taking the bus,...changing the route, getting robbed, attacked, scared, simply giving up..... It looked SO INTIMIDATING from so many angles.....and here we are....here I am. Makes me happy!!!!
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