There's a lot of emotional ups and downs on a trip like this.
One moment everything is going just perfect and then the next moment
it seems like everything is going to shit. Pardon my spench.
In the last week or two there have been many ups and downs.
Down: scary difficult road up to Cordillera Blanca
Up: seeing the Cordillera Blanca covered with snow first thing in
the morning
Down: Having to bribe asshole cops to get through the Lima area
Up: Getting through the Lima area and arriving at Pucusana, a fun
port town
Down: The bike battery dying
Up: Finding a battery in Cusco
Down: The water pump dying
Up: Getting the parts quickly and getting the bike fixed in a virtual
instant.
Down: and this is the new news. Having a freshly fixed bike,
anxious to get on the road again this morning, packing up everything
on the bike, going to dress for the ride and saying "where the
hell is my jacket?" and going back through the mental backtracking
process .... "ah shit I left it at the oil change place last
Monday!!!" which meant having to stop there on the way
out of town. Except it wasn't there. They admitted it
had been there, but someone took it home. "Take me there,
I'll pay for the taxi." He lives 2 hours away in like,
Sicouani or something. "Where is it on the map? We're
going through there today, give me directions and a phone number."
But no one knows where he lives, and he doesn't have a phone.
He'll be in on Friday. "Friday?!?!? I may be in Argentina
by Friday!" So then the best I can do is tell them I'll
ask Jeffrey at Norton Rat's to pick it up on Friday, and then I go
to Norton Rat's and leave him a note begging him to do just that.
Then finally, at around 11am, we leave town. I wear my fleece
with my rain jacket over it. It begins to rain. But then
lets up before we actually get wet. And then a plan forms.
Watch out. It occurs to me that Glenn and Shiela are riding
into Cusco today, and that they are planning on blazing south after,
maybe they can collect the jacket and catch up with me somewhere.
It also occurs to me that Jeffrey said he was taking 3 weeks off,
leaving Friday, to go see the Stones twice in Buenos Aires and do
a little other travelling around. Uh oh, gonna be close.
So this whole plan is forming in my head as we head up a big river
valley higher and higher. Eventually the river peters out to
nothing and there is just snow covered mountains right next to us.
Perhaps a little shortness of breath. And then the top, and
a rare sign stating we are at 4338 meters, 8 meters higher than the
pass between Nazca and Abancay, and possibly the highest I've ever
been on land. How high is Quandary Peak in Colorado? So
then we are going down the other side of the pass, and see 2 motorcyclists
on the side of the road, facing up the pass, taking photos of the
remarkable scenery. Hey they look familiar, why it's .... Glenn
and Sheila. Heh heh, I've got plans for you... Explained
the situation, photos were taken, bikes were looked at, Shiela's loose
front fender was pointed out ... and ... they are only planning on
staying in Cusco until Thursday but they will help look in to getting
my jacket back. If they can physically get their hands on it,
they will, and carry it along until we meet up, otherwise they will
see if they can arrange shipping it to me in Mendoza, Argentina, or
somewhere similar. They are definitely my favorite new Canadians
(sorry Mik and Alicia, I still like you too!).
We are now in Puno, by Lake Titicaca (heh heh, he said...) By
we I mean me and Dick for the time being. I forgot to mention
in my last post that I woke up, what was it Friday or Saturday
morning, to a lot of shuffling and crinkling plastic noise, packing
noises, ya know? And when I got up all of Eric´s stuff
was packed and ready to go and he was already out of the room.
I went to my favorite Cusco breakfast spot, Jack's Cafe, and there
was Eric having breakfast. I didn't say a word about his packed
luggage to see if he would bring it up. He didn´t.
When he finished breakfast he said ¨see you back at the room.¨
And of course I was wondering if this would really be the case as
I had to go check the internet for tracking info on the BMW parts.
When I did get back there, he was gone. Dick said he was getting
a little stir crazy and was going to go ahead. I have no problem
with this, but I just think a little communication between the travelling
compadres is a good thing.
Dick is using a terminal a couple seats away and we are hoping Eric
will report some road conditions for what is ahead. A couple
of people have mentioned that Bolivian weather this time of year is
harsh, and Glenn and Shiela have virtually abandoned plans to go through
Bolivia as they have been told that in addition to the harsh weather,
the roads are in horrible shape, many washed out. Also the Salar
de Uyuni, the largest salt pan on earth, is under a meter of
water. All of this dire news makes Bolivia a little less appealing
- but only if it is true! I still want to go through there.
The weather forecast for the next 5 days is absolutely perfect, too
perfect, perhaps. If Eric emails that the roads are passable
then we are there. The border is only a couple hours away.
I kind of want to yell over the head of the guy next to me and get
an answer ... ah why not .... Eric is still in La Paz.
Guess we may have to find out for ourselves. The roads look
fine on the map if we stick to Rt 1. It's supposed to be paved,
anyway! And the forecast is for sunny, 60´s during the
day and high 30´s (F) at night ever day for both La Paz and
Polosi, which covers the north and middle parts of the country.
South of Potosi it's supposed to get increasingly desert like as we
get down into Argentina. Sounds so easy, doesn't it?
There were 4 bikers last night out in front of Norton Rat´s.
They were in Ushaia 21 days ago. It IS possible, to quote Gil,
I think.
