Trip Summary: Buenos Aires to Machu Picchu

Traveled 7,509 km/4,661 miles in 18 days north through Salta and Jujuy, Argentina, crossing through the rough heart of Bolivia at Salar de Uyuni, then on to Machu Picchu in southern Peru. There we turned around and headed to the coast of Chile before crossing back over the Andes at San Pedro de Atacama and then onto a little outpost in northern Argentina and then back to Buenos Aires. Too many hard days of riding and too few days visiting.

Moving average: 75.8 km/hr or 47 miles/hr.
Overall average: 56.4 km/hr or 35 miles/hr.
Moving time: 99 hours
Stopped time: 34.11 hours
Data is actual from GPS at trip end.
Mileage on moto at trip end 32,160 miles

October 11, 2009 - Arrived Buenos Aires

Yesterday was hard!
We rode 757 km with a 25 knot cross wind from the east - with a bizzilion monster trucks trying to kill us on a two lane highway. Every time we encountered an oncoming truck it would interrupt the wind and create a huge vortex that would buffet and then try to throw us down - this went on for ten hours.
We rolled into a little town called Ceres about dusk and grabbed the last available room in the Grand Hotel (not) before a hot shower, mediocre pizza, cold beer before exhaustion won.
We pushed hard yesterday so that we could arrive in Buenos Aires mid-afternoon and it paid off. We rolled into the city as the sun was throwing off that golden yellow before the long shadows - really nice! 
Last night a storm blew across the country so today the winds were from the opposite direction and colder - cold is ok; no buffeting and it's sunday so fewer monster trucks!

I'm going to go back in the coming days and add details from that place - that place I swore off last time - we had some good times, lots of challenging riding, and a few travails.
A good trip - no serious accidents or injuries and we all had a great adventure!
Nick
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October 9 - Dropped Gustavo at the airport in Salta

Drove 600 km - seemed casual but we were pressing pretty hard. We climbed all morning crossing the Andes early - we peaked at 4830 meters (15,846 feet, I kept waiting for the oxygen masks to fall) - partially frozen salt water lakes and nothing else!
Then we did a couple hours of amazing altiplano before hitting the unexpected (by me) - Quebrada de Humahuaca where we dropped, and cut back forever... I have some great pictures that will scare the faint at hart in the camera.
Back where we began the journey and dumped Gustavo on a plane with time to spare. Walter and I make turns for Buenos Aires tomorrow.
Nick
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October 7 - Driest place on earth

This morning we left the coast and headed through the desert - drove most of the day through the driest places on earth arriving early afternoon at San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
Its a trippy place - kind of what Burning Man might be if it stayed open year-round except more expensive. We're looking up at some of the highest place in South America (Cerro Sairecabur, 19,850 ft/6,050 m, a 5 hour climb from the base of ~17,500 ft, with oxygen), which is next to a salt lake and salt flats. Sand skiing/boarding is popular because the grades are steep and the sand very dry. Strange people migrate here. Its fun!

Tomorrow Gustavo wants to ride 600 km (a long day even on good roads) - except he wants to cross the Andes - we are at 2000 m now and we'll be climbing to over 4500 meters on a two lane road and then down to about 800 meters in Argentina. I'm skeptical! There's always a problem/delay here; did I mention a border crossing?
Nick
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October 7 - That's Civilization up ahead?

Spent last night in a great little oasis in an otherwise barren landscape - wandered into the middle of town looking for something interesting and happened intoa very strangest pub (yep, strange) - anyway, they made a great pizza and the beer was cold.
We rode south to Chile and did the two hour blah-blah at the border - what a waste of time.

There is one of those imaginary lines here - Enter Chile and 30 seconds later everything is just different. People (everybody) doesn't honk honk honk at you, the roads are, well, paved and maintained, the people are 6 inches taller and 30 points brighter, restaurants have menus, just about everything is changed even though its the same parched dirt under their feet.

We're rolling through some of the driest places on earth today.  Tomorrow we ride into the absolute arid.
At dusk we headed to the coast and found a great Sheraton-esque hotel on the waterfront and called it a wrap. Had a pisco sour overlooking the Pacific in Iquique, northern Chile. Tomorrow we ride a half day to San Pedro de Atacama.
Nick
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October 5 - Cuy-licious

This morning we left Puno on Lake Titicaca heading for Chile. We climbed up to 4,500 meters where we spent most of the day crossing the Andes - we peaked at 4594 meters = 15072 feet which is high desert.  You can tell there were so many turning optons on the road above that Gustavo felt obligated to ask the local rocket scientists for directions... Then we hit the 80 km section of tierra (earth) road - only in this case "earth" is dry sand - not good for heavy motos. we dropped air pressure and ended up only having to run about 50 km in sand - hard work but beautiful and fun.

At the end we tried to take a short cut up a hill (that I knew was a mistake). We ended up planting all the bikes to their axle in sand - no trouble you say? - try picking up and turning around a bmw 1200gs on a steep incline in the baking sun, with no footing and nothing to breath - just walking 10 feet uphill was enough to make us all gasp. (click the image below and see the trucks at the top of the hill - it's taller than you realize.)

We finally got on our way and then had a glorious downhill ride where we dropped about 10,000 feet (to alt 4,688) in about an hour through some gnarled switch-backs. I was amazed when I looked in the mirror and saw a semi barreling down on us - it shouldn't have been possible - and when we turned up the heat so did he - I got tired of this dangerous game and signaled - we all pulled over.
When we rolled into the completely unexpected oasis of Moquegua we found a great little restaurant and asked for the specialty of the house (common to only serve one item in remote areas).

We were brought fried Cuy! and an onion salad - delicioso!

Cuy(e) translation Spanish - English : cuy(e) (cuis o cuyes pl) sm (LAm) guinea pig.
Nick
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October 4 - Rode the AltoPlano

A riding day through the high plains of southern Peru. We traveled at 3,750 to 4,350 meters today. Many of the people here still live an agrarian, in fact primitive, existence. The old and the very young tend meager flocks while the able use wide-bladed picks to turn plots of soil or wash clothes along mountain streams. The peaks are still much higher and make spectacular vistas.
Spent 90 minutes tightening and maintaining the moto - the handle bars almost came off in my hand as we entered town and it was gasping trying to accelerate uphill so I cleaned the air filter.
Tomorrow we ride toward Chile but there is a long section of gravel and dirt so arrival location depends on road conditions and weather.
Nick
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September 3 - Machu Picchu, Peru

We spent the day at Machu Picchu.
We almost died climbing Waynapicchu (first picture) - the sacred peaked mountain adjacent to the ruins. The climb is a challenge for anyone healthy but we've all been feeling the effects of significant intestinal distress...
Tomorrow we leave Cusco heading for Chile.
Nick
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More fotos from Salar de Uyuni

Been traveling at 12-14,000 feet since I left Argentina.
Nick
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October 1. 2009 - the dog ate my homework

I'm in Cuzco, Peru.
I had several days of postings saved - no online access - then I hit something wrong; now its gone.
I will send a few images from Bolivia now and post more later.
Nick
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