00
Getting ready - my journey continues, basically alone.
Riding down into the Amazonas basin
Tingo Maria at an early hour
The jungle has got many special faces.
Coca leaves drying along the road
Boquerón del Padre Abad - the last narrow passage ahead of ...
... the flat wide jungle
Peru live: always a bunch of motortaxis around you
I was inspired, jumped in too and spent a night here
Jungle soccer
Meeting up with Cebero by coincidence in Pucallpa
Exploring the surroundings of Pucallpa
Sewing machine - old school but independent from electricity
Pucallpa's market: Turtles illegally hunted, eggs and meat for sale
All the wild animals are sold illegally...
... the pure wild west
The monkey does not belong here.
Macabre visit to the zoo: Chicks waiting to be eaten by a hungry anaconda at the back
The harbour: pure manpower
Planning to visit Contamana by boat but this was too much for me...
... I went by airplane.
Contamana
Sunny, hot and humid - shade is all you want
Riding out to Aguas Calientes, a natural reserve
Hut to sleep for free - this pearl in the jungle has not been made known yet:
Butterfly - I could not take a photo of the shining blue on the inside of the wings.
Cold waterfalls further up
Hot springs further down
The perfect rivers: >30°C, you can chill out for hours.
Next to the river:
About 400 macaw parrots normally land and drink mineral water...
... here - but did not during my stop
Cycling back up into the mountains to Huánuco
Pass beside Cerro de Pasco, almost 4400m
Entering the small Altiplano beside Junin...
... along a nice lake...
... on straight and flat roads but on 4100m.
My bed of chairs behind a restaurant in Cullhuas
Alto de Imperial - heading South
Nice colours in town square of Izcuchaca
The longer the ride the higher the motivation
Is this a road?
Camping in a lucuma fruit yard
Rio Mantaro breaking through the rocks...
... the lower the more desert
The streets of Mayoc
"Hmmm, what does this Gringito on that strange bike do here?"
Stay on the road!
The countryside can change within short distances:
20km further along, towards Huanta
Nice to ride here
Ayacucho, another colonial town
Getting to know some locals I just met
Catching up with Françoise from France
On the first of five passes towards Cusco
Vicuñas
Camping on 4200m
Cold but adventurous
Natural carpet
The disastrous descent where I fell in the dust.
Once again: the steering broke - (@Challenge: please improve this part!!!)
Repairing work
Rio Pampas ahead of Chincheros
Pass number two: from Chincheros to Andahuaylas, 4200m
Andahuaylas
Biggest dormitory ever, municipal in San Jerónimo
Pass number three: from Andahuaylas to Abancay, 4200m
It is a spectacular countryside out here:
Brown, green and blue.
A long downhill with Abancay at the back
Pass number four: Abancay to Curahuasi, 4000m
I loved the contrasts.
Finally, I crossed the fifth pass (3600m) with Cusco at the back.
Meeting Romel and his friend by coincidence again
My arrival at the Hostal Estrellita, coming home to the cycling family
The streets of Cusco: below Inka above Spanish
Our visit to Machu Picchu...
... absolutely worthwhile:
How were they able to build that?
The 28km hike along the rail road from Aguas Calientes back to Ollantaytambo...
... along plenty of other ruins
Read the comment below!
The hike revealed many small treasures: Cactus flowers, ...
... a butterfly with transparent wings, ...
... a parrot not shy at all...
... and the Peruvian development of a selfclosing door.
Back to Cusco:
A great city to rest - I enjoyed the time with the two Matts.
