After a few days at Tarma checking out caves, ruins and Inca trails we set off south.

We were handed nothing short of a glorious day allowing us pretty good views all round, plan was Las Bolsas to stay however they wanted more than 2 x our nightly average, also it was early in the day so we decided to carry on.



Given the clear skies I had spotted an intriguing snow capped mountain poking up on the middle of nowhere, we thought we would head for this and check it out.

Our maps showed a road to the top ... perfect, Mrs.Garmin agreed so that was that we were off.

Cresting the top I missed our turnoff because we were attacked by four dogs, one managing to temporarily latch onto my pants until I thumped it with a stone from our cup, we also cracked Maya open and they couldn’t keep up, this is what we saw ... slightly cool!!.



We decided to carry on over and down the other side, the road was in excellent condition and we had it to ourselves other than one stinky truck doings its two stroke impression.

Part of the road



The road seem to go on and on, I was starting to wonder if we had done the right move, late in the afternoon we came across Lampa .... yeah.



There was one hostel being build, one that was really shite and the one we ended up at which was a complete rook for the money but she had us cornered, next accom was around 4 hours away.

This was our room, note the window is a picture frame with the glass.



This was our toilet



There was no hot water .. definitely no Wifi.

They do have a cool tow square tho with a big hat



We have mentioned the barking dogs thing prior, it is worse here in Peru than anywhere else and this night was no exception keeping both of us awake for hours (normally Ellen sleeps through a bomb blast).

I went to find the source, knocking on the door with no answer the dog was going ape, so I knocked louder and heard someone but they would not come to the door so I thumped it harder and they yelled out something which I could not understand and the dog stopped....finally.:clap

In the morning they were not happy with me knocking on their door, the hostel owners were complaining about the dog too but didn’t want to say anything so they left it too me :huh.

The people then said it was not their dog (trying to get out of it) and they wanted and apology, both of us with our eyeballs around our knees they got quite the opposite.:evil

They then conceded acknowledging the dog barking and still wanted an apology ...WTF.... they got even more than they bargained for at that point.

Then leaving town four other dogs again racing out chasing us down the street with the owners just standing their looking ... no comprehension of civil minds there. :eek1

Talking with a local the previous night he said the road to Comas was no problem so we carried on and ha a great ride, getting narrow and boggy in places no vehicles had been through for quite some time so it was interesting, coupled with an assortment yet again of dogs wanting a piece of us....something in the water of this valley me thinks.:rofl







More awful views



And some fun bridges



Starting the decent



Comas appeared at around lunchtime, it was a welcome sight of seemingly normal people, lunch for the day was Coy (Guinea Pig) and it was very nicely cooked.

Maya again bought the place to a standstill with a crowd of about 15 or so very interested in the bike and us, many questions and big smiles .... almost back to Colombia.

The start of the gathering



Waving goodbye to our new found friends in Comas we hit the tar (what a treat) back to civilization and ended up in Concepcion so canned the day there getting a hostel with hot water, wifi and nice parking for Maya.

The main road back

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Hi Andy & Ellen. Was looking for info on the suzuki DR got high jacked, abducted, linked etc etc onto you ride blog Fantastic, thanks for sharing. Have to compliment Ellen though, that was no mean feat, riding a DR & getting as far as Mexico well done or Gud an ya gal ... yep even started to speak the lingo. You paint a super positive picture of south America. Pan Am highway is on my list but pushed way back, am now thinking of doing it earlier though. Was planning an overland trip to Ozz but am now half thinking of making a circle out of it Pan Am & back via Ozz Asia stans etc etc. Gotta have a look at the budget Glad the KTM, (started out as Kiwi Trauma Machine) is working out oke & has turned into Kiwi Tour Machine They are nice bikes. Go for it, keep the rubber side down ... Vince

Heya Vince

Sorry abut the abduction ... and any info we can help on the DR sing out, I still have one in NZ

Yes Ellen rode 32000 km before the big unexplained off, now life is on one moto so we still continue.

South America for us so far has been outstanding and we love it (except Peruvian drivers), as far as budget goes let us know what level of accom etc you like and we can give you up to minute info on what to budget, we have info for all the countries we have been.

And yes Maya, a few trials at first with a dishonest seller but we have her ironed out now and she is treating us well.

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Sky to sand ... top of the world to sea level, a 4740 meter drop in a couple of hours.... so feeling the cold, been hailed and snowed on it was “half time change sides” and coastal we go.:clap

I just felt like getting some sunburn and seeing if our camera was still playing up ... luckily it was. :evil ... but then the focus played up :cry

Heading through National Park Paisa Jistica we expected gravel of varying conditions ..... however no, totally tar and great condition, this was actually a bonus for us after bashing around on lumpy gravel so I took the advantage to have a restful ride and a wee snooze on the way... don’t tell Ellen. :wink:



Monster rock gardens



Awful valleys to look at :lol3



More pressure induced rock formations



Tomas, if we had known about it we would have left Concepcion later and stayed in Tomas, what a stunning wee town and very un-Peruvian being very clean.



As it was only mid morning we carried on with a healthy serving of canyons and rock gullies much to our surprise, we also thought we were on the wrong road as google maps show it as road 22 and Mrs.Garmin shows it as road 24 ... not sure who is wrong but we made it anyway.

Just after Tomas the wow was given to us again with a stunning lime rock canyon





As you can see it is skinny



Further down the valley the rock changes colour in the canyons



Our day was uneventful and pleasant until on a right hand blind corner we hit a moto head on, now we were hard to the right hand side like we always are on blind corner, the other moto was totally in our lane and totally on our side as well.

Not sure what he was thinking, if we were a typical Peruvian bus or truck that flies around corners without care they would have been dead.

No real damage to speak of other than the new gouges cover the old scratches, see were we are positioned, I had actually swung LEFT to avoid him but this was not entirely successful other than avoiding a harder impact.





He was very keen to pick up and get away, I think he thought he was in a pile of shit so wanted to get outa there asap.:rofl

Picking up Maya then his bike it was clear damage was minimal and no-one was hurt so all in all a successful crash if there is such an animal :clap

Getting down in elevation the whole moonscape changes from lush mountain to arid desert



Making it out to the coast almost intact we headed north to Cerro Azul to the beach, nice place but spendie compared to the rest of Peru.

Sunsets are something we have had a shortfall of and we have been missing, with our timing right mum nature chucked us a beauty to watch for the evening, total change from the alps and a great contrast for us.



Rock bluffs with surfers



The sea about to put the sun out



The End

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Glad you came out unharmed! very nice canyon!

Yeah very lucky not to have sustained too much damage but like yours it didn't need to happen.

And yeap beautiful Canyon.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Hiii Andi & Ellen, abduction thingy is forgiven cant beat a goo old abduction to get the fun going Glad you both survived that close encounter of the bendy kind. Have ridden a lot in the Himalayas on an enfield Always fitted a loud horn & sounded it on corners, mmmnnnn doesn't actually help much Thanks for offer of info, hope to take you up on it later on. Am in the early planning stage, gotta get out of working first Regards the bike DR doesn't seem to be sold here in Holland, so have a short list of : triumph 800xc, support me neighbours .... am Irish, BMW 800 support me neighbours, live & work in Holland, KTM 990 adv R piss me neighbours off. But all that can & will change Its all part of the fun. I drive a guzzi norge here in Europe Your walking sticks are they the telescopic ones ?? Have ear marked your site & will follow you here on HU. Will get in contact for info, but think that it will be summer 2015 at the earliest when I can make a move and by then will end up going somewhere completely different jeeeezzzzz. Anyways you two have fun & keep the rubber side down ..... Vince

....per Pitbull :rofl

Let's excuse me baby
Go, yeah you baby
Back, ooh you groovy baby
In, let's make a movie baby
Time, excuse me baby
Let's, yeah you baby
Go, ooh you groovy baby
Back in, let's make a movie baby
Time

Ok, this is a bit outa sequence cos someone who looks like me forgot to post it....how buggered if know .. .senior moment .... again

Sooooo nestled deep in the Area de Conservacion Regional Huaytapallana there is a lake called Lazo Huntay, to say it was beautiful is an understatement.

As we got closer the weather caved in soaking us on the way up the valley, luckily it stopped raining ...then it started hailing ... good thing we are used to that, it is rainy season here afterall :evil.

Just out of the storm behind



After some 12 km of gravel road turning more off-road we made it to the lake, mum nature cut us a break in the weather allowing us time to take some pics and take in the full glory or the glaciers looking down on us.



Looking from the underworld of the mighty Mayan



Unfortunately the pics don’t do this place justice, coupled with the awkward light being produced by the snowing and hailing against the mountain our poor old camera struggled.



The lake is a beautiful light milky blue similar to that of Lake Pukaki and Tekapo in New Zealand, it was cold enough too to mimic New Zealand.



We had a window of 20 minutes to half an hour then that was it the weather really settled in dropping the temperature very fast and turning the place progressively white.

My peak got icicles and grew some stalactites with the cold so we were getting keener to drop our elevation which was 4780 meters.





All in all a fun morning out, arriving back in Concepcion it was sunny and warm, all the snow settling on us and Maya a distance memory already, what a difference 1580 vertical meters makes.

Concepcions main stay



The town from the top

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Heya Vince

Yeah got away with the bendy bit for sure, too close for comfort and my undies too

Yes we sound our horn too but I don't think it makes much difference at all for the speed these guys go blindingly around the corners.

DR is a good horse, we just got two baddies, my one at home is solid after much torture but there are still plenty or other options too.

Me on mine in NZ on a track, motard setup



All bikes mentions above are great bikes, your 800XC or F800 were our choices behind the SE, I love the F800 but for that money I would want adjustable suspenders etc, F800 very fuel efficient.

Guzzi Norge is a nice machine, too pretty for clobbering around back roads tho, great touring bike.

Will try and keep the rubber side down, too late to say shiny side up

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Great posts as usual guys. Glad all was ok with the 'off'.
I just crated my bike for LA flight tomorrow and me on Thursday. The adventure begins!! Heading into Mexico from Texas and visiting Copper Canyon. Do you have a list of must-sees in Mexico?

Cheers
PN

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When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/PaulNomadRTW

Heya Paul, here is our spot to see where we went.

It died after Oaxaca, from there we went out to Palenque, and around the peninsula etc and into Belize.

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php...151ccbf3ef07fb

Will have a flash back through our pics but the mountains were great, Mexico in general is very cool and very enjoyable and still remains some of the best food we have had too.

Copper Canyon etc is great, there really is so much to do there.

Don't listen to anyone about danger, the place is safe as (being your own careful self with your stuff like usual) and the people are very friendly

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Woooow well done, fabulous. You like to ride your bikes super .

Regarding the norge, she is pretty but will lift her skirts & get her little booties muddy if pushed & that does happen She has been to the north kap the long way & also down to m'hamid (Morocco) by the sahara via the riff & Atlas mountains. Oke I will admit I had to stay off the back roads but it was fun

I agree bout the f800, a lot of money & I think a lot of it is just for the badge. Anyways am scouring the hubb, reading reports so will make a choice. The DR I liked cos it was simple, no electronics & a good old work horse.

You sometimes use two walking sticks, are they the foldy or telescopic type, if so do they support you on downhill climbs oke. I use a walking stick sometimes in certain conditions

Andy Ellen thanks for the reports & wiliness to share info, stay safe have fun & keep the rubber side down ...... mmmnnnn keeping the shiny side up could of course refer to ones haircut ....... Thanks Vince

That was the reason we chose the DR650 was simplicity and out in the stick that is gold.

So you have pretty well been around the block too and no doubt see amazing stuff, stick with the idea of simplicity as it is better long run in my opinion.

My sticks are telescoping type chinese shitters but they are ok, downhill is it for me with one badly damaged knee and one partly damaged knee, had surgery on the bad one but it is still second-hand at best and downhill walking just kills it so yeap they are a must for me.

Wonna get some much longer ones that can double as Tarp poles ... gotta figure that one out

Definitely shiny side up and getting shinier here after the Peruvian Drivers

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere