With getting lost leaving, construction dead ends, trying then back tracking a seriously muddy track, it took me a day to get to Santa Teresa where I spent the night. The next day I reached Macchu Picchu, after a smallish detour, and made it back to Cusco that night.

I break too many rules of quality travel. The primary one is to travel slow. I fell victim to a schedule. At that point I was counting the days left to arrive in Cartagena where we would sail to Jamaica, Cuba and finally Mexico. At this point I was seven months into the trip, getting road weary and a bit burned out on South America. It happens. The trip ended up being 9 months and covered a lot of ground, with hot spots of intensity and long riding stretches connecting them. A "South American Sampler." No regrets, no excesses. I rode my ride.

Next time I embark on an overland adventure, my wife will come with me and there will be no return date. Maybe no return, per se. I dream of selling the house, contents, cars and the rests of the junk that seems important to us now. Fill a 40 foot container (or smaller) with the essentials and store it somewhere, sending for it when we have found our own little piece of paradise. You start with a dream, frame it out, collect the details, then start checking thing off. If things go well, the above could happen within the next ten years.

Getting back on topic, Macchu Picchu is amazing. Just go there, one way or another.

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Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride