100 km

We did our first 100 km today. We're trying to get to 1000 km by Tuesday, so we can have the bikes in for the first service in the interstitial period before the paperwork is sorted.

We made a little trip up to Cometierra, which is in the mountains just outside the city. The roads ascend very gradually, so we were able to make the climb while still babying the engines.

I was twice persued by a dog. Amanda says that when she passes by she alerts the dogs to our presence such that by the time I come around, they're primed and ready for me.

Tomorrow we go to Viña del Mar.

We have motos!

I'll begin with an excerpt from the Honda XR 125 owner's manual:

" The motorcycle presents you a challenge to master the machine, a challenge to adventure. You ride through the wind, linked to the road by a vehicle that responds to your commands as no other does. Unlike an automobile, there is no metal cage around you. Like an airplane, a pre-ride inspection and regular maintenance are essential to your safety. Your reward is freedom."

The news is: we got our motorcycles. Two beautiful little Honda XR 150 L. They handle like a dream. They're zippy. They're a lot of fun. We just have to keep it reigned in a little bit during the break in period, which is hard to do because Santiago is a lot of fun to ride in.

We don't have all of the papers necessary to leave the country, but that is in progress and we are permitted to ride around for a week with only the invoice.

Tomorrow we'll go to Viña del Mar and ride up the coast a bit, so we can do the 1000 km maintenance while we're still in Chile. As a member of the Honda family, the first two scheduled maintenances are free.

I love Honda.

The first 10 days in Peru...128 days to go

We're our way to Santiago, Chile after 10 days in Peru.  We flew from Ft. Lauderdale with my grandmother, Devin, and Allison to Lima.  We spent the night then took a plane to  Cuzco, spent the night and caught a train to  Aguas Calientes, which is a small town just around the bend and a steep 500m climb or in our case, a bus ride to Machu Picchu. 

Perurail, a beautiful and comfy ride from Cuzco

Step off the train into the tourist's market

The bus stop to Machu Picchu was easy to find with this intricate, mini fabrication marking the spot

Narrow, steep and busy streets of Aguas Calientes

The main plaza

Walking along the train tracks with grandma

 We spent three nights in Aguas Calientes in a small hostel of which there are many for all of the thousand of travelers who come here every year.  It's a bit of a tourist area that way but still with very good food and friendly people.  One thing we didn't do was spend enough time in Cuzco BEFORE visiting Machu Picchu.   We had a bit of difficulty with the altitude adjustment and were huffing and puffing up the steep Inca trails and stairways.  Cuzco is at a higher elevation and most people spend a few days there before coming the Machu Picchu.  We did spend a few days there after leaving Machu Picchu and had a great time exploring there.  

Machu Picchu was as grand as is fabled and was definitely worth all the travel and planning to get there. 

Note the face shape in the mountain

View  from our arduous, non-acclimated climb to the sun pass.  

Temple of the sun

Lousy with llamas

Steep steepes.  There also a llama up there

After a train ride back to Cuzco we settled in for a few days to explore the small city.  We stayed near the main plaza and walked by and admired the cathedrals there everyday and appreciated the Incan influence there.  The city is built on Incan stone foundations which are quite impressive in that the granite stone is carved and matched to each neighboring stone as there is no need for mortar. We saw examples of this in Machu Picchu and in the ruins in the Sacred Valley also which we took a tour of one of the days. 

Famous 12-sided stone in the walls of San Blas in Cuzco.  

Plaza de Armas

High school kids practicing traditional  dance.  The high school was just around the corner. 

View from our place 

Pisaq in the Sacred Valley

Another view is the Plaza

Inca museum.  I took pictures 

Just of this mummy...and the sign telling me not to take pictures 

View from one of the hills over Cuzco. A nice walk up and we found these sheep 

Peru is gorgeous and very easy to visit, especially the tourist sites as most people working in these industries speak English.  I am sadly not getting much practice but our cab driver on the way to the airport today says Chile has fewer English speakers.  

After Cuzco we stayed in Lima again for about 24 hours. We managed to see a lot though.  Lima is amazing and I hope to visit again.  Last night we saw the Huaca Pucllana pre-Incan temple site.  They illuminate the structure and have night tours which was pretty neato.  The bricks are arranged in a 'book shelf' technique that is earthquake proof.  The spacing is part of the design.  Though they look haphazard they have survived for 1,500 years. The Liman, Wari, and Yshmeh all 'took turns' using this sight for ceremony and trade in the plaza below.  

Our last day in Lima we had the morning to visit the amazing San Francisco Cathedral near the Plaza de Armas in Lima Centro. 

I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures here either. 😁

The library complete with vellum paged tomes

Catacombs under the church

Arrived in Santiago

We arrived in Santiago and made it to our apartment safely. Amanda accidentally stole the taxi man's jacket.
This is the view from our apartment:

Hello

Greetings from Lima, Peru. Later today we will board a plane headed to Santiago de Chile, where we will obtain and outfit a pair of motorcycles to make a journey through Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

You can check this website if you are interested in our whereabouts, and so you don't worry too much.

At present, we have a rough itinerary. We'll head east from Santiago, cross the Andes into Argentina via Paso Internacional Los Libertadores. We'll pass through cities like Mendoza and Cordobá en route to Montevideo, Uruguay. We'll stop in Buenos Aires on the way south to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Then, we'll head north again, crossing the Andes a second time near San Carlos de Bariloche. We'll spend some time in Chiloé Island and  Valdivia, before heading back toward Santiago to fly home in late January.

As things are sorted out, I'll update the itinerary in greater detail.
That's all the news that's fit to print.