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Published: December 16th 2012
Lake Titicaca Free-Camping
A white sandy beach at 4000 metres above sea level... unreal!Day11: Sunday 11
th December 2011
Our full-moon night on the white sandy beach of Lake Titicaca afforded a sound sleep despite the storm on the lake during the night. We awoke just before sunrise to the sound of voices. I looked out of my tent to the lake to see a group of small rowing boats landing on the beach. A few local women who may have been waiting for a while with sacks then loaded these onto the boats. When I tried to take a photo of the picturesque scene an angry boatman ran up to me and protested. It was then when I realised that they must be traffiking something to Bolivia which was just a few bays away? Maybe that was why the police officer in Puerto Acosta warned me that this area is, in his own words, “Peligroso”! – Dangerous!
We packed up, hauled our stuff back up to the road sluggishly, and set off. In Moho, there was a festival, of sorts, and when James went to find something to eat a local man gave him a beer and a bag of suspicious-looking globular balls with a chunk of non-descript
Conima Village
Lake Titicaca's secret north shore route. meat – he ate it all! Just a note here on James’s eating behaviour... I’ve never ever seen anyone eat everything given to him, and at such a speed, ever before in my life! The guy just keeps eating and eating... I know he’s 20 years younger than me, but I can’t remember me doing this? His body must be completely hollow or something.
After leaving Moho, there was a big climb on a dirt road and then a long downhill on a billiard-table smooth road. We were now at the northern-most end of the lake and the scenery changed along with the wearher – it started to rain heavily. It then changed into pure Altiplano territory, flat, boring, somewhat ugly, and the roads became busier with every vehicle that passed blowing its horn at us. Looking at the map, we could see that we could make it to the ugliest city in Peru – Juliaca, and in my Lonely Planet guide there was a place we could stay at in Plaza Bolognesi. We put our heads down and cycled into the wind and rain.
After 75 miles from our idyllic beach, we made
Lake Titicaca
The best parts of the lake are well hidden from the tourists. it into the city which was busy and very ugly. The hotel listed in the LP guide was definitely not budget at $60 per person per night! We bumped into Carlos, the Colombian cyclist from La Paz, by chance. Together we found a very cheap hostel opposite a modern supermarket and near the railway line. It was 10 Soles per person. About US$4. The rooms were very basic, old wooden floorboards and three old high beds with dodgy sheets. I rolled out my sleeping bag, not wanting new friends in the night.
We all went to a veggie restaurant to eat, and afterwards James and I went to the modern supermarket which was weird... seeing locals in their traditional costumes queueing at the modern checkout. But it was worth it for the litre of fresh milk which my body needed and which was delicious.
ROUTE: Caynajoni – Moho – Juliaca
TODAY’S MILEAGE: 78.61 TOTAL MILEAGE: 260 TIME IN SADDLE: 7:57
Day 12: Monday 12
th December 2011
After a lazy and prolonged wake up in the surprisingly comfy bed, only eventually being woken up by the
Moho Village
The Peruvian flag and INCA COLA which outsells Coca Cola. The only other place this happens is in Scotland with IRN BRU. nearby rumble of the Puno to Cuzco train, we set off out of “The Armpit of Peru” alond dirty and rutted roads towards Puno.
We were both somewhat tired and aching, my left knee was particularly painful. The road was busy and straight, except for the last 5 miles where there was a surprising uphill, then, a great view over Puno, and a downhill right to the train station. It was easy to find the Uros Hotel from there in this compact town.
I was in excruciating pain after cycling only 30 miles. We had to go to the immigration office to get an entry stamp into Peru, which was very easy to do in the near-empty building. Afterwards I withdrew 450 Sole from my Bank of Scotland account. We then both treated ourselves to the greatest pizza I’ve ever eaten – an Andean Pizza made before our very eyes, and of course, a big bottle of local beer. The food was absolute heaven. I couldn’t do much more after that other than to go back to the hotel and limp up the few stairs to the first floor. I then crashed out in
Desolate Roads
The Titicaca north shore route does not hug the coastline. It goes inland quite often like here at the north end of the lake. my good bed for the night.
ROUTE: Juliaca – Puno
TODAY’S MILEAGE: 29.18 TOTAL MILEAGE: 289 TIME IN SADDLE: 2:58
Day 13: Tuesday 13
th December 2011
Woke up to an absolutely painful knee, and it was obviously apparent to me that I had to rest for at least two days. I showered and shaved off my two-week beard which took ages. A beard sounds a good idea when you go travelling, but for me it becomes an itchy and irritating Brillo-Pad stuck to my lower face, but I always keep trying! I also had to apply cream to my peeling nose and cracked lips which were bleeding. Bloody hell! I’m falling apart!
I hobbled off with James to find a chemists and bought a bandage and some cream to rub on my poor knee. We saw some of the town, its narrow streets, bought food at the market, and then went to an internet cafe. At last... messages from Cindy. She’s back and everything is okay at the office. She’s a bit depressed after being in sunny Gambia for two weeks, and now being back
Road to Juliaca
Heavy rain on the road to the city caused us to shelter when possible. in an empty house. Nevertheless, it was great to hear from her.
I spent the rest of the day in the hotel room relaxing my leg with my new knee bandage while James was busy for hours on his mobile... he’s managed to hook into a wireless connection somehow. I’m maybe one of the very few who doesn’t have a mobile phone or other hand-held device. I’m a bit old-fashioned that way because I feel that if you are contactable wherever you are in the word, well, for me that takes the magical isolation out of travelling. Besides, if you’re somewhere without a signal for a few days, those at home start panicing and are preparing to send out search parties!
I made an Andy Special meal, a rice dish with stir-fried veg from the market, which actually tasted like vegetables. But the local chilli sauce combined with my curry mix was a bit too much and we ended up with a very hot and spicy meal to go sleep on. Bog paper on standby for Ghandhi’s Revenge!
Day 14: Wednesday 14
th December 2011
My knee
Juliaca $4 hostel
James and Carlos, the Colombian cyclist, at the cheap hostel in Juliaca. is much better today, so I think we can plan to set off tomorrow morning. James is peeling now, I’ve been peeling for a week! We had egg on bread rolls for breakfast then walked to the grotty harbour which the town has tried to re-generate along with the streets heading down there. I remember this place in 1989 when Harvey and I, and two English girls, took a dodgy motor boat trip to some sad-looking Indians sitting on reed islands. The boat’s motor ran out of fuel on the way back and left us bobbing in the water for ages. I noticed that the Peruvian Coastguard still maintains a prescence on the lake in case the Bolivian navy send their battleships to invade Puno.
On the way back to town we did some supply shopping and planned our route using Google Maps on the internet. Got some more mails from Cindy, buy short ones. Bought some postcards and was shocked at the price of stamps, 7 Soles each. That’s US$3! In the main square we visited the main church and we both lit two candles for people we know and are thinking about.
The Altiplano Railway
Viewed from a hill near Puno, the railway to Juliaca and Cuzco. Back at the hotel, I made a big spaghetti meal while we discussed our plans for tomorrow and prepared for the next week. Rather than the proposed route to Colca Canyon and Arequipa, we will head straight south to Tacna and the coast and hope to spend Christmas maybe near the sea, actually near Tacna or a bit further down in Chile. New year could be under the stars in Atacama Desert... let’s wait and see?
Day 15: Thursday 15
th December 2011
Today we leave Puno. My leg is better and there’s no pain in the knee. I’ve stopped doing ‘porridge’ and am back on the solid shits again! And also my lips and nose look a lot better. James is fine too, but just a little achy. It’s really necessary sometimes to take a few days rest. We had breakfast in our room – bread rolls with cheese, tomato, and scrambled eggs... yummy, then set out at 8am.
Despite looking at the way out of town and our route on Google Maps, we did get a little lost before getting onto the “Interoceana” route, which is supposed to
Me at the Puno sign
Above the town of Puno this sign announces the Lake Titicaca National Park. be the highway between Rio de Janiero and Ilo, the Peruvian port on the Pacific coast. There was a five-mile climb out of Puno, then the good asphalt road got steadily empty as we headed south over the Altiplano into the distant mountains.
There were many llamas and alpacas running wild, one even chased James as he tried to photograph it. We saw what looked like cowboys on horses, herding cattle, and loads of stray dogs. I was chased by an angry pack of three and almost used all my pepper spray before they stopped chasing. Yes, I know it’s not nice pepper-spraying a dog, but I can deal with the fact that they have unpleasantness for half an hour maybe, but if I’m bit and the dog has rabies, I would have unpleasantness for the rest of my agonising life!
Suddenly, there was a huge climb ahead of us. James was tired and in some pain. We carried on, though, and the landscape became ever bleaker with no trees, strange rock formations, and tufts of pampas grass. We reached the summit of Abra Loripongo at 4350 metres with a storm ahead and snow
Peru Immigration
As there was no border control on the north side of the lake, we had to visit the immigration office in order to get our entry stamp. at the sides of the road. A little further on it started to hail and luckily we found a small walled compound to the left of the road with the entrance bricked up. We lifted our bikes and stuff over the low wall and pitched our tents in the small wind-protected place.
I used the stream water I’d collected earlier to make coffee and noodles, but filtered out the micro-organisms first with a white handkerchief. A meal, whatever it may be, in such a place as this, is always the best meal you have ever eaten. At 5pm, the rain started beating down, so we decided to call it a day and get some rest. Having an early night makes for an early start. I began to think about if this was someones house we were in. If so, how did they live, and how did they make a living in this desolate place. I began to wonder about the next days, too. We will have another climb, up to almost 5000 metres. I’m wondering how my body will cope? And there should be a great downhill to the coast, I hope. It’s freezing here – will
Puno Waterfront
Herding sheep on the waterfront in Puno. it be much warmer near the coast? I need some warmth in my bones!
ROUTE: Puno – Abra Loripongo
TODAY’S MILEAGE: 48.31 TOTAL MILEAGE: 337 TIME IN SADDLE: 5:37
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