Cusco and The Scared Valley

Moray

I have made it to Cusco, the historic capital of the Inca empire (13th century-1532). After seeing very few foreigners on my way from Lima it was a little bit shocking to see the amount of tourists here however it has been quite an intriguing and comfortable place to spend some time. Have enjoyed exploring this city and visiting the incredible and mysterious archeological sites in the region.

 

I followed the gringo trail to Machu Picchu by taking a few buses to the train station at Ollantaytambo. Once arriving at the station I was funneled through a very organized, controlled and expensive system. Even though navigating the tourist circus was a bit exhausting it was worth all the trouble, this place is truly amazing.

Machu Picchu

 

 

 

Inca bridge

how did they do it?

museum art

Pisac

 

 

 

Moray was probably my favorite place that I visited, the precision of the circular stone work with several enormous terraced circular depressions was very interesting. Have not found much information on what this place was used for but it has been said that it was an experimental agricultural site. Of course there are doubts about this. Very mysterious indeed, will have to do some more research.. 

Next I will ride south to Puno and Lake Titicaca and then to the Bolivian border.

Ayacucho-Lima (the way of the warrior)

Cusco

“A warrior acknowledges his pain but he doesn't indulge in it.
The mood of the warrior who enters into the unknown is not one of
sadness; on the contrary, he's joyful because he feels humbled by
his great fortune, confident that his spirit is impeccable, and
above all, fully aware of his efficiency. A warrior's joyfulness
comes from having accepted his fate, and from having truthfully
assessed what lies ahead of him.”
― Don Juan Matus


The path of the "Warrior" has been talked about in various historical spiritual systems as well as in the modern sphere of contemporary spirituality. Carlos Castaneda talked about warriorship in his books, there is Dan Millman's "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" and the Shambhala teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche which extensively lay out the path and training of warriorship in everyday life. During periods of extensive travel and our everyday lives there is always the opportunity to practice virtues such as patience, generosity, discipline, etc.

Here are some general guidelines that I am practicing during this South American Tour:

1. A warrior wants only what he needs. 2. A warrior strives for impeccability in thought and action. 3. A warrior operates from a position of absolute clarity of will and intent. 4. A warrior always leaves a place in the same, or better condition than what he found it. 5. The warrior strives to be an average person in a superior reality. The average individual strives to be a superior person in an average reality. 6. The warrior (or superior individual) seeks to do what is hard and necessary, rather than what is simply easy and expedient. 7. A warrior is aware of times when his power is high, and seeks to perform his most important actions at those times. Conversely, in times when his power is low, a warrior seeks to engage in self-protection. 8. The warrior understands the importance of wu-wei (non-action). 9. A warrior is concerned with the true essence or substance of a thing, rather than simply the outer aesthetics. 10. A warrior treats his body like a temple, and is careful what he ingests.

There are many, many more guiding principles in addition to these, the ten above are laid out simply to establish the basic intent.

 


Woke up early and got on the mini bus from Ayacucho to Andahuaylas. This is another section that i was glad to not ride because of road conditions and general safety. From Andahualayas I started climbing up again into the Central Andes and meant to visit some Inca ruins along the way but somehow missed the turn-off so kept going up the dirt road through small villages perched on the hillside, during late afternoon I finally came to the summit and enjoyed a nice vista with snow peaks in the distant horizon. Then began the winding 36km downhill on dusty road, half way down the mountain it was suddenly dark and I found a decent place to set up the tent for the night. The next day rode across the valley to Abancay and then the day after made it to Corahusi. When I left this town I was not planing to make it to Cusco but I grabbed hold of a truck going up a long pass and then came down the other side and rode all the way to Cusco just as it got dark. When I arrived I went to a internet place to look at a map of the city so that I could find the hostel I wanted to stay at. I parked my bike in front so that I could see it the entire time, the only part of the bike I could not see were the front bags, after only a few minutes I went outside and saw that my bags where open and my two video cameras were gone as well as my sun glasses and some other things. It was my fault, I was tired and let my guard down for a few moments and trusted that I was somehow protected from theft, and thus lost some valuable things. It could have been worse and I learned a important lesson that will help me in the future. So the show must go on...
Next I will explore the sacred valley around Cusco and visit the numerous Inca sites including the mysterious Machu Picchu.

Sahuite

wild camping with Abancay in background

random street art

Lima to Ayacucho

the endless climb

After talking with several people and gathering info from other bike travelers I decided to follow the inland mountainous route instead of going south along the coast. I figured it would be more interesting to go through the smaller less visited places along the foothills of the central Andes than to go along the Pan American highway. First step: get out of Lima. I opted not to ride the highway and found a collectivo (shared taxi) that would take me to Chosica, about 35km outside of central Lima. From there I got on a bus to Matucana, another 30km or so. I was glad that I didn't ride through the gauntlet of inner city traffic. This bike trip for me is about quality riding instead of quantity. I will be putting myself and bike on motorized vehicles when the roads prove to be less than ideal. Once I was out of the city I began a gradual climb up the long and winding valley, after about 40km I found my self in San Mateo. I do not have a functioning bike computer so I don't know the exact distances traveled on my bike, just following a simple road map at the moment. The next day was physically very difficult, looking at the map it seemed that the next considerable town was about 50-60km away, what I didn't realize was that it would be a steep climb almost the entire way topping out at more than 15,800 feet. I underestimated how much the altitude would affect me and  I guess I should of done more research on the route because the climb seemed endless, just when I thought I was approaching the summit, another set of switchbacks would reveal themselves around the next bend. Finally making it up and over the pass and winding down the other side to La Oroya where I found a hostel for the night. The next day would take me along the plains following a river to the town of Jauja and spent the evening walking around a surprisingly busy market. Then I carried on to the large town Huancayo and found the bus station after asking directions to countless people with my nonexistent spanish . I decided to bus this section of road between Huancayo and Ayacucho. From here the road starts climbing again on unpaved road and it had been raining so the road was quite muddy. I took the night bus and arrived in Ayacucho early the next morning. I knew nothing about Ayacucho before arriving but later found out that it is one of the most well loved towns in Southern Peru. Famous for it's baroque churches, original churches from Spanish colonial times still stand. It is said that there are more than 1,000 churches in this mid-sized town, seemingly one for every block. These churches are old and unique, charged with centuries of prayer and blessing from the devout people.
Liking the vibe here I decided to spend a couple days without travel and get to know the place a bit. Next I will take a day bus on the high mountain dirt road to Andahuaylas and from there will get back on the iron horse and ride to the famed city of Cusco.

 

 

altitud 4818m=15,807ft

 

Jauja market

early morning in Ayacucho

central plaza

statue of resistance fighter Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá