Arlington, VA

Warren, PA

The KLR and I have made it to Warren, PA having retrieved it from Newark Port on June 2nd. Just wanted to enter this into the blog that it was a happy and interesting reunion with the old girl.

Lima, Peru

We're back at the Flying Dog Backpackers here in Miraflores...my last hostel for...well who knows. I write a quick post to let folks know we made it back to Lima from Puno on a 22 hour bus ride.

After five plus months south of the U.S. I'm about to return home with Robyn. We found a cheap flight for me leaving Lima (same time together on the red eye this evening) to New York where I will be picking up the motorcycle and drive back to Mississippi. From there we will be starting our semi-cross continental U.S. travels this summer with the dogs to Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin, and then back to Mississippi where I may have to quit retirement and find work...Sears and Clover (the dogs) need to eat after all.

On another note, I find it quite humorous that I'm returning to the states with less than I left...much less. I will post a photo of this in the near future when I return to the states...but to suffice to say I will only be returning with a cheap $10 walmart backpack that I left the U.S. with...though with a few patch jobs here and there. A lesson that less is more.

I wonder if the blog name will have to change once I'm back in north america... It's been fun.

Puno, Peru

Made it to Puno, Peru after a four hour water collectivo ¨taxi¨ from Isla Amantani on Lake Titicaca where we spent the night at a family homestay (community-based tourism). We sailed there from the Capichica Peninsula where we spent the first night at a family homestay as well in Llachon. Stayed in a cold adobe hut with reed mats as insulation and mattresses on top of adobe beds...seen here we kept each other warm with our sleeping pads, chocolate cookies, and some ipod arrested development.

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable fresh water lake in the world...the clouds are pretty close and the temps are pretty cool. We have become pretty experienced having spent five hours sailing yesterday from Llachon to Amantani... it usually takes only an hour and a half but the inca wind gods were not in our favor, not to mention our boat had a leak that required constant bailing of water...it was an awesome experience all the same especially with the homestay families (meals included) and the beautiful topography, terraced landscape with volcanic rock everywhere.

We have made a semi-loop of sorts having taken the back roads (and local crammed collectivo minibus) to the peninsula from Juliaca where not many tourists venture.

From the peninsula to the Amantani Island by sail and this water motor boat collectivo which transported ´cuy´ guinnea pig seen in the picture with Robyn under protective netting squealing the way to Puno from Amantani. Three days without showers and dirty clothes we´re enjoying Puno before perhaps Lima directly.

Juliaca, Peru

Made it out of Cuzco on the night bus to Juliaca just in time to beat the start of a train, bus strike in the Cuzco area which would have made it difficult if impossible to leave. We´re heading down to some community-based tourism action in Llachon along Lake Titicaca for a couple days.

Cuzco, Peru

Three days of back road buses to Cuzco we crashed in a lovely hostal above Cuzco in San Blas which overlooks the downtown plaza with a great window view.

A couple days relaxing and checking out the museums, cathedrals and plethora of restaurants with great local cuisine. The altitude and hiking back and forth from downtown Cuzco to San Blas prepared us for Machu Picchu.

Then onto Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu for a few days. One can only arrive by walking or by train to Aguas Calientes (we took the train seen in the photo).

From there up to Machu Picchu, a 2 hour hike up leaving at 4am. These two photos taken from atop machu picchu at the guardian house. The peak in the background being the highest part ´waynu picchu´.

This photo depicts the center of machu picchu with the royal courts and the second photo of the burial chambers which Robyn and I experienced.

And of course they had Incan Llamas on hand for the tourists to photo and as Machu Picchu lawnmowers.

Andahualyas, Peru

Not so many photos of our back roads bus cities from Paracas to Cuzco mainly because we took night buses arriving wee morning hours just to crash for a few hours of sleep, tour the cities quickly, eat, and board another bus. While the buses were unpleasant the fact we were the only tourists in these quaint Andean cities made up for it.

This photo is in the plaza of Andahualyas with the tulip tree and background moto taxis that abound everywhere with their own language of honking.