On the 3rd of November, we leave Hacienda San Jose, and ride South on the Pan-American Highway.  We rode through Ica, Peru and from a distance it looked like the riots of Los Angeles were happening there.  Dark thick clouds were rising all over the city and rocks and stones were blocking many streets.  It was good to be on a motorcycle, as it would not have been possible to get through in a car without problems.  As it turned out it was some kind of demonstration protesting some issues regarding the pay of Taxi and Truck drivers.  The smoke was from large piles of burning tires and gasoline.  The rock and stones were put in the roads to prevent cars and trucks from driving through the town.  As we were a little concerned, not knowing exactly what was happening, I did not want to stop and pull out the camera and take pictures.  The people did not look happy.....

It was a short ride of only 70 miles to Huacachina, Peru. Stayed at the Hotel Massone, which was once a monastery. In the off season the occupancy rate is very low, so they allowed us to drive the motorcycle into the patio and park next to our room.
The hotel sits in the sand dunes.
Felt like we were in the Middle East.
The view from the hotel restaurant.
I was not sure if Sandy was having fun or scared....
The  buggy looked modern and well maintained.....

These dunes would put the Sand Dunes of California to shame.

They extend all the way to the coast.

Wish we had the time to go on the 4 day Safari that is offered, but Santiago is still more than 2,000 miles away.

As we talked to this girl, while riding in the buggy, we were surprised to find out she was from Corona, California, our home town.
I Biffed it.... Wish I had had some Snow Boarding experience....
But, it was a lot of fun. Some of the runs were over 600 feet long.
The ride was suppose to last from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. It was about 5:30 and we had just started our return trip, and the buggy quits (turned out to be a fuel pump problem).
The good news was we got to watch a beautiful sunset from the top of the dunes. The bad news was.. "Is this going to turn into another night from HELL"? Was I going to lose a riding passenger?
After about 2 hours of darkness, a rescue buggy finally found us. Sandy took it very well.....

On Friday morning (the 4th of November), we head farther south to Nasca.   Wendy... Notice that I kept my feet on the pegs, and yes the blur was from the speed :) ...
The deserts of Peru have people living in terrible conditions. These homes were about 8' by 8'...... Hard to imagine living in these conditions.....

This is the "flat" desert were the Nasca Lines are located.

The observation tower did not give a good view of the lines, So were opted for a flight over the Nasca Lines.
In the city of Nasca the conditions were also terrible.  The town is located on 2 sides of a wash. The wash is used as their dump....

The instrumentation was a little more basic than what I was used to in our Cessna Cardinal.
Space Alien......
A Monkey.....
A Hummingbird.... You guys are lucky. When I get home my family will have to look at dozens of these pictures.
Sandy, in the back seat of the 1966 Cessna 172.
Sandy, saying thanks for getting us on the ground. I could not pull myself to say thank you...... I thought that flying in hot weather, at low altitudes, in steep turns, in a low power aircraft --- "With the "stall buzzer" constantly buzzing was unacceptable"! I was ready to push his yoke forward a few times.

But it was time to ride..... 100 miles of twisties, climbing from sea level to 14,000 feet. 

This picture is at about 9,000 feet.

Our first sighting of Vicuna's.
Then 100 miles of riding across alto Plano, all above 13,000 feet.
Today we rode over 300 miles with only 2 small villages. A very remote riding day.
This was the "Costco" of the village. Short stop for crackers and water.
Costco......

Puquio was a very rugged and basic village....

At 14,550 feet, for miles and miles, there are still mountain peaks paralleling the road. During this high altitude ride we saw thousands of Llama's and hundreds of Vicuna's.
And dozens of clear water lakes.

On Monday, the 7th of November, we left Abancay heading to Cusco, Peru.  Got sick in Abancay, so stayed a few extra days. This asphalt road was built in 2002 (only 3 years ago). It is shocking to see how many crosses already line the road. This was the location of a tragic bus accident in 2004.
Abancay is in the background. The road climbs from 8,000 feet to over 13,000 feet and the GPS shows that the distance is only 8 miles (20 road miles).
This is the road down the other side of the pass. We have dozens of pictures showing twisting road like this.... This road would be great to aggressively ride  on the KTM 950 with no load or passenger, but in reality, to push your luck on a road as remote as this is risky, as medical care is nonexistent!
Old towers from a bridge over the Apurimac river.
Very remote, but scenic.
More twisties.....

About 15 miles prior to Cusco, while riding in the rain, the BMW gave up the ghost.  Replaced the plugs, and she ran perfectly.  It is still jetted for sea level, and is running too rich when we are in the Andes.

This is Plaza de Armas, in Cusco.  We got a room in the low building just to the right of the church, and just below the "Norton's Rat's Bar", which is owned by Jeff, an Adventure rider.

That's it through the 7th of November, 2005.  Cusco looks like a really neat spot with a lot of history.

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