By normal standards, today’s ride would be very short, with more downhill than uphill. But we’ve never encountered roads as slowing as Peru’s, and it would take us more than two hours of pedaling time at the very slow average speed of 6.5mph to go from town to town. Chacas and San Luis are just… Read more…

Our successful traversal of one high pass in the Peruvian Andes did a lot to quell my fears about our ability to ride through this challenging country. But up next would be something even more-challenging: an ascent to (and descent from) another high pass, but this time on a terrible gravel road, rather than smooth… Read more…

Our world-class campsite felt entirely our own (a small but not-inconsequential contributor to its world-class status), so it was rather surprising when a vehicle drove up the the gravel road in the 5am blackness, stopped 30 feet from our tent, and several people spent 20+ minutes talking, laughing, and rummaging about. Eventually the people moved… Read more…

A headwind flowing down from the mountains had started up yesterday afternoon, which we’ve noticed is a bit of a standard pattern. What’s not standard is it continuing through the night (with gusts flapping the tent), and still going in the morning. Maybe it would take us three days to get to the tunnel? As… Read more…

At breakfast, served by our hosts at Los Capulies (excellent!), we were surprised to see another couple at a table, since it had felt like we were the only ones spending the night. Even more surprising was that she was clearly wearing padded bike shorts! Christina and Matthias are from Austria, and had just completed… Read more…

Finally we begin bike touring in Peru! Eva of course stopped by to see us off as we were loading up the bikes, and for the first time I think she really understood this crazy thing that we’ve been doing for nearly four years. It was also very satisfying to have a 15-minute conversation entirely… Read more…