Getting to Cusco

I guess a trip starts when the bicycles get boxed. That means that they are out of action until they are reassembled once we reach the point from where we start the trip. We've been able to get about three rides of forty to sixty kilometers in each week for the past month and a half so we are better prepared that what is normally the case. The real question is how we deal with the altitude once we reach Cusco.

We had four flights to get to Cusco spread over three days. We spent a night each in Johannesburg and Sao Paulo to break the journey into manageable sections.

Leigh knows the quietest spot at our local airport.

Our biggest concern when flying to the starting point of a trip is whether the bicycles will arrive on the other side. We needed to check them in four times because of the overnight stays and the border crossings so we were able to see that they had followed us along the way. You can imagine how we felt upon our arrival in Cusco to find that they hadn't been loaded onto the flight. Or so we were told by the ground staff when they didn't appear after the aeroplane was unloaded. Fortunately our fears were unfounded and after a tense half an hour's wait they miraculously appeared.

Some dramatic and, from a cycling perspective, scary views while flying between Sao Paulo and Lima.

Even better views on the last leg to Cusco.

Our digs for the first three nights in Cusco Is a very simple hospedaje in the center of the old city. The doña, Magda is a honey and makes up for the simplicity. Communication is solely in Spanish so we're having to get back up to speed with our rudimentary Spanish very quickly.

Enjoying some mate de coca with Magda while we struggle to connect to the internet.

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Steve Miller/GrampiesGlad you and your bikes all made it there. It is so stressful when the bikes don't get there when you do.
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1 week ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Steve Miller/GrampiesChances are it will eventually happen that our bikes don't arrive.. I was so relieved when they appeared that I hugged the Latam lady who had helped us.
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1 week ago

Andrea BrownYou might consider tucking an AirTag or Tile in with your bikes next time you fly. They also make holders for them that fit on your bike disguised as a rear reflector, if you are traveling where theft is a possibility.
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1 week ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Andrea BrownIt is certainly something to consider, particularly as we have been so lucky so far and the chances of our luck running out are there.
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6 days ago