Juli

May 19, 2025

Another very cold morning and we waited until nine o'clock to hit the road, our upper bodies wrapped up in four layers and our heads covered by two buffs. However the short climb out of Ilave warmed us up nice and quickly and we were soon down to two layers.

The road was slightly less busy than yesterday and, while this is a well populated rural area fullmof small farms and tiny settlements, the scenery was also an improvement on the previous day with interesting rock formations catching our eyes regularly.

An interesting edifice, simply labeled "El Bebedor de Incas", or the Incas' Drinking Fountain. Truth is no-one knows what it actually is but there are signs that water flowed through it.

Behind the small farms lovely rock formations showed themselves.

After the short climb out of Ilave the ride was flat until we reached the outskirts of Juli where a short climb took us up the town square, usually referred to as the Plaza de Armas or Parade Ground here in Peru. The easy ride had Leigh feeling better as the morning wore on and by the time we reached our very nice digs for the night (the thoroughly modern Hostal Roma, matrimonial with private bathroom for 50 soles - about a quarter of what we paid for the hellhole two nights ago in Chucuito) she was ba k to her usual inquisitive self.

So after checking in and polishing off a good menu del dia, we wandered off to look at the town. Unfortunately the churches we wanted to look at turned out to be open only in the mornings. Nonetheless we had an enjoyable stroll around a surprisingly attractive town.

The Catedral de San Pedro Mártir de Verona.

Gardens between the cathedral and the plaza.

Templo Museo Nuestra Señora de La Asunción. Our main target but unfortunately also not open.

Our destination for tomorrow is yet to be decided - Yunguyo or Desaguadero are the most likely options.

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 535 km (332 miles)

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