Well after returning to Cuzco from Maccu Picchu, I decided to take advantage of Eden’s offer to help with the bike. He rode it over to the shop for me, where I had the folks re-align all the crooked things after my crash. I also had them change the oil. Later, I got my first ride on (the back of) my bike as Eden rode it back to the hotel for me.

Here’s a picture of Nick as he readied himself for a ride with Eden:

Great Moto Gear, eh? I cringed, since they were setting out to ride the same road I crashed on…

Have fun guys!

My bike crammed in the little shop:

Here’s lunch: I had to walk back to the hotel and get my forgotten oil filter 🙁

I had some time to kill waiting for my hand to heal enough so I could ride. One day I decided to walk through Cuzco and find a cobbler that would sew my camera case back together again. I found it interesting–I got to go in the back and wait for the sewing. Glue fumes were overpowering an made me lightheaded. There was no ventilation in there and about 8 guys all working on shoes. They didn’t want me to take pics of them, but here’s a picture of the flowers that all the shopkeepers keep–they supposedly bring in customers.

I had to wait for two people’s shoes to be found in this vast assortment before I could pay…

Walking back to thee hotel I decided to get my hair re-pinked. No pics there but this cutie was waiting for the colectivo outside the salon.

Turned out there was a TV hostess in the chair next to me..I told her about my trip and offered to come to the station to do an interview about early detection of breast cancer if she was interested…she said yes and I made arrangements to go to the TV station at 8:30 that night. Goo thing I got my hair done!

A few days later, I am bored and wondering when my hand will be healed enough to ride…still a lot of bruising after 2 weeks…plus the pinkie goes off at a weird angle. Ugh. The doctor told me that it was because of the splint…but now after almost a week of non-splint, it still goes off at a weird angle. Not good. Still hurts like a witch too!

It was a sorry week. Here’s my journal entry:

April 6-7-8-9-10-

Feeling sorry for myself, sleeping poorly, SORE walking around town doing errands. Fixed camera bag, got hair repinked, got visa pics, bought jewelry, wrote, etc. I hate Cuzco I want to ride.

April 10
Justin got to town (KLR 650–the F800 he shipped to BA from California went around the world without him, and he had enough of a spirit of adventure to fly to Colombia, buy a KLR and ride it back to Buenos Aires whie he waited for his bike to finally show up.

Justin and I went to Norton Rats tonight and drank heavily. I had more rinks tonight (4) than in the entire rest of y trip so far. Silly girl. Justin got it into his head that he would ride with me my first day riding after the accident. With the hangover I had planned on telling him to go ahead without me, but he had other ideas. He showed up at my hotel at 10 am and told me to get moving (he’s e military). A large part of me really wanted to be moving again, and so it was pretty easy to convince me to ride. Plus, I thought it would be a good idea to have a riding partner my first day. My hand was still killing me as it had only healed 10 days, and I just thought the companionship would be a good idea.

Justin rode my bike out of the hotel and talked with the Cuzco cops until I got my act together.

I regretted deciding to leave as soon as I put the glove on…I cried it hurt so bad. Justin suggested we duct tape my fingers together so they had more support. They still flexed, so he decided (brilliantly I might add) to add some zip ties. It made me laugh so hard my tears dried up. Until I started riding. OOfa.

The cops were amused by all of this for sure.

here we are heading south to Puno.

Our lunch stop.. Believe it or not, this was the BEST choice. We got to watch the lady kill her chickens as we ate. It was a good appetite suppressant for both of us!

Justin pulls over at the top of this pass and does some shopping. I’m not really amused–I just hurt. I have even shifting up AND down without the clutch, but the fact remains that even just my hand *resting* on the handlebars hurts…not to mention when I go over a bump the vibration through the handlebars makes me want to jump off the bike.

They do not have a mirror so I have to take a pic of myself in the hat to see it. Nope!

We have left late and the shadows are getting long…

And the road is bad. This is why they do not recommend riding at night down here.

We finally pull into Juliaca when it’s full dark. Just as we enter, Justin’s bike dies and won’t restart. REALLY won’t start. I set off on foot to ask policemen about the nearest hotel with parking, and I ride around inquiring about prices. In the end Justin pushes his bike a few blocks to a really nice and really expensive hotel. We figure what the heck, we’ll share a room and it will only be for one night. It turns out to be two nights because his battery is fried and there is not another one his size to be had in the town. I am in no shape to ride back to Cuzco and get him a new one, so ultimately he solves the problem by buying car battery and strapping it to his seat .

We roll out two days later.

Justin and I split ways right about here–he needs to make time heading south and I want to visit Lake Titicaca a bit.

I saw some interesting landscapes along the way…

More stone walls…definitely not too common in South America.

The lake is HUGE!