TODAY

Well it’s been quite a week. As luck would have it, my travels and sequences of events have landed me in Cuzco at the same time that Machupicchu has reopened to tourists after the landslides that devastated the tourism industry here. Yes, it’s still rainy season here in southern Peru, and Yes, there are still landslides all over the region. Ah, but I am getting ahead of this particular blog post– I will cover that when I get to that in my blog.

I arrived in Cuzco last week, and had all sort of good stufff happen to me here (also to be coered in later posts). I’d booked my tour of Machupicchu, and had two days to ride around the area. I decided to ride the Valle Sagrado, Sacred Valley, and make an overnight of it, taking two days to really just enjoy. Well, on my way to the salt mines I had a typical dual-sport spill on a clay road. I’ve had dozens of these crack ups this summer, as many as 8 in a day one day on the Trans Ameria Trail. But never at such speed. And I’d never broken my hand.

Yup, in 15 years of riding I hurt myself for the first time. Wow. Here I was on a lonely stretch of road, bike in supine position, left hand too badly damaged to pick up the bike. What’s a girl to do?

Take pictures.

The bike was still in the road after the shepherd helped me to right it (his sheep ran off and he went chasing after them).

Darned picturesque place to be parked for a few hours, eh?
Along came some tourists in a taxi and they helped me get the bike off the road (Thanks Chris!)
They also went out to the main road and flagged down a truck to help me.

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So my options (as I see them) are as follows:

a) Sit around Cusco and do some writing (not likely: I have trouble sitting still too long)
b) Be a backpacker for a coupla weeks and go to Puno and Arequipa and Canon Colca, my last places on my list in Peru, until the hand heals
c) Return to Nazca to the cheap, wonderful hotel (12 hours away by bus)
d) Take a flight somewhere fun, maybe the Galappagos
e) Go home and see my hunney (wait, I don’t have a home…)
f) Strap my fingers together and RIDE

Any other ideas? Send ’em on over.

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And hand doctors following my thread? I’d love an email from you.

Pretty cool, eh?

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OK, glad I can finally post this.  The day I had my accident I got a poopy email from back home and it was on my mind all day riding. Edward was leaving the next day on a road trip, and I didn’t want him worrying about me the whole time (and possibly having an accident himself).  I also needed a little time to heal before calling my folks and telling them personally what was going on instead of them reading about it in my blog (bad form).

I’m healing great and just know it was a really “good” accident. I am an extremely lucky Gal.