PowerCycle

08/21 The first day back on the road in over a month and everything went perfectly. It’s going to take me a couple days to get used to the altitude though. Luckily there was only one hill but I was gasping a bit near the top. The weather was great–had a nice tailwind all day and the sun was shining.

Two things slowed my departure this morning. The first thing was trying to fit everything back into panniers. It seems that I have a lot of crap. I almost had to leave my mosquito net behind. Not sure I’ll need it anytime soon but it’s one of those things that you really regret not having when you do need it. The freeze dried food and rice dinners I brought for the desolate stretches of Bolivia are sitting in a bag on the back because there wasn’t room for them. I also need to find a home for my dog taser since it won’t do much good sitting in my handlebar bag. I’m not liking having 2 sleeping pads either. The weight isn’t bad but it sure makes my bike look extremely loaded.

The second thing wasn’t entirely unexpected. The old lady that runs the hotel asked me on the way out for money for the room. The thing is I didn’t owe anything but the girl I gave the cash to a couple days ago apparently didn’t write it in the book. I tried to explain that I paid already but I don’t think she understood. I ended up just leaving. They can figure it out.

I sure did miss having the little bike bell/compass on my handlebars. This Click-stand thing that replaced my rear kickstand seems to do a pretty decent job. It takes a little longer to get the bike situated when I’m stopped but I like it so far. I know another guy who has bent two of them so I’ll have to be careful not to lean too much on it.

The road leaving Cusco wasn’t bad. Lot’s of traffic even after getting outside the urban areas but there’s a decent safety lane. The freaking honking is annoying. It seems like the people in this area like to lay on the horn just a little bit longer than the folks up north. My home for the night is a little hotel in Urcos. I rode around checking for something on the ground floor but no such luck. I ended up picking the one that had the cutest girl even if it was S5 more. The market is today and it was in full swing when I got here. I can’t buy anything though– no room.

GPX track