Chévere Colombie

sorry for the poor automatic translation of this article. If you can, refer to the french version instead...

Above all, do not read the recommendations from the site of Ministries of Foreign Affairs before going to a country, otherwise you end up glued to his TV at home. Goodie, who had hosted us in Kenya , and works at UN for a long time, confirmed to me reports that foreign entities are increasingly alarmist than the actual situation in order to justify their presence on site and budget. And I've been already in Colombia and I just keep a nice souvenir. There was indeed a major risk with drug traffickers, but they are in the forest, in places where tourists have anyway nothing to do. No worries, then.

Yes, but, just before returning to Colombia, I read a person living in Bogota, and urges especially not stop on the 300 km after the border, ie until Popayan. Warriors would have manifested in violent there for a few days. Okay, so I am about to follow the recommendations.

Yes but here, to arrive at the border from Quito, Ecuador, there are already almost 300km. Big day, with no picture.

I am inquiring at the border and I see a yellow fluorescent vest is mandatory for all riders from 6PM. Insurance is also compulsory, but it can not be purchased at the border. A customs officer gives me an address where I could buy in the first city crossing. Goingonce restarted, without life jacket, without insurance, I find the point of sale, but they do not sell insurance for 1 full year. Should I go or the administration of customs and taxes from Colombia to get a waiver to have the assurance that the desired time (1 month). Well, I leave empty-handed. Ecuadorian bikers met at the border told me a mall in the city next to the famous buy insurance. When I finally found the place, it tells me it can not do the document for vehicles registered in Colombia. It smells a rat story. Jump-start to be late, I still have many miles to go, and therefore I take the road, this time with a yellow jacket in my bag in case I come late, but still without insurance. In theory, it would also have the registration number should appear beyond the back of the helmet! So I'm back on the road quite fast, to arrive before dark ... if possible.

Numerous soldiers armed to the teeth monitor the passage of vehicles, almost every 10km. They never stop me, but instead give a thumbs up when he saw me. A priori, this does not have to do with hitchhiking, so I took it as a kind of salvation which I gladly reciprocate.

At a time when even two people make me a sign to stop. They wear a green sweater / khaki with a big logo on it, but that does not seem as military. How to differentiate between the military, paramilitaries, narco-traffic and guerrioros? On the other side of the road two policemen, rifles slung, watching the scene, looking very relaxed. Those who stop me m'expiquent they work with support beyond police (hence their presence right next supposed to reassure me) and they do a collection for children with disabilities because of the mines that litter the local campaign . The discussion lasts only a moment, they do not insist and I'm back on the road. Looking back, I tell myself that I would not stop me ...

Rencontres equatoriales

That is almost 3 weeks that I am traveling with Francis. Everything happens for the best, but travel at 2, withdraw into our group and we are far from having the wealth of the meetings of a solo journey. That is why from the beginning of organizing this trip (there is more than one year already), I planned and wanted to travel alone after having crossed Africa with Aurel. Briefly, after our first night in Ecuador, I tell Francis that I want to be back on the road alone, even if our routes and our imperatives dates are compatible. Francis has the same spirit as I, and I do not need to look for justifications. Just that traveling alone is another trip, and he knows this just as much as me. Briefly, after a hug at a service station, I go on the road, still farther north, without looking at my guide for places to visit, but decided to enjoy the meetings.

So, for this article, is the portrait gallery of the meeting that the common thread running ...

I asked her her name several times, but I did not understand the answer, so I prefer not to write it rather than skinning.

Entering a village, three small signs offer coffee and a dish that I do not know. Here is a great opportunity to take my breakfast, to taste the corn dough stuffed with cheese, and get to know this smiling saleswoman. She loves her job, anyway. Her mother cooks and she sells on the roadside. The truck drivers are passing by honking, with a wink or an obscene gesture. The only thing that bothers her from all of this is that they rarely stop to buy her products. Me, I'm not staying too long too, but I leave with a belly full.

The Ramirez family is an unexpected step of the day.

Objectif Machu Picchu

All tourists go through Machu Picchu, but to find the right way to go is not so simple. After long discussions with many people, it now has a good idea of ​​the different options that I will describe to you quickly so that it may be useful to other travelers.

Option 1: Classic: Take the train from Cuzco up Agua Caliente. This city is accessible only by train.
Then take the bus, or climb over an hour a steep hill in the dusty bus to the site entrance.
This is the most classic, proposed in Cuzco, and complete loop can be done in a day starting early and returning late. The proposed rates are 150 USD. One can also spend the night in Agua Caliente, which offers full accommodation not necessarily very expensive in low season.

Option 2: Sporty: follow the path of the Incas. It is a multi-day hiking trip through the mountains, passing near Inca sites to visit, with people for carrying food. The very limited number of visitors per day, need to book well in advance and have a large budget. Probably a nice option.

Yes, but we are willing to go as close as possible with the bike.

The village accessible by road nearest to Agua Caliente is Santa Teresa, has more than 200km from Cusco. So we'll do it step to show the locals how to enter the magical site.

Cuzco

Peru now!

The peruvian custom officers expected some money to get a cofee, using as argument my absence of insurance...... So, we spent time at the border... I'm used also as a translator for a german couple on motorcycle too, and then comes a twin Africa, whose driver comes right up to me saying: "Hi, you are Loic, right? I'm Steph from Britany". We had exchanged a few emails in the past week and Steph was just this last month in Bolivia, but we didn t expected to meet like this by chance. In short, a border full of bikes, new friends and no a car. Paradise.

With Francis, we thought to go to Arequipa, but it is the rainy season, so finally we decided to spin directly, in two short days, to Cuzco. Steph hesitates a moment and decides to join us to chart the road together. So here we are at this time for three cross roads in Peru.

On the road, we stop in small villages as and when the festivities as distinguished. It's very local color, and it looks like not a priori wrong with Bolivia.