Peru has proved to be a challenging and fascinating place to visit. It also has the worst coffee and driving behavior.

I had a long ride planned today so I got started early. I thought I could ride to Cusco in two days but the roads today were a little too taxing. I made it to my destination of Puquio but I arrived exhausted and I can't ride that far again tomorrow.

My day was split into three distinct sections. From Saint Vicente de Cañete to Ica the Panameircan Highway is a divided road with high speed traffic. In one lane there were trucks going 35mph and in the other, cars going 80+. I had to watch my mirrors carefully as cars would zoom up very quickly, sometimes passing me on the left shoulder. The landscape was so bleak. I felt like I was crossing the Sahara with an endless flat plain of bleached sand and rock stretching out in all directions. I had the same issue with dust and sea salt building up on my visor which was very annoying.

From Ica the Panamerican Highway turns into a two lane rural highway. The landscape did not improve but now all of that traffic was wedged onto a single lane. There were soooo many trucks. Passing was dangerous but it didn't stop anyone. At one point I saw three heavy trucks, three abreast, coming at me. All of them flashing their headlights which means "Get out of the way!". I slowed to a crawl and pulled off into the sand beyond the shoulder. The trucks blew past me.

I finally turned off of the Panamerican at Nasca. From here the traffic was pretty light. The road immediately pitched up and climbed steadily to over 13,600 feet. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of exposed switchback hairpins. The landscape changed from rocky canyons to rolling hills. Finally topping out in a broad tundra of a plateau. Here the road straighten out for bit. Just long enough to catch my breath before it dropped back down into the next valley. I don't know if it is just me but riding along unprotected edges that drop off several hundred feet makes me a tad tight. I err on the side of caution by keeping my speed down and using my horn when approaching blind corners. Peruvian drivers seem to be immune to this as they race along. Trucks often use one and quarter lanes, straddling the centerline and you don't want to meet them mid-hairpin. There are a lot of monuments bearing white crosses along the road. You would think these would make people think twice about the risks they are taking.

The last 20 miles or so I noticed that my concentration was shot. As stunning as the landscape was, I just wanted the ride to be over. I checked into my hostel and went to find some food. I was delighted to see that there was a local festival going on. There was a crowd of people gathered in the central square so I wandered over to have a look. Girls in brightly colored dresses were dancing to the music of a strange looking harp and a violin. This is a Quechua traditional genre of Andean music and dance called Huayno. Later three men wearing a condor wing across their back and large wooden "hooves" strapped to their shoes took the center. They performed a clomping tap dance as their friends cheered them on. It was an interesting scene and for as far as I could tell, I was the only gringo there. Other than a few friendly smiles, no one payed any attention to me.

It's almost 300 miles of mountain roads to Cusco from here. I've decided to cut that into two days instead of one so that I can take my time tomorrow.