In fact, given the relative peace and serenity of Bolivia (drunken fiestas notwithstanding), Juliaca’s gridlocked traffic and swarms of tuk-tuks came as something of a jarring surprise.
Segmented by a flurry of quality dirt across the actual border, the fun didn’t really begin until after the sprawling settlement Juliaca – a noisy, rambunctious city, even by Peruvian standards, home to the gracious Giovanni and his newfound Casa de Ciclistas. Certainly, it helped lift my spirits after a sorrowful Bolivian farewell – a country that lived up to my every expectation – and provided a fitting finale to the end of this journey.Īfter the striking scenery of the high Altiplano, the paved ride around the quiet, eastern shores of Lago Titicaca seemed relatively uneventful.
Without either of them, it’s unlikely I’d have considered riding over 200kms along/on top/beside an Andean railway line.Īs it is, tackling the Cusqueñan railtrail proved to be one of the more unusual highlights of this Americas ride, and a memorable way to reaching the old Incan capital of Cusco, especially when coupled with the Ausungate traverse (more on that little gem later). Disclaimer: not recommended for bikes without fat tyres! Sometimes this means riding railside singletrack, connecting dirt roads, or even across the actual railway sleepers. The train line runs roughly parallel to the main road, avoiding pavement and associated traffic for 80% of the way. 230km of railway link Juliaca to Checacupe (at which point we veered north to bikepack across the Ausungate range), before wending onwards to Cusco. La Paz – Achacachi – Moho – Juliaca – Nicaso – Pupuja – Ayaviri – Sicuani – Checacupe – Pitamarca. (The trip’s officially ‘over’, I’m back in New Mexico, but there’s still a few posts I’ve yet to upload… This missive comes to you courtesy of VSCO’s Kodak Gold emulation, because I was feeling nostalgic)
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