two-up traveling

Surprisingly, with only 250cc´s, the bike handled the two of us very well. It provided us with the freedom to explore a few mystical sites off the bus-beaten path of most tourists. A fun thing about traveling two up on a motorcycle in this country is that the passenger gets to enjoy the openess and assimilation of all the sights, sounds, and smells passed along the way. On our second day out I got the urge to experience this freedom, and asked Brent if he wanted to drive for a while. With a sore tucas and the option of driving the "beast of a bike" (compared to his bicycle), he gave the green light for a switch-aroo.



We spotted the outskirts of what looked like a fortress of ruins on top of a neighboring hill, and after a couple of minutes practicing with the clutch, we took off into the unkown. We were doing just fine until the dirt road turned into mud, and the flat surface became littered with pot-holes. Unsure on how to react to such obstacles with a large bike, Brent lost control, and, very peacefully, put us down on the muddy road, rather than over the cliff to our left. Bravo. Niether of us were hurt, as our rate of travel could´nt have been more than 10kmph. So, thankful that it wasn´t any worse, we laughed, scraped off the mud, Brent humbly gave up the driver position for the rest of the day, and we started off again to explore the ancient traces of an Incan civilization, shaken but not stirred.


The ruins we saw during our two-up outing were amazing, and mysterious. The towns we passed through were cozy and welcoming. And the company we kept, witty and inspiring. The loop of road eventually dropped us back in Cusco, where we await the coming of the New Year.