Down in the Canyon you find a little bit of Paris

Sabrina's next step in her adventure was to take on the Andes towards Machu Picchu.We took two days to get from Nazca to Ollyantambo (nearest town to Machu Picchu). The roads were glorious and the scenery a never ending slide show of Peruvian postcard pictures.

The slide show included a little girl washing clothes by hand on the roadside, shepherds walking with their sheep in traditional costume. The Lamas and Alpacas dotting the hills. Ladies in colourful skirts and ponchos. Boys joyfully playing marbles in the dirt. A little girl walking her goats down the road with her wicker stick in tow. The images, their vibrancy and aliveness of Peru inundated your mind. You just wanted to suck it all in, wanting it to never stop.

Every corner you had to be aware that you might find a cow standing in the middle of the road, challenging you to cross its path; a donkey standing around on the side of the road as if it owned the place; Lamas meandering across the road or else a truck cutting a corner. In short, eternal vigilence was required!

Although we had a pretty tight schedule to follow, we did find time to have some fun. Locals were always accommodating and I think, riding motorcycles is one of the best ways to travel. People are intriguied - they want to talk to you. Their dreams get fired alive. And of course, they proudly let you sit on their bikes. Here's Jens thinking about giving up his F800GS for this Alteo NF125.

Finally, we were just a few minutes away from our hotel in the Canyon, day one of our two day trek to Machu Picchu. As we turned the corner into the nearest town to our hotel we stumbled across a street party (apparently quite common). This was to celebrate the new president of the region. The boys picked up a few flags for their bikes, and I had to dance at the front of the procession. The whacky things that happen on holidays! :-D

Getting out of town, we came across our hotel, and gosh it was gorgeous, and the restaurant's chef was heavily influenced by Parisian food. In essence - a wonderfully joyous experience! Here's the view from my bedroom:

Nice huh?
Next chapter of Sabrina's adventure: day two of the trek to Ollyantambo and Machu Picchu. Hasta leugo mes amigos!