Day 1,030
Tipon
Having escaped from being locked in with the skeletons we hit the road to Cuso. The road out of Lampa was fantastic, no traffic, a great condition surface, a gradual climb, great views and no headwind! Cycle touring heaven. Over the next few days we did a mix of small hotels and wildcamps. We are still without a stove so eating what we want isn't always easy. I'm so over chicken and rice. We bumped into some fellow Brits who spotted our Yorkshire Flag, only about the 3rd encounter of the trip where someone has recognised it. Rather foolishly we celebrated with lunch out, and both got food poisoning! Tom was pretty bad, I'd generously given him half my meal and he definitely suffered more.
We had booked an Airbnb in Cusco or I think we would have taken a day off. We really should have stayed put. He struggled all day, and when we reached our planned stop, he just about collapsed. It was a hot springs complex, quite a nice looking spot, we could camp for free, just had to pay 7 soles for access to the springs. Neither of us was really in the mood, and fortunately I spotted there were also rooms. Rather grim, run by a woman who clearly didn't want to run a hospedaje and certainly didn't want customers bothering her. I braved her wrath and booked us in. She got her revenge by accidentally opening our door for another guest whilst I sat topless on the bed. Fortunately I never saw him again, or her. We had bumped into a couple of fellow tourers, and though it would have been nice to chat, the weather, the heavens opening, and not feeling 100%, we just stayed put in our surprisingly comfortable room. In the morning, after probably 12 hours of sleep Tom felt 100% better.
So back on the road, we by-passed a 2,000 foot climb on dirt to see one of Peru's rainbow mountains, and continued on. We spotted a tourer coming towards us, it was Fede! We had met on our way to Nasca, and parted ways there as he headed to Cusco and we headed to Chile. He was stunned to see us, he couldn't believe we had got to Chile and then made our way there. We confessed to our change of plans. I had hoped we might get to Cusco in time to have a proper catch up, but after a few minutes of chat we parted ways. Touring being as it is, we may well meet again down the road.
This area of Peru is Inca heaven, with endless sites to visit. We had chosen two on the way to Cusco, Rumicolca and Tipòn. We came to Rumicola first. As usual there are lots of different theories of the history of the site. The latest theory is the aqueduct was originally built by the Wari, in about 500 to 900 AD. The Incas then absorbed it into their empire, improving the design. It is also believed that it served as a gateway to Cusco.
Next we headed to Tipòn. As we approached we realised that to access the site we would have to climb a great big mountain. The road just wound up and up. I looked on in horror, and even Tom looked doubtful. We decided to book into a small hospedaje and dump our bags, and maybe enquire if there was a bus. We were checked in by a great young lad, and when we mentioned our dilemma he said no problem, his dad would take us! So for the price of the petrol, mum and dad drove us up there, waited for an hour whilst we explored, then brought us back down. They then even offered to make us some tea. That miserable woman at the hot springs could certainly learn a thing or two from this wonderful family.
Tipòn was definitely worth a visit. The American Association of Civil Engineers call it a ‘Wonder of Civil Engineering’. It is certainly impressive. A model of hydraulic engineering. For the Incas it was a shrine, a place where water was worshipped. On a steep hillside, they built terraces, created large flat areas, and water flows through literally hundreds of channels. In the most sacred part the water flows from a single channel, this splits into two, then four and finally back to one. It is rumoured to have been the site of a royal place, or a place where horticultural experiments took place. The water appears from mysterious and secret underground channels. Some of the water is still used to supply the local population. The construction is immaculate, and the setting just wonderful. Those Incas certainly knew a thing or two about building things to last.
And that was that, just 14 miles to Cusco. We could see it sat at the end of the valley. A steady easy ride this morning. Once into the city we were able to ride the rest of the way on a really great cycle lane. It was full of fun obstacles, the ‘bridge under a fountain’ was our favourite, and before we knew it we were at the end. We're now on ‘holiday’. Resting up. We have an Airbnb so we can cook vegetables! Do our washing, repair and replace kit. Not cycle. Hike. Go to the Irish pub. We are planning on meeting up with our cycling family, Helene and Jeff. Maybe even Silvan and his dad. I expect we'll eat a lot of cheese, and we've already found a cafe that bakes great French bread. Helene will be in heaven.
