Should I stay or should I go? I don't even really like the Clash, but I can't think of another song lyric or cliche to encapsulate my mentality the last week of my trip. I was lying in a hotel room in Tarma, a touristy city in the eastern Andes, battling a nasty case of … Continue reading The final stretch: Tarma to Paracas
Cold. Tired. Uninspired. Bored? The last week of riding was my toughest mentally and physically yet. For three days I felt like I was on the world’s largest yo-yo – ascending huge climbs, only to drop a long way down again. I had one particularly amazing day that renewed my spirits, but the three after … Continue reading Up against the divide: Cajatambo to Tarma
"Is it worth it?" It's a familiar question I ask myself often. Is riding close up to glaciers it worth it, even if it means riding through snow and rain and wind and cold afterward? Is pushing my loaded bike up and over multiple passes more than 4,500-metres in altitude worth it for the expansive … Continue reading Into the land of glaciers: Huaraz to Cajatambo
“Why aren’t you smiling? Why aren’t you happy?” I had just collapsed after cresting a 4,750 metre high pass in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca following an afternoon and morning of pushing my bike up through sopping wet meadows, fast-flowing creeks, steep rocky slopes, rain and snow. There was Iohan, already at the top, already eager to … Continue reading The Cordillera Blanca: Caraz to Huaraz
"El Silencio" - what Peruvians call the high altitude regions of the country where few venture and only the hardiest make a living. It's a land of towering mountains, grassy valleys, azure lakes, hardscrabble herders and their flocks, and, unfortunately, massive mines that scar an otherwise beautiful landscape. I had seen pictures of these landscapes … Continue reading El Silencio – Huamachuco to Caraz
My journey has been about the roads. Paved or unpaved, they connect me from one city to another, through rural areas and towns seldom visited by outsiders. One of the things I've loved most about this trip is finding myself in these cities, with their vibrant markets, beautiful squares and mix of colonial and pre-colonial … Continue reading A slice of city life: Cajamarca to Huamachuco
What is it about the mountains that make me feel so at home? I didn't grow up in the mountains, though I did spend many winter days skiing as a kid. It wasn't until I was 29 that I exchanged city living for a life amongst the peaks of British Columbia. What is it about … Continue reading Back to the mountains: Chachapoyas to Cajamarca
