I'm till in Cusco another couple days. My leg problem seems to be caused by the footwear I had been using off the bike for the last 8 months or so. I bought a new pair of shoes several days ago and the pain has gone away. Funny how that works.

Tuesday or Wednesday I'll be heading down to Puno. I'm taking a detour for a few days over to Arequipa, then back to Bolivia next weekend. Maybe we'll meet up on the road around Puno.

I'm in Copacabana now and will be heading north into Peru in about 3 days time. Let me know where you are.

Is Puno worth a visit?

Annette

In Arequipa now
 

Annette:
Sorry, may have missed you.

I didn't make it to Puno, so I can't comment. I turned off to Arequipa at Juliaca. A surprise to me, the road was paved the entire way. My map showed it as being mostly dirt, so sometime since the cartography was done on my RoughGuide map and now, the paved the road.

There were campesino protests north of Juliaca on the 4th (and earlier I understand). I couldn't pass on the main road just on the north edge of town - had to enter town via a dirt road. There were barricades (rocks across the highway) for about 20km or more. Hope you make it through ok (its about water for agriculture purposes).

I'll be heading back to Puno/Lake Titicaca in about 4 days time.

I`m in Cusco Tuesday leaving Wednesday I think for Lake Titicaca (only for a couple of days).

After Macchu Picchu will be coming back to Casa Grande if you make it up here. Otherwise may pass you on the road.
Santa Catalina, next to (almost) the Municipal Library, 1 block from NE corner Plaza de Armas (street runs 1 way from Plaza), 2 blocks from Norton Rats Tavern.
It`s simple but very friendly.

PS Jacks Cafe has the best coffee I`ve had in months. Just unbelievable and worth paying the gringo price for a change. It`s well known, about 2 blocks from this hotel

I'm still in Copacabana and staying till Monday - I think - depending on the road situation. Planning to make a stop in Puno on the way to Cuzco. So maybe we'll meet up anyway.

Nice to hear about the good coffee in Cuzco!

Cusco Crud
 

I may be a few extra days getting back to Titicaca. I came down with el gripe going around Cusco (watch out BigJ). It's got me so stuffed up I have troubles balancing on my feet, never mind on the bike. Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready to ride.

You probably already know but there`s a paro on today, no traffic. Watch out for any stones left on the road,

Thanks! I know - just made my way from Copacabana to Juliaca. There were rocks, broken glas etc. almost everywhere on the road - it looks like a war zone down here. I hope I'll to be able to continue to Cuzco tomorrow. Do you know anything about the road between Cuzco adn Juliaca - how bad the situation is? Are buses leaving from Cuzco (going south) tomorrow?

Hope to catch up with you in Cuzco - tomorrow or Friday.

In La Paz
 

So I pull up to the hostel on Morullo and I'm puking radiator coolant all over the road. They uped the rate for MC parking - 15B for bikes. I wasn't going anywhere with a coolant problem, so I didn't have much choice in the matter.

Still, room and parking is under $8/day.

Tomorrow I need to pull it apart and find out what's up with the cooling system.

Sounds like none of us are getting anywhere in a hurry!

I have given up on Cusco, it`s just so tough to find anything I`m moving to La Paz and will actually hope to get a holiday in while looking after my bike. And got stuck at a paro for half an hour, damn Peru!

Josh

In La Paz now
 

If anyone's around, I'm in La Paz for a few days at least - in the area for a couple weeks, hanging out, waiting for new underwear to arrive. Yahoo!

May not be a big deal to most of you, but after wearing same 3 pair of boxers every day for the past year - new underwear is indeed something worth looking forward to.:thumbup1:

Actually, got a new change of clothes coming via a traveller from the states, from my old employer (REI: Outdoor Gear & Clothing for Cycling, Camping, Hiking, Kayaking, Canoeing & More). Not just any old boxers, but high performance outdoor type briefs.

So after hearing about my underwear situation, who's up for a beer:clap:

I finally made it to Cusco! Hope you're enjoying a cold beer in La Paz.

Thanks for all the useful info on Central America etc. I have one more question - do you have th address of BMW in Lima? Did I understand you corretly when you said that BMW Lima has a moto repair shop? If so - do they have spare parts? My bike is leaking fork oil.....

Thanks.

The Swiss couple(Gabi and Kodi?) behind you have had one of their 1200GS lose the oil in the rear shock... They are trying to work out whether to try and make Lima

was nice to meet you on the road. I got through the strike without having my windshield painted!
But man, Juliaca was a shithole, wasn`t much impressed by Puno either. In Copacobana now, heading for Isla del Sol tomorrow for a day off the bike!

Good luck with the rest of your travels.

Head's up, be safe, have fun! (Gamoglobin every 3 to 6 months...it works!)

Repairs in Lima
 

Hey, glad to help out.

The dealer in Lima doesn't really repair MC's - they don't stock parts. I posted info here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...584#post143517

On same page is an older posting for a Honda shop near central Miraflores (Flyingdog Hostel is less than 1km away - parking in the downstairs entryway - $10 for a dorm room - wi-fi) I can recommend it anyway. I posted info on what I believe is another good indie mechanic.

Bob Morley, a.k.a. HappyHacker on HU, a.k.a. SmellyBiker - has used Honda Transalp seals on his F650GSD. So perhaps you can find them at the Honda repair places. Any good shop can handle the service - F650 forks are pretty simple.

Smellybiker :: View Forum - BMW F650GS Dakar

Hope this helps. Good luck.