Wednesday September 19th / Day 21
Miles/day : 45.9 miles total : 921.1 miles
Daily average speed : 5.6 miles/h
The Altiplano and it’s inconvenience
The road which goes from Cusco to Puno is the most touristic in the country. There are lots of foreigners about holding cameras and camcorders which attract the local’s attention. Here people can eat their fill, there are lots of cultivations, cereales like quinoa, breedings and fruit trees, but the little extra then which “shines” attracts the youngster’s eye. The atmosphere is totally different from what we have known to Cusco, the looks are hostile, Monday evening a villager threw some stones to show his disapproval of us settling our camp 0,06 mile away from his house, he refused to speak to us, the “mamas” after sitting on the sides of road, spinning while guarding their cattle refuse to be taken in photo some of them accept if we give them money, there are lots of people who ask for “platas”.
Well we can put up with all this to a certain extent especially when it comes to stealing : the generator yesterday and today a bag full of Serge’s things is missing we must tell ourselves that tomorrow vill be a better day and all the more because today Serge is in good shape, first time since Cusco he covers 46 miles at a brisk pace for an altitude which goes from 2,36 miles to 2,42 miles he arrives early at the camp and goes to bed at 7pm.
Apart from the technical problems and the unfriendly atmosphere, the Altiplano is a link between the earth and the sky. The beauty of the sunsets and of the sunrises just take your breath away. Lamas and Alpacas are one of a kind because these animals can’t survive under 1,86 miles. Come on Serge, Puno and the lake Titicaca are within “foot’s reach.”
