How to visit Machu Picchu with a dog and exploring Ollantaytambo

Pets are not allowed on the trains to Machu Picchu neither in Machu Picchu itself. I found two ways to visit Machu Picchu while traveling with a dog. Ollantaytambo had several veg-friendly restaurants and I could have a nice hike with Peto.

Puquio to Ollantaytambo - preparing for Machu Picchu (Peru)

Up and down and up and down. Riding through the Andes on my way to Machu Picchu.

Nasca Lines, broken bearing and back into the mountains

Paranoid? I do not know but I did not want to play it the Latin American way. Amazing difference between coastal and mountain roads.

Audit of my new "Peru-helmet"

Wolfi - the certified quality lead auditor - reviews his latest purchase. Will it pass the test?

New shoes and riding the PE1S

Fixing this and that at the bike and getting out of Lima as quickly as I could...

Some more still impressions from Peru

And a few still impressions from the past days...

More of the beauty (somewhere south of Huaraz)

What a nice idea for a bus stop waiting area.

Ticlio Pass 4818m

 

Mining lorries

And a extra special one for my Finnish friends and readers :D

My lessons learned from drinking Inca Kola and via Ticlio Pass to Lima

I rode the busy Ticlio pass (4818m) to Lima and finally found a vet to get the required papers for entering the EU. Wow, did I get sick this time.

First trillions of potholes and then somebody stole my helmet, Huallanca - Huanuco (Peru)

Another challenging ride for me and the bike which ended with the fact that somebody stole my helmet. But life and the journey went on :)

Reaching for the sky - A breath taking ride in Huascaran National Park

One of the best rides in Latin America. Sit back, relax and enjoy the views together with me.

Canon del Pato Chuquicara to Caraz (Peru)

Another day of adventure riding. PE3N - a road with some devilish features.

Peru - not all is shit - a brief look into the future

My helmet was stolen while I was checking out a hotel to stay for the night. Well, shit happens. Now I ride with a "Peru-helmet" :D

In the meanwhile, enjoy some upcoming views...

Curves Curves Curves and a 3km descent - riding PE3N in Peru

Life in a tiny mountain village and another stretch of great riding which ended with a surprise.

Steep, steeper, Peru - another adventure ride through the beautiful Andes in Peru

The title says it all. From Santiago de Chuco to Tauca via PE3N. Total ascent 4011m. Total descent 3811m.

War games in Santiago de Chuco (Peru)

Carnival everywhere. See how some people in Peru celebrate it and of course plenty of more nice nature between the villages.

Carnival, vegan food and coffee at Starbucks - Cutervo - Cajamarca (Peru)

More of Andes and the PE3N. This road is full of of surprises.

My sidecar and me took a very long mud bath - riding from San Ignacio via Jaen to Cutervo

Sit back, watch the video and me struggling ;)

Vilcabamba, via Zumba, La Balsa (Ecuador) to San Ignacio (Peru)

I had really mixed feelings about riding this road. Butterflies were roaring in my stomach. The border crossing was one of the fastest ever!


Details on the border crossing

I crossed the border on Sunday 31.Jan2016 around 16o'clock. Customs and immigration on the Ecuador side took about 10min. Then I went to take copies of passport and bike papers for the Peru side. Besides that I changed a few dollars in one of the shops so I had some cash if needed. Nobody cared about Peto and a few locals sponsored my journey. Thank you very much!

I crossed the bridge, drove under the barrier and parked on the right side. I got the feeling of being in the wrong movie. Chickens with their little ones running all over the place. But no I was at the right place. However there was an electric cut and thus immigration guys did not want to do anything. 

Then I went to customs because that anyway takes longer. So I filled the papers by hand instead of the guy typing everything into the system and then printing the cards. Now it came REALLY handy that I took some copies on the Ecuador side where they had electricity.

Some time later customs were done, still no electricity and then also immigration people could be moved to give me my stamp manually. This process took less than 30minutes which makes this border crossing one of the fastest - no most likely THE fastest - one I ever had. Only 40 minutes in total! Of course I was honest and said "yes" on the customs form about bringing animals into the country. Meaningless as this question was, nobody cared Peto. Good that I did not invest in any vet's certificate ;)

Peru here I come!

My track through Ecuador:

About 1000km

Ecuador track and waypoints as GPX and GDB files.

Ecuador accommodations

Ibarra - Camping at Finca Sommerwind

Type: camping
Costs: 5USD/person
Dogs: free
Bike parking: besides tent
Contact: http://www.finca-sommerwind.info/
GPS: N0.38049° W78.08908°
Comment: Clean toilets and hot shower, kitchenette, restaurant, great Wifi, they seem to have also cabins.

Quito - Residence Latitude 0

Type: Room for 6+people (all for me)
Costs: 10USD/person
Dogs: free
Bike parking: free in the one and only garage
Contact: booking.com
GPS: S0.21142° W78.48541°
Comment: Clean, shared warm shower, shared toilet, TV, good Wifi, kitchen

Riobamba - Hotel Royalty

Type: Room with one queen size bed
Costs: 13.50USD/person
Dogs: free
Bike parking: secured in inner yard
Contact:
GPS: S1.65549° W78.66520°
Comment: Clean, warm shower, TV, good Wifi, free breakfast, opposite of shopping mall

Cuenca - Mallki Hostel

Type: Room with one queen size bed
Costs: 25USD
Dogs: free
Bike parking: secured in inner yard
Contact: http://www.mallkihostel.com/ and booking.com
GPS: S2.90413° W79.00713°
Comment: Shower head, common TV, Wifi (from congested and no throughput to superfast), free breakfast, kitchen, first two nights in dorm room (10USD/night).

Vilcabamba - Hosteria Paraiso

Type: Room with multiple beds
Costs: 20USD/room (special price, normally 25USD/room)
Dogs: free
Bike parking: in inner yard
Contact: +593 (0) 72640266, 072640029, 0988448057, www.hosteriaparaiso.com, hosteriaparaiso@hotmail.com
GPS: S4.25516° W79.22341°
Comment: Clean, hot shower, TV, good Wifi at reception, free breakfast, swimming pool, steam sauna, Finnish sauna at weekends

Finnish sauna and vegan Falafel and maybe my last video - greetings from Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba -  a village where local people are supposed to get very old. I enjoyed a great Finnish sauna and had excellent tasting vegan dishes there. Is this my last video?