A condor moment Ian Kerr does Peru by Compass
“All tourists look the same,” said Aussie fire-fighter Chris, prompting a stunned silence that just needed the lighting of a cigar as in the iconic adverts of the eighties and nineties to finish it in true style, before the laughter started. While in some circumstances such a gaff might have been embarrassing, as Chris was quick to point out in his defence it was 4.00am and the hotel lobby was somewhat dimly lit as you might expect at that ungodly hour. It had been the same on our arrival when we had been talking to a similar looking woman whilst waiting to explore the Peruvian town of Aguas Calientes, prior to an early night.
The reason for such a dramatic early start was to catch the bus to visit the once lost city of Machu Picchu, which depending on your point of view is probably the most impressive and spectacular accomplishment of the Inca Empire. It is situated between two Andean peaks at 7,000 feet above sea level, which probably explains why the Spanish did not discover it during their time in Peru. Instead it was left to American Yale Professor Hiram Bingham to discover the ruins buried beneath dense undergrowth in 1911.
Since then of course it has featured on many people’s ‘must visit before I die’ lists as has Chivay, regarded as the gateway to the Colca Canyon, the world’s second deepest canyon.(The other just being over the ridge!). The reason there being to watch the massive Condors ride on thermals, early in the morning before rising out of sight of the naked eye.
These birds were very much part of the Inca history and watching them swoop and glide high above the jagged peaks it is easy to see why. This too involves an early start, but on this occasion there were no gaffs to start the day but an invigorating ride up a hard packed dirt road watching the sun rise above the jagged mountains of the Andes. These two locations are very much part of Australian firm Compass Expeditions, motorcycle tour of the Peru, which actually starts across the border in Bolivia as part of their ‘Highlights of Peru’ tour based on the Incan empire.
You are exposed and that makes you accessible to locals who are more inclined to greet you and help you
What they offer is the chance to take time out to reach desirable locations around the world without the hassle of a year’s planning and hours on the internet. Not to mention the hassle of shipping bikes et al.
What really attracted me was the fact they were going to give me some culture to go with superb motorcycle roads, but in complete safety with good back-up. The places they go are not ones that you might consider doing on your own without background support and local knowledge.
They have a highly experienced team who have been around the world a few times between them, so you know that nothing is going to catch them out. Another big plus point with Compass, is that unlike other operators they do not include travel to and from the country as part of the time spent, so fourteen days is riding time, not a total from home to home. There are extra days either side not included in the riding tour time, but do form part of the experience.
I maintain that travel by motorcycle is very much part of the overall experience and I am sure most touring/adventure riders will agree. You are exposed and that makes you accessible to locals who are more inclined to greet you and help you in many ways and of course you get to experience the smells and atmosphere. Having established that Compass could supply all my needs it was just a case of signing up for the July tour.
By return email came a very comprehensive briefing pack telling me everything I needed to know before leaving home. This included a useful potted history of South America and the Incas all good for helping you understand what you are going to see. In fact I can’t think of things that were not included, so good was the pack, even simple language was explained so you would not feel a complete fool. I arrived at La Paz, Bolivia after a total 30 hours journey time from home to find a cab driver with my name on his card as promised.
32 The ROAD
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