Summary

We always sum up some of our impressions. Here are some….

The BMW F800GS was a terrific bike. It handled great even with a passenger and never skipped a beat even at 16,000 Feet elevation. We traveled a total of 2000 miles in 11 riding days. 

PERU & the PEOPLE

Beautiful country like no where else in the world.

Everyone was friendly and helpful.

Some in remote towns had never seen a gringo.

Everyone seemed very happy.

The kids were real friendly. They wanted to talk to us.

Kids could count to 10 in English.

No rough looking kids anywhere.

Few cell phones.

One mother brought out her son just to meet us.

In small towns everyone stopped to watch us go by.

We saw small motorcycles with whole families on them.

Scooters and motorcycles were fitted with bodies so as to be used as taxis and trucks.

People walking along the road out in the middle of nowhere.

Vans are used as people movers. Watch out for them.

People work very hard to survive.

Houses in most towns are unfinished.

Quality of the mason work is not too good.

DRIVING

The roads were great. Nowhere are there any better motorcycle roads.

We drove fast everywhere, passed whenever and wherever we wanted.

Police never bothered us.

No one stops for stop signs.

Speed bumps in every town.

Speed limits are only suggestions. We were usually at least twice the limit.

No informational/directional road signs.

Everyone honks their horn frequently at any time, anywhere, at any one with no discernable reason.

Never yield to anyone. Everyone drives aggressively.

Watch out for the big trucks. Particularly on the switchbacks.

Detours can bring anything. A lot of dirt and rivers to forge when there are no bridges.

Driving through some cities is a real challenge because of the crazy traffic.

We had a great leader and a great support person.

Our leader’s “corner marker” system worked great. We never lost anyone.

FOOD

French fries and rice together at all 3 meals

Sheep head soup

Baby goat 

Guinea pig

We were careful what we ate. Some of our people ate everything.

Bottled water is essential.

ROOMS

We couldn’t be too picky. The rooms were better on the inside than the outside.

Sometimes no hot water but still had two taps.

Put no paper in the toilet. Put soiled paper in the waste can.

Toilets. Maybe there was a hole in floor, better if a toilet, better if a toilet seat, even better if  there was paper. Bring your own paper.

ELEVATION

Many cities at very high elevations.

It gave some of us headaches but was not all that bad.

We were near 16,000 feet several times. No problem while driving.

The high altitude plains were beautiful.

Llamas were at all the high elevations.