Quechua Women In Ecuador

Walking around in the streets of Aluasi, I stumbled upon two Quechua women in traditional dresses. It took me quite a while to convince them before I could take their picture as they were very shy and reluctant to be photographed.Here you see them in traditional Inca dress which is worn by most Quechua women … Read more

Marriage Proposal In Ecuador

Standing at the edge of a road in the Southern highlands of Ecuador today, a sweeping valley was in front of me. The view was so big that my eyes couldn’t contain it, similar to holding a bowl under a large waterfall. The bottom of the valley was covered with thick clouds. It appeared like … Read more

Fog And Clarity

One early morning pedalling slowly on a steep road in southern Ecuador, I feel a hand on my shoulder. A familiar voice speaks to me. “What is that you seek?” “I want to escape. I am searching for something, but I don’t know what?” I reply. “You can only search for something when it is … Read more

First Encounter In Ecuador

I sweated profusely and my heart knocked like a hammer inside my chest as I ground my teeth on the way uphill. A vehicle carrying a family honked the horn as it overtook me and then stopped. A man stepped out of the car and came running to me. “Are you Okay? Do you need … Read more

Different Shades Of Peru

As I write these lines from San Ignacio, my bicycle ride in Peru is almost over. I entered Peru 85 days ago and cycled over 3400 km and climbed over 43,900 meters following the great divide route of Peru. It is the most mountainous country I have ever cycled. Peru is an amazing country at … Read more

Bird over the waterfall

[stag_dropcap font_size=“120px” style=”normal”]F[/stag_dropcap]rom where he sat on the edge of a cliff, a panoramic view of the Gocta waterfall was in front of him. This was one of the highest waterfalls in the world–plunging from a height of 771-m deep into the forest below. Outside world didn’t know about this waterfall until 2005 because locals … Read more

10,000 km

Cycling along the Utcubamba river in North Peru today, my bicycle and I achieved a little milestone on this journey. We completed 10,000 km out of 25,000 km from Ushuaia to Alaska. It was hot today but the sun was behind the clouds, so I took a little break along the road and tried to … Read more

A Cockfight In Peru

After a long day of cycling today, I was about to reach Celendin when I passed through a small town with the name Bellavista. There, I saw a bunch of people gathered in a circle not far from the road. The curiosity to know what was happening overwhelmed me and I steered the bicycle towards … Read more

Soup Lady

Today while cycling under the intense sun of the northern highlands of Peru, I saw a woman cooking something in a giant pot outside her house. Out of curiosity, I stopped and asked what she was cooking. She told me it was Shambar soup made of wheat and beans. To my surprise, she offered me … Read more

Poor In the Land of Gold

Cycling on an isolated dirt road along the River Tablachaca in the northern highlands of Peru, I was stopped by two men who warned me that there was no road ahead and two river crossings were to come. These men were gold prospectors. They were panning for gold in the river bed. One of them, … Read more

Cycling The Cordillera Blanca

During the past four days, I was cycling in the National Park of Huascaran in Peru. This park covers the area of the Cordillera Blanca (the world’s highest tropical mountain range). The Cordillera Blanca is part of the Cordillera of the Andes which extends from Venezuela to Argentina and Chile all along South America. Out … Read more

Cycling The Great Divide In Peru

After cycling for 13 consecutive days, I am out of Central Highlands and into the Huaraz & the Cordilleras region. My cycling itinerary in Peru follows the Peru’s great divide which is the part of Continental Divide of South America. The Continental Divide runs along the Andes mountain range and divides the watersheds such that … Read more

Huanuco

Descending from the 4390-m pass in the Central Highlands today. It has been raining every day and it is just the beginning of the rainy season in Peru! Since leaving Cusco about three weeks ago, I have spent 101 hours on the saddle during 16 days of cycling, covered over 1200 km and climbed 17 … Read more

Central Highlands

At the moment I am cycling in the remote and rocky Central Highlands in Peru. The mountains are steep, the valleys, lonely, and the roads, narrow and carved from the side of steep mountains. The elevation of the road is between 2200m to 4000m. For the first time since the beginning of this trip nine … Read more