Day 24 (4/17)

‘Rolled up Pancakes’… what better way to start the day. When I was growing up one of the featured breakfasts on Saturday mornings that my dad would prepare was ‘Rolled up Pancakes’. A stack of thin pancakes served with strawberry jam and powdered sugar and bacon on the side. At ‘Casa de Felix’ this morning we were served the very same meal absent the bacon and the powdered sugar, but with a delicious batch of fry bread. A great way to start a day that would end on another high note. 

The morning was spent on a mix of lightly travelled paved and dirt roads as we made our way north on the Peninsula through farmland and for a period overlooking Lake Titicaca (see bonus footage for a brief video). As we made our way north we were determined to avoid the city of Juliaca and through the wonders of GPS and digital mapping we had no trouble figuring out a route, (the technology really is amazing!). Not that anyone will remember, but our route carried us through the small cities of Taraco, Arapa, Azangaro before we started climbing up to higher altitude through San Anton along the Rio Cruzero, (which turned into the Rio San Anton). About 40 miles outside of Macusani, our destination for the day, we picked up a dirt road that we would follow for the remainder of the trip. It was on this dirt road that we caught our first glimpse of the Ausangate peak (21,000 feet). As those who’ve been following are aware we’ve seen some gorgeous peaks along our journey, but this one takes the cake in terms of drama and magnitude. The road we were on was directly in line with the peak and so as we made our way we were treated to a series of snapshots of the peak as it became increasingly prominent. 

The day culminated as we made our descent down to the city of Macusani. As we were descending around a final set of hills outside the city, I noticed a two track dirt road off to our left that looked like it would take us up to a viewpoint overlooking the city with the Ausangate Peak in the background. We decide to take the chance and it worked out just as we had hoped. We found ourselves perched on top of a hilltop in the late afternoon light with a spectacular view. Maybe you can attribute how we ended up at that point, at that time, on this day, to pure chance, but it occurred to both Claudio and I that there’s some force that is guiding us. Neither Claudio or I are big into mysticism, but both of us couldn’t help but think of our respective parents. Whether Ralph and Chotz got together with Coco and Gloria to guide us to this point and the various other points along this amazing journey of ours is pure speculation, but we couldn’t shake the sense that they had somehow played a role.

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Bonus Footage

The first segment captures a segment of the ride in the morning along the shore of Lake Titicaca

The second segment is from the afternoon as we approached the city of Mancusani with the Ausangate peaks in the background.