Cusco

Yesterday we set off after loading up the bikes in pissing rain to Cusco, a few miles out of Puno the road became better, less traffic until we got to Juliaca, the Juliaca bypass (a concrete road around the edge of the city) was terrible, quite frankly the p;ace is a dump, it felt more like India than Peru, litter everywhere, business being carried out in the streets, scrap everywhere, busy, trying to fight with dogs, bikes, cars, diesel belching trucks and buses, moto taxi's and rickshaws. The road dissapeared into huge muddy potholes often, you get the picture.
After that it got better and better, the ladscape started to look like Scotland, hills and mountains, green everywhere, the indigenous people living on the land tending their crops and looking after their animals as they have done for hundreds of years,(apart from the chinese motorbikes they use to get about on, 4 people at a time sometimes!) a harsh but satisfying way of life.   It led me to think that this is exactly how Scotlands glens would have looked before the clearances, its a great shame that the highlands will never go back to being populated in this way, now just a playground really. (Comments invited!!)
After a nice lunch and petrol stop (only 84 Octane available) we headed on, as we approached a village I overtook the guy in front who had been driving like an idiot (very common) and yes there were the police with a speed trap, we got waved in as did most of the other cars, the policeman started a rant, I looked stupidly blank at him (I'm good at that) not aying a word, he checked the plate then asked if I spoke Spanish, Nope only Scottish, he then gave me a lecture about sticking to he speed limits in Urban areas, telling me to stick to 35 KPH and telling me to go, big relief. After that the last 60 miles to Cusco was boring as we stuck to the limits, just as well though as the police were out in force, maybe getting their beer money for Saturday night.
We got asked in the centre if we had a hostel, nope, so the guy took us to his, good garage and nice room for just over £20 a night, perfect. Out for a look around a a visit to the Famous Rats Norton bar, big anticlimax, poor service, nobody around to talk Nortons to and worse, the girl put the water in my whisky herself, a first for South America.
More religious parade today and a visit to an Inca museum rounded off our cultural education! Tomorrow & Tuesday we go to Machu Pichu, as tourists which is not good for us really but no option.

People still living here and working the land

Could be Glencoe

84 Octane only

Just like home except for the funny sheep!

Norton Rats Tavern (before my Whisky was diluted)

Nun on the phoone to her mate "fancy a quick half in the Norton Pub" (Right)

Sunday best

Police adding to the chaos

Fiona pointing out the original Inca foundation stones that the Spanish used to rebuild Cusco on

Inca Ear rings, solid Gold, must have had big Ears!

And this is when I realised how ahead of their times the Incas were, solid Gold Amal Bellmouths for tuning Nortons, made thousands of years before Norton was even started, ahead of their times of what?