1,500 meters climbing – 2300 meters down
This morning, at about 4:30am, a loud speaker starting blaring for about twenty minutes. At 6am all was revealed: the school children, the headmistress, and a number of parents arrived. The headmistress had arrived the night before about 8:30pm to get the gifts, and of course we were all well in bed by then.
The loud speaker message was “all children and available parents get down to the school soccer field at 6am today”.
We gave them the presents, and the delight of the children was moving. Stuff our children would just take for granted would be provided as part of the school sports equipment were met with clapping and jumping with delight! Soccer balls, basket balls, tennis rackets, skipping ropes, pens, crayons etc. Then they sung us a number of songs, it was great.
Presentation to school kids at Cotaruse
The school’s principal showed up a 6am with 30 or so kids (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
The kids jumped up and down when Britten pulled the gifts out of the bag (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
The kids jumped up and down when Britten pulled the gifts out of the bag (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
We set off knowing we had downhill to start, but none of us expected about 100 kilometres of really great downhill, then about 20 kilometres of a downhill gradient with a few climbs, and then twenty kilometres up.
The scenery on the downhill was spectacular: high cliffs, rocky faces, the river, and unfortunately a few territorial dogs who rushed out at a few of the riders.
Scenery along the river (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
Scenery along the river (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
A shot of the gorge we cycled through (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
Tonight we are staying at Hotel Sirlie. Pleased to be staying at a hotel and not have to put the tent up and down. Plus the first shower for three days. Thankfully the bikes were across the road and not on the roof of the hotel.
I am still suffering from gastro a bit, but have a better appetite at least. Still two more days riding this section to go.
Dinner was stew of some sort again with rice. Managed to spill gravy all over myself.
Am really looking forward to getting to Cusco: three days rest 😀 😀 😀 😀
One of the towns we passed through (Casinchihua). The main street and the highway are one and the same, so the big rigs going through town fill up the street (Photo and caption credit: Laura and Greg’s blog)
Kaye's Awesome Adventures 
Downhill!!! Yaaaaaayyyyyy!