Distance to Date: 6323 km, 3929 mi

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world according to sources. It borders Peru and Bolivia and is the largest lake in South America. We rode past it on our way from La Paz, Bolivia to Cusco, Peru. It is a beautiful lake... but its name definitely wins the day!

A local bum enjoying a cream filled "conico." Wait, isn't that Tauru? Tauru gets bike envy as he spots this snazzy tricycle. "Alaska-able?" The trike's owner contemplates the exchange. He wonders if it's more stable than the tandem. And turns? "Wanna to try the tandem?" Time to give it a try. Onlookers wonder what's going on. Tauru tries to convince him to come to Alaska. He smiled, but couldn't; so we cross the border into Peru. Tauru fills out the required paperwork to get the stamps in our passports. We meet a Brazilian cyclist who is pedaling 20,000 km in 8 months around South America. We speak to each other in a collage of Portuguese and Spanish (i.e., Spanguese). That night, we camped behind a "trucha" (trout) stand. After filling our bellies with heaping portions of fried fish on rice, one of the ladies gave us a "regalo" (gift) of a huge trout fillet. In the morning, Tauru wonders what to do with the trucha. Who knew trout is pink? This is freshly caught from Lago Titicaca. "Um, can you gals cook this for us?" Tauru asks. Now that's what we're talking about! Breakfast of champions: fried trout, boiled potatoes and salad. Buen probecho! With full bellies, we ride slowly and take in the views over Lago Titicaca. Viewing a camera's LCD is really difficult in broad daylight, so Tauru uses a pair of his boxer-briefs to make things easier. Eeew! A break over Lago Titicaca. We meet a southbound French-Swiss couple and chat with them for an hour. They spent the past 2.5 years cycling around the world and plan to be home for Christmas. We do some filming. "Is this working?" It's not every day that one pedals around Lake Titicaca. Across Titicaca, white-capped mountains soar over 18,000 ft. Tauru says "Y". Life around the lake is simple. Tauru filters water from the lake with help from some wooly friends. Then we receive a visit from delicious looking friends. Tauru goes for a sunset stroll. In Juli, everyone is welcome aboard the local transport. This four-legged fur-ball looks nervous about his VIP seat on top of the van. All the sheepies are loaded and tied down for the ride. Christi watches this spectacle across the street. We ride out of town and meet these two fine gentlemen who let us camp on their farm for the night. Gracias Senores Francisco y Cerillo. Mornings are slow after an overnight freeze. Senora Franscisco stops by to bid us farewell.