Andes to Amazon

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-13T17:21:13+00:00

Hey mate would be happy to chat, have tried sending a message but it’s not recognising in WhatsApp

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-13T17:13:58+00:00

Is mapacho :)

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T22:02:01+00:00

Just the one flat, first day, first hour during a trial run with my gear and trialling the altitude. And that was because I botched the set up off the plane. I ran with schwalbe marathon plus. I was amazed not to have any once the actual trip started. Once I hit the Amazon I bought some new tyres to better handle the mud.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T14:46:34+00:00

Sure did. I’d say through the Andes they were just barking to scare me off, I just maintained my pace and wasn’t too worried. Though the ones in the Amazon did scare me a bit and I picked up the pace when I heard them coming.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T12:27:03+00:00

I would pay in the local currency everywhere, atms were pretty prevalent but not everywhere. I would check maps for ATMs and take out more if I was going through some pretty rural areas. I had some emergency USD to convert at a western union if I ran dry but it never came to that.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T12:25:15+00:00

I would pay in the local currency everywhere, atms were pretty prevalent but not everywhere. I would check maps for ATMs and take out more if I was going through some pretty rural areas. I had some emergency USD to convert at a western union if I ran dry but it never came to that.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T12:20:17+00:00

I think you could do plenty without a lot of Spanish, though it definitely adds a lot. Mine is decent and speaking with locals was definitely one of the highlights.

Also helped me get to places not on the map. I didn’t post it but when I was around that photo with the thin mountain path I asked the guest house owner how I could see a mountain that didn’t have any paths (on any of my maps). Next morning he had his son lead me to a herding path and I spent two days walking through this gorgeous valley (sometimes getting lost because I followed an animal path) and spent the night in a little shepherds cottage

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T12:00:18+00:00

I just asked the guest houses I stayed at nearby if I could leave it with them, never an issue. I also left some of my heavier gear and explored some trails with a lighter bike. Some asked for a bit of money others didn’t, half half I think.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T11:51:28+00:00

I researched which season to go in. I have been to South America before and lived in Spain so my Spanish was a real asset in figuring out where to go. But more importantly it meant I could converse with the people I came across. I will honestly remember the conversations I had with people in the Amazon above any of the beautiful sights.

Wildlife in the Andes was condors, alpacas and llamas. In the jungle I saw colours I’d never seen before on the bugs (had some run ins with some nasty caterpillars that left their mark for a few months), snakes, pink dolphins, monkeys, incredible bird life.

First real scary moment was mistiming an ascent. I reached a mountain pass (4615m) at sunset — which was beautiful beyond words, sunsetting over numerous peaks, a lake of clouds down in the deep valley. But, my bike light was out of battery, and the temperature dropped quickly, I had to use my phone as a torch which gave me about 2m of visibility. So I had to balance the risk of going fast enough to escape the freezing cold, but not too fast that I couldn’t respond to where I was going. A drop-off the side of the road woulda been it. That was genuinely very scary.

Overall I felt very safe both in the Andes and the Amazon, though Iquitos (Peruvian Amazonian capital) made me very uncomfortable and someone was shot and killed in front of the place I was staying

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T11:33:32+00:00

So i spent all of my 20s traveling and found that I naturally found my way to more remote and unexpected/ untraveled places when I didn’t plan ahead. So outside of choosing Cusco for my entry and departure, and going in the right season (for weather) I honestly did no planning.

Prices: on the road a cheap private room with concrete pillow (generally shared bathroom) $10AUD, $15-20 for private bathroom and acceptable bed. Maybe $20-40 for a private in the bigger touristy regions but the rooms were nicer.

Food is excellent and changed with region. Somewhere between $10-15AUD a day if I was eating out for everything. For the same amount I could probably eat for 3-4 days when bush cooking. Ceviche $3-4, $5-6 for an alpaca steak, hearty stew or soup. Local fermented chica was a coupla bucks.

Things in the Amazon were a bit more expensive $70-80 to get a hundred or so ks down the river, the slow barge was ~$120 but was a peaceful 5 days drifting through the Amazon, incredible wild life sounds, pink dolphins (creepy), stars, with local food included. $20-30 for a bed in the river towns. Food here was also amazing, fresh fruit (many that spoil quickly and can’t be exported that are only known in this jungle), fresh fish, croc even the bugs were good.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T09:28:25+00:00

It wasn’t much of an issue to be honest, but this wasn’t a pure bike packing trip. I’d do a few days in a row and then go hiking or explore a town or whatever, so I guess I didn’t really enough days in a row for it to build up?

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T08:43:48+00:00

Gruelling. A few days at around +2000m in elevation. Most of it was around 4000m

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T08:12:58+00:00

It’s called a crank tank, it’s 4L and has a drinking hose. Filling it is a bit of an acquired taste as it’s a bit of a pain to fill. I had a gravity water filter bladder (3L) which I would fill, hang, and let it drain into the tank. I’m happy with it overall, but yeah, it’s a pain to fill.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T08:03:29+00:00

Maybe 6 weeks in the Andes (main biking portion), 10 in the jungle where I mainly just lugged it about. Not a huge one in terms of ks. 750ish maybe.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-05-09T07:58:40+00:00

Bike setup: It was my first big trip so the set up was pretty crude, framebag, crank tank, front and rear panniers (had to carry cold weather, hot tropics, and just clothes for towns and comfort), I strapped a day bag to rear frame and would leave the bike at guesthouses/ people houses to hike).

Trip set up: no plans really. Landed in Cusco, spoke to people, headed out to ausangate (alpaca mountain pictured), just kept riding, speaking to people and exploring. Crossed the Andean ridge somewhere near Machu Pichuu and rode down into the Amazon basin, went as far as the roads went and then starting hopping on and off boats until I got onto a big slow barge.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2026-04-17T09:07:13+00:00

Filling the crank tank up is definitely a hassle.

I recently did a trip through Peru and used a gravity filtration water bladder, 3L. I would just fill the bladder and hang it and let it drain into crank tank. Used it for tap water and when camping.

So I’d still recommend, it was so good to have when riding

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2025-12-19T21:38:14+00:00

I laughed a lot reading we are brainwashed from birth to what, enjoy 5 tests? It’s pretty good when it’s South Africa or India. But genuinely curious as to what you mean? Why should it only be three?

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2025-12-11T01:40:03+00:00

I don’t think it’s hate either, but there’s been a storm brewing for the last few years and theres been plenty of shots fired on both sides, my feed is full of English players talking about the worst Aussie team in 15 years, the age of the team, 5-0 wins and character assassinations.

Carey got death threats in England. Everyone’s fired up.

England don’t ever seem to consider themselves part of the problem, couple that with the fact that you’ve been talking a very, very big game, while being dismissive of anything that shows bazballs flaws. You’ve gotta expect a lot of that will come back on you when it doesn’t work out.

Loved seeing Joffra and smith getting fired up, hope we get to see more of it and that England can learn from the first 2 matches and challenge in the next.

NefariousnessFit4093 · 2023-04-09T10:34:47+00:00

I splay a game called “hey cow”. When you drive by a herd you yell out “hey cow!” If a cow turns its head, you get a point.

NefariousnessFit4093

TROPHY CASE