Reasons why after a long day's cycle we sometimes opt for a hotel over a tent and are happy to pay more for for the privilege (listed in order of importance)...
1) Hot water to make us and our kit squeeky clean
2) Nearby restaurant... We may not need petrol but man we need fuel
3) Easy access to breakfast, body repairs over night, fuel gone in morning (doesn't have to be in hotel, just within a km)
4) Charging point for phones / GPS / camera / hair drier (give me a break it's cold in the mountains!)
5) Easy location to stock up supplies and tend to bikes if needed
6) WiFi... More important tonight, Ant needs to make a call, but if you're paying for it, you expect to get it right? It's definitely a luxury, updating blog, backing up photos etc... But as I say if it's advertised...
7) Cable TV... Another selling point on marketing for most hotels... Again a luxury we dont need but if it's advertised...
8) A warm clean bed to rest and recuperate
So why choose to camp then? Primarily because most of the beauty of Peru is found in the mountains. Cities, as you might expect from any developing nation (and many developed nations too), are polluted, noisy, stressful and arduous to get into and out of through suburbs on a bike. Plus sometimes your legs just can't carry you to the next town. And camping is just damn fun!
However, when we decide to live it large and traipse through the suburbs to stay in a nice (read more expensive) hotel, it's an interesting challenge in itself...
1) Hot water... "yes we have hot water pay more for our room"... We emerge shivering..."oh I guess it's broken"
2) Nearby restaurant... "they serve a great lunch tomorrow... "
3) Easy access to breakfast - stale bread, eggs and jam seems the norm...might as well go to the local bakers (oh and NEVER drink the coffee)
4) Charging point for phones / GPS / camera / hair drier "there's one in the corridor, you can leave you iPad there over night"... !!?!!!
5) Easy location to stock up supplies and tend to bikes if needed... Fair
6) WiFi... "yep this is the code..." (hands a very long piece of paper with such a ridiculous combination of letters, lower and upper case symbols and numbers that takes you at least 5minutes to type in)... "hi the WiFi isn't working" ... "oh yeah it runs out at midday"
7) cable tv... "our remote and tv don't seem to be working"... "you only have one cable channel... Playing Peruvian lipsink tv show on repeat... Why would you need more?"... Who could argue with that!
8) A warm clean bed to rest and recuperate... 60% of the time at least!
Don't get me wrong a big part of this trip is living without all the above and I really enjoy that... Plus I can find a cold shower very invigorating...but when you're on your knees after 75km, including an ascent to 4200m, and you believe the marketing, it sort of breaks your heart...
Tomorrow night we shall camp.
CAMPING WE LOVE YOU xxx
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