As we cycled out of the city of Arequipa, we were swallowed by the parched, Peruvian coastal desert. With the exception of a few pockets of incredibly hardy plants, the only visible life was found in human settlements. Along the Pan-American Highway, life burst forth in fields of rice, melons, grapes and olives nurtured by precious sources of water, or bustling fishing villages harvesting the bounty of the sea. Outside of these places the desert prevailed, and we were alone with the sand, rocks and wind of South America’s Sahara.

Fluffy, white alpacas eyed us with curiosity as we made our way toward the highest point yet in our cycling journey across the Americas. Surrounded by the beige prairies of the altiplano, we rode our bicycles past lofty lakes and stone forests, occasionally struggling to catch our breath in the thin air. After a night in one of the highest villages in the Americas, we began the long plunge into Peru’s coastal desert, eventually landing in the gorgeous, colonial city of Arequipa.