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.

After cable cars magically lifted our bicycles and us up and out of the deep valley of La Paz, we cycled back onto the open grasslands of the altiplano. Soon we were cruising along the shore of the enormous, high-altitude Lake Titicaca - the mythical birthplace of the Sun and the Moon. We then said ‘goodbye’ to Bolivia, and ‘hello’ to Peru, the other country that shares the legendary Lake Titicaca.