out but not down

after macchu picchu went back to cusco for a day to see if could get camera fixed..took it to shop and instead of fixing it, 4 hours later they broke it to the point that it wont do anything..completely gone. that camera was in the top 5 most importante list of this trip so i wasnt exactly happy. loaded up the bike and out on plaza when this older man came up in a suit.
my friend, how do you like cusco?
nice but i am ready to go
i can sense your negative feelings.. i am an anthropology professor here at the university and i want to give you something for positive feeling and good luck.
whatever
here my friend...hands me a little knitted bag witha silver inca figurine in it.....promise nevfer to show anyone or sell it, you will have good luck and never problems on your trip. this is a special incan day and that is pure silver ancient incan madre de tierra...incan mother of earth. worth 100´s of dollars.
oh cool. thank you?! thanks ya, ok. it was unusual timing a good will gesture, i thought...
my friend i am for working a charity, you can give me some money now.
oh no, no thanks i dont want to buy anything
no no my friend its not for buying, i give this to you. but i am working for raising monies for childrens here in cusco....you can give as much you want.
ok whatever i just want to get out of cusco and these hustlers to go away so i give him a few bucks and he looks at me for more...
oh my friend you can give more its for the childrens and this is a very special incan artifact..

i stick it in my pocket and as soon as he leaves show it to a local who says yes mother of earth statues are given away, not sold so hustlers use charity words to get $$$ and also that it is bronze and worth about $1...

ok so i fed into it because it was coincidental that he cought me at frustrating time...
left cusco...while riding i couldnt stop thinking that bastard used kids charity line..... crass
and probably bad luck to have given him anything....forshadowing i guess.

ive been in peru what feels like far to long. plan for the day was to get to lake titicaca and cross into bolivia in the morning. ride was more lunar like landscapes and buzzing thru a few small towns where the kids come up in genuine excitement. was helping to ease the bastard rip off mindstate i was in, as was the ride aside from the closest call ive had on the trip with an oncoming bus and about 5 others that all happened in the 2hr ride before stopping.
eventually came to a huge valley area in the middle of nowhere that was too nice not to stop. so i did and waited for simon. as i shut the bike off i clicked it up to nuetral but it died in gear first...thats odd. (this is where it went out)
got off the bike chilled for a bit and simon came up... took a few pics and went to get back on the bike. grabbed the clutch and it didnt feel right..hmm. started the bike and pulled clutch to put in gear ...nope not happening right. shit not here nothing around stranded. squeezed the clutch again managed to jam it in gear then jam up a few to 3rd and thats it nothing..
oh man no towns for 100 miles... and enough gas to do about 80 and its getting dark.
rode in 3rd at 40 mph stewing despair and what to do the whole time. cants stop or im out. cant go fast and dont have gas to get to the town. very scare frustrated helpless what to do feeling. yeeling thru the helmet to simon riding next to me....what should we do? go find a truck or something i cant stop!?
no luck. soon im on reserve and have about 10 miles left of gas...just happen across a little truck stop type village area....stop. bike is stayput. luckily there is a place to stay, barn like room in the back of a store..
ive never had such a feeling of despair and helplessness in my life. dont speak the language enough, nothing around and not a mechanic by any means.
go to bed, wake up feeling the same way. however there is a rider (dan) who i met and rode with in belize for a few day in the area and he is now riding solo too and had emailed back and forth about meeting up. hes two hours away at lake titicaca.
took a taxi to a town that had internet... molasis slow and after two hours managed to get an email out to him.
next day he showed up. more mechanical than simon and i we figured it was the clutch slave leaking all the fluid and needed to get some in to make it to lake titicaca town. Puno.
what options are there for clutch fluid in a truck stop town in the nowhere peru mountains?
baby oil...yeaah...its mineral oil and that works for hydrallic clutch.. put it in.... bleed the line and im on the road...worked for a while and had to fill it again in town.... made it to puno and got in a hostel with a garage....assessed the situation...as ktms are known for.... the seal went out in the clutch slave...luckily found one same size and replaced it. so far so good.
these guys stopped when they saw the bike in garage and told where to find a seal...i wish it were that easy...we went to about 6 places and finally found one that had the size, his last one. 021

funny thing i remember almost romanticizing about breaking down in the middle of nowhere and having to overcome the challenge of figuring out what to do.....i say you...there is nothing romantic about breaking down in the middle of nowhere and figuring out what to do.
was kind of fun maguivering it out and getting it going again but i look forward replacing the whole thing for piece of mind...hoping it lasts til i can get to dealer.... 2ooo miles or so in beaunos aires or santiago