67. Peru - Traffic jam at 15,807 feet

We honestly didn't realize that our path to Cusco included crossing Ticlio, a switch back mountain pass road through the Andes reaching 15,807 feet. It wasn't until Craig mentioned for a second time that he had a headache that we checked our altitude. Yikes.

That wasn't the only reason for the headache. A semi well ahead of us somehow managed to dump half his load on the road, blocking one of the lanes (one lane each way). There was a massive traffic jam of cars and many large trucks. Many cars took it upon themselves to drive in the oncoming traffic lane (which was temporarily empty due to the accident), in order to jump the line. Several trucks tried pulling out to try to block them. And then officials let oncoming traffic through,. People were so pissed about the line jumpers, that they wouldn't let them back in the proper lane, leaving them to face oncoming 18 wheelers, nose to nose. Haha.

We lost about 40 minutes, but the situation eventually worked itself out, as these things tend to do, and we all went our merry way.Read more