The Grand Tour - Part 3 - Cajamarca to Chachapoyas

After breakfast I headed towards Los Banos del Incas again, which was on the way out of Cajamarca. They have set up a one-way system as at time traffic to the thermal springs is heavy, but a typical problem in Peru is that they then seem to forget that motorists need to know how to get out of the one-way system, so without any signs I had to guess which road I needed to take! But soon I was safely on my way and the road climbed steeply out of the valley Cajamarca was situated in.

Looking back at Cajamarca

My bike doesn't have a fuel gauge, so I fill it up to the brim, knowing that I then have around 320 kms (200 miles) before my next petrol stop, so generally fill up at the beginning of every day no matter how much there is in the tank - although I am carrying a spare gallon (US gallon, that is, so around 100 kms worth) I am still uncertain where I can get my next fill. Many places along the route are little more than a few houses, and some have signs outside advertising fuel, though they don't have pumps but rather fill from a jug using a funnel, and the petrol grade is usually the lowest, so I am relieved that I never needed to use these. I only ran out once during my travels, and it was actually intentional as I was trying to ascertain exactly what my tank renge was, and knew they were regular petrol stations along the stretch of road I was on (not on this trip).
About 40 minutes out of Cajamarca I came across a barrier across the road - "road closed"! A worker approached and told me that the road was closed until 11.00, which was over 2 hours away, and since I had a long ride ahead of me was worried that this would mean I didn't reach my next stop until after dark. I asked if there was a way round this, and 2 policemen who were in a car next to the barrier came over. This was my first experience with roadside police, and many had warned me that they generally found fault with your bike (or car) and "fined" you on the spot, or rather accepted "plata" (silver) to let you continue on your way - however these two, like every policeman I met on the road, were fascinated to see a "gringo" alone on a motorbike, and after shaking my hand and exchanging pleasantries, told me I had passed a detour a kilometre or so before, and this would take me round the roadworks.
I didn't recall seeing any roads leading off this one but turned round and went back downhill, but saw nothing from this side for over 2 kms, so turned around again, and soon came across a small arrow on a post, pointing to a dirt track! I followed this arrow and soon was very pleased I was on an off-road bike as the "road" was more like a farm track across a field.

The views along the "detour" were nice

In places spectacular

Soon I reached a better dirt track, but there were no signs of any sort, and I wasn't really sure I was going in the right direction.

I passed a few forks in the road and decided that the more travelled route was probably the principal one, but twice they led me up farm drives, so had to back-track, but than came acros this:

Trench across the road

there were two men digging this trench across the road, completely blocking my progress. I must admit that I had a few seconds of manic laughter, before they rushed off, cut a couple of trees down and constructed a makeshift bridge for me - and also told me I was on the right route! A little further along I saw my first "desvio" - detour - sign, and you can see in the photo that not much traffic had been along this route before me!

Finally came across a detour sign showing the way

As I followed the road the gravel gave way to larger stones, and then mud, and the realisation that had I been in a car or a road bike that I would not have been able to get through this "detour" the police had sent me on. Eventually I came to a larger village, but there were several routes through this, and no signs again, so I stopped and asked and was pointed along one of the roads, which led me to a "main road" - but this main road was dirt, albeit wide and in very good condition. I had no idea where I was, or which way I should turn, as I had been expecting to get back onto the tarmac! Fortunately there were a couple of men sitting on the far side of the road and they called over to me, and indicated I needed to turn right for Celendin - this was, in fact the main road between Cajamarca and Celendin, and the roadworks were part of the resurfacing with tarmac, something not shown on my maps!
The dirt road was in good condition, and I soon reached the start of the tarmac - I had spent about 45 minutes navigating the detour, but it had saved me waiting well over 2 hours at the roadblock, so well worth it. I soon got my first glimpse of Celendin 

Celendin - nestled in the mountains

I needed to make up time, so just paused to fill up my tank and left Celendin behind

The twin-spired church is quite a landmark

and soon got my first glimpses of the Maranon River canyon - deeper that the Grand Canyon in the USA, and my route was taking me right through the middle of it!

First glimpse of the Maranon Canyon with the Maranon river upper centre

My route was going to take me along the side of the canyon ...

... then zig-zagging down to the bottom

Fortunately traffic was very light - I may have seen 20 vehicles the whole day - as the corners were tight, and the road in places very narrow, but I do know that buses ply this route, so was lucky not to come across any. My progress was quite slow, not because of the road conditions - as well as a multitude of hairpin bends there were places where the road surface was badly pitted from previous rockfalls, and landslides - but because of my frequent stops to take photos, as it was so spectacular!

The river valley is very fertile so plenty of agriculture

Part way down looking back - the "lines" are the road I had travelled down tracking back and forth across the mountainside!

Still a long way to go down

At the top it was quite chilly, even though it was a bright sunny day, as I was at over 3000 metres above sea level, but as I dropped down the canyon it got progressively hotter, and I had to remove my warm jacket for something lighter.

An example of one of the many hairpins

Road snaking away into the distance

Between the tight hairpins there were stretches of beautiful road, perfect for biking - long gently curving straights, and even with the knobbly dirt tyres I was enjoying the ride!

Finally got a sight of Balsas, down at the bottom and the Maranon River

A few twists and turns later I was on the banks of the river!

It was almost oppressively hot down at the bottom - the canyon is one of the deepest in the world between 2600 and 3000 metres (8000-10000 feet) deep - so apart from a brief rest to eat a snack bought in a shop, I was ready to continue, also very aware that I still had quite a long ride to Chachapoyas ahead of me. I had now crossed into the Amazonas province.

Climbing the other side of the valley with Balsas in the bottom

... and my route out ahead of me

Balsas - and behind ...

... a close-up of the route I had taken from the top of the photo!

Had to keep stopping to take pictures of the spectacular scenery

As I climbed out of the canyon it was getting much colder, so I had to put a heavier jacket on again.

Oli on the way out of the canyon, showing how narrow the road was in places!

The clouds were also closing in, and rain could be seen sweeping across the canyon

On the way out of the canyon I rode through several light showers, and with the cold it wasn't that pleasant, but kept drying off between the rainshowers.

Part of my route clearly visible below

Almost through the canyon, with Balsas a speck at the bottom

The clouds were getting quite thick now

Here at the highest point on my trip - around 4000 metres (13200 feet) it was also a little misty

I still had around 100 kms to get to Chachapoyas, and was feeling tired, sore and cold - the detour had taken more out of me than I thought. The showers, that I kept riding through, were not that pleasant either, and though my clothing was of the sort that dried quickly, it did mean that I just wanted to get to my destination as quickly as possible. The soreness was caused by the fact that the saddle of the bike is not really designed for touring, being narrow and quite firm, so I was having to make regular stops to stretch my legs - about every 10 minutes by now! Fortunately the road between Leymebamba and Chachapoyas is pretty good, so though it was wet in places it did mean that I could travel at a reasonable speed, and finally arrived in Chachapoyas over 9 hours after I had departed that morning! I vowed never again! Distance travelled was only around 340 kms, so a little over 200 miles, but the detour, and the twists and turns through the canyon had been tiring, though incredibly spectacular. It was one of the hardest days I have spent on a bike, but also, due to the beauty of the countryside I travelled through, one of the best rides of my life!

The Grand Tour - Part 2 - Cajamarca

I got a great breakfast in the hotel - many lodgings in Peru either do not serve breakfast, or it is minimal consisting of fruit juice, coffee or tea, two bread rolls and some jam. This means you have to find somewhere (like a bakery) for your breakfast, and there you can get a variety of breakfasts for every taste, like the Americano, which is juice, coffee, eggs, bread rolls and jam, for around 10 soles (£2.20).

The hotel I stayed in

I then rode into the middle of town to explore the centre of town. At 2750 metres above sea level Cajamarca has a pleasant climate, warm days and cool nights, and is a major farming centre, particularly for dairy products, but is also steeped in history, with many colonial buildings.

I then made my way up to the Mirador de Santa Apolonia, a viewpoint giving panoramic views of the town.

I actually found the mirador by accident - I was looking for the road leading out of Cajamarca to a different location, and passed this, so parked up and enjoyed the views. 2 scruffy-looking young boys approached me and told me it was traditional for visitors to give them something in exchange for them singing a welcome song - but lost interest when I called their bluff!

After enjoying the view I continued looking for the road out to Cumbemayo, but every winding street I took led to a dead end - Google maps had let me down here! I eventually asked someone, and the second person explained the route out, but I still had to stop someone else for directions the following day when I set out, and the road I was on would not have been suitable for a car to pass!

The dirt road out of Cajamarca zig-zagged up the steep mountainside, but afforded some spectacular views looking back

Cajamarca, centre left, nestled below in the valley

The dirt road was not in very good condition so I was riding carefully, but I finally came to a junction - and no indication of which way I should go! There was no-one around, and I had seen little traffic, and both roads looked equally well used so I took the left-hand fork, which as it turned out was the wrong one. The road was as bad as before and I soon came across a loaded truck approaching from in front of me so pulled to the side to give him room, and noticed that my carriers were hanging off! One of the two welds on each side had given way due to the bumpy road. Fortunately I was carrying several bungee cords, so managed to lash the carriers back in place, but decided I needed to return to Cajamarca to get this fixed.

Cumbemayo is a local archaeological site, some 3500 years old, famed for petroglyphs, so I was rather sad at not getting there, but did see some of the rock formations from a distance.

My descent back to Cajamarca was very cautious - I was worried the second brackets would shear too, so very gingerly made my way down the mountainside, cursing the welder in Huanchaco and myself for not insisting he had strengthened the welds! Fortunately not very far from my hotel I found another welder - and this time explained exactly what I wanted, though we had to go and find a scrap metal dealer for a section of flat bar to weld across the original bike carrier. It meant that where before the pannier boxes had 2 flimsy welds attaching the bracket to the carrier, the new brackets were welded right across the top of the carrier, and weren't going anywhere! I decided to call it a day and explore some more the following day.

The hotel I was staying at was on the road to Los Banos del Incas, thermal springs, much frequented for centuries by Peruvian princes, so I decided to check them out the next day - well, I visited the part of town they were in, but was a little reticent about bathing in communal waters, with concerns about hygiene, so gave that a miss.

The area is very tourist-orientated, and appears quite affluent, which I suppose reflects the royal past. I spend a few hours wandering round the area then looked for somewhere for lunch. Midday is the time Peruvians have their main meal, but I was looking for a snack so it took a while to find a small eatery in one of the back streets. I ordered a special sandwich, which was ham, bacon, egg and cheese, with chips and a fresh fruit juice to accompany it. After a short wait the juice and sandwich arrived, and the lady disappeared once more in the back. While I waited for the chips I looked at the sandwich, which looked a little "light", and saw there was no bacon in it - so after a few minutes I went to the rear of the small cafe and called out for attention. The lady appeared, so I asked about the chips - "Oh, we have no potatoes", so I asked about the bacon - "Oh, there is no bacon either"! The "mixto" sandwich was good, however, and I wasn't charged for the missing "extras".

I rode back into Cajamarca centre, had a short walk round, to see if I had missed anything and then returned to my hotel, which was extremely pleasant. The restaurant was excellent, too, and the food as good as any I had eaten in Peru, and reasonably priced. 

My time in Cajamarca was up, and tomorrow I would head to Chachapoyas - I was really looking forwards to that, as I had been there before by bus, and was travelling through the Maranon River canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon in the USA.

The Grand Tour - Part 1 - To Cajamarca

Now I had the bike ready I felt it was time to do some serious touring, so I armed myself with a 2014 road map, which was actually a guide showing things to do around Peru, and planned my trip. Not knowing what to expect once I left the Panamerican Highway as information on Peru is sadly lacking as not many people do such trips, especially solo on a motorbike, I decide to plan conservatively - shortish daily rides under 400 kms (250 miles) and to book my accommodation in advance. I had no wish to arrive in a strange place and then have to start looking around for somewhere to stay and park my bike safely, so the hostals (Peruvian spelling - something between a hostel and a hotel) had to have secure parking, single rooms, and preferably en-suite facilities.
I had used Booking.com before so this was my starting point - and I soon realised that several of the lodgings mentioned in the map guidebook didn't have a web presence, and weren't on any booking website either! This limited my search considerably, and though there were maps on the booking site as I didn't know the towns I wasn't sure how safe the areas were, or how accessible they were! I also used Google to research some of the places, but again several hostals claimed websites that they didn't have, so again it was no easy task. Eventually I had planned my whole trip! I had booked stays of varying lengths in 4 towns, including a few days here and there for sightseeing, and left my return journey open at this stage.
With the carriers securely bolted on, a gallon of petrol in one of them, I strapped on my bags, and set off! The Panamerican Highway is, for the most part, in pretty good condition, but it is so boring riding for mile after mile through the Peruvian coastal desert - miles and miles of sand in both directions, with tantalising glimpses of the Andean foothills to the West, but once I reached Pacasmayo, about 100 kms into my journey, and turned inland it got a lot more interesting!

First sign of green - rice fields

The Pacasmayo district is renowned for rice growing, and the incredible green was a welcome diversion after the dusty sand  landscapeI had travelled through so far, and soon I started climbing off the coastal plain. I passed a huge lake, which I later found was a reservoir for irrigation of the rice fields, and stopped close to it for lunch - fried freshly caught Tilapia from the lake!

Gallito Ciego Dam

The road was in pretty good condition, and traffic fairly light, though I did come across a lot of quarry lorries travelling slowly, heavily laden with rocks mined for the other thing the area is famous for - cement! I came across my first one-way bridge, with a man at either end with stop-go boards, though they didn't indicate for me on the bike!

Overhang cut in the rock on the approach to the bridge

Pretty bleak looking near the bridge

This bus was actually on the wrong side of the road - under the overhang - to get a good angle for the bridge

Wooden planks made up the bed of the bridge

While I was stopped here my phone rang, and I saw I had missed two other calls - it was my hotel calling to ask when I would arrive. I had no real idea, but said I thought I would be there by about 16.00, and they said they would meet me, so how was I arriving! Most foreign travellers come by bus so it is commonplace for the accommodation to send someone to meet the bus and take them to the hotel, but I explained I was travelling by bike and so they offered to have someone meet me on the main road as they said they were a little out of the way! I had a map, though, and wasn't sure when I would get there so didn't want anyone waiting for a long time, so said I would try and find my own way but call if I got lost!

The road started climbing seriously after this 

Riverbed near the bridge

I was headed up into the clouds in the distance, but Oli (the bike!) took everything in its stride and never missed a beat.

From the top looking back - I had travelled along the valley below!

I finally arrived in Cajamarca, and more by luck than judgement as street names are not that common, and the one-way system (grid system with alternating streets one way on opposing directions!) designed to catch out the unwary, I found the hotel quite easily. It was quite expensive by Peruvian standards, but my research had shown it as one of the few options with parking on-site, and it was close to the route I needed to take out of Cajamarca for the next leg of my trip - and at just over US$100 for the 3 nights, including breakfast, it was still reasonable, and was very luxurious! It was quite a way out of the centre of Cajamarca where all the restaurants are, but they had an excellent restaurant in the hotel, and those prices were cheap, so I ate in every evening I was there.

Distance travelled 320 kms - 200 miles.