Got breakfast better organised today. Managed to have it at 7.30. On the road by 8 as this was going to be a long day. Fuelled up and off through very easy traffic. Did have video but not quite got the hang of it. Poor quality and no sound but I wasn’t going to by a go pro to replace my lost one. Good road all the way to Celeden.

Good quality tar wide single carriageway. Unfortunately Peru and I believe a lot of south America has a thing for speed bumps. These things are about 9inches high and appear at random places. Usually before a town or village but can be anywhere. You get used to spotting the brake lights and the vehicles bouncing up and down. On occasion I have not seen anything and emergency breaking is needed

Celeden is famous for its hat making industry. Didn’t think about the hat disappearing into the clouds. Apart from that there’s not much to say. A few trips round the streets and I couldn’t find the way out to leymebamba. There are no shortage of police with large guns about so I asked one. Donde esta la ruta por leymebamba por favour?
primero a la derecha y seguir recto. Seems OK. Now here I am on a wide road. I can see the junction so off I go and turn right onto another wide road. This road turns left and straight on is a little road not much more than an alleyway. Surely that can’t be correct. I stay on the big road and stop and ask someone else. He directs me back up  the road to this little alleyway. As Matthew 7 v 14 says not many people find the narrow way. Eventually I came across a sign that said Leymebamba. Peru has either a lot of road signs or junctions where you just have to guess

What the road ahead looked like from the top

And from halfway down.
Cajamarca sits at 9000 ft the mountains are 12000 ft. So you climb up over the first set and go down into the valley below which sits at 3000 ft and then climb over the next range at 12000 ft before dropping back to 6000 ft at Leymebamba

Not sure if this video will load but it will give an idea.
Leymebamba is famous for its museum of mummies.

These were found at the lagoon de la condors very well preserved. It looks like they are in pain or struggling but because they were buried in a sitting position the jaw has dropped. To counteract this some of them have their hands tied to their jaws.

Can’t be Peru without a picture of an alpaca.
Down into Leymebamba itself. Hostel is clean but basic. No garage but the owner says it will be fine on street.