I was unsure how this day would work. I was trying to work out distance and the ability to find somewhere to stay. I decided to make a big loop back to Cajamarca as everything had been good there. Nice breakfast and easy to get out of town. Couple of turns and head straight. Until I came to a big hole in the road. Turn round and find another way out. On to Pedro Ruins. There was a queue but I thought it was at the toll booth. I’m not sure the charges ad motorcycle is free. You have to go through a special channel. I pulled in fir fuel to find that it was another landslide. Nothing for it but to wait. I asked some of the locals about the road to Cajamarca and they said it wasn’t that good. I then decided to head for Chiclayo as it would be a good road.

Good road but high twenties
So far I haven’t been stopped at any check point. Today I got stopped twice. I saw these uniform guards and they stopped me asked me what language I spoke and produced a jotter with very badly written english. The gist was that they were a volunteer security service and I needed to give them a loan. I told him it was very bad english and I didn’t understand. I then thanked him for the great job he was doing, shook his hand and left him standing looking most confused. This is a problem in Peru and if I had given him money I would be stopped everywhere. The next was the real deal with guns. Very polite and official and they checked my documents. The younger of the two was more interested in my body armour. He was really fascinated and felt my legs and was really taken with it.

It’s well ventilated but I never thought about the sun going through the holes.
It was still in the highly twenties as I headed for a range of hills. With the hold ups I was well behind were I wanted to be. I had no hotel booked so thought I w stop once over the mountain. Lots of curves and hairpin bends.

The nearer the top I got the windery it got. Very windy. Still brilliant sunshine. As I went over the top I ran into fog like I have never seen. I tucked my self in.behind a lorry and thought if he goes over the edge I’ll be going too. We crept a long way down before I was able to pass. It was getting on for six o clock and starting to get dark. I couldn’t find anywhere to stay and kept going in the dark. I eventually got to a bigger town and found a hostel but no garage. The young lad was very helpful and had me follow him in his mototaxi to another place with a garage. It wasn’t the best place in a rough town but I didn’t care. I got settled in and went for something to eat. No idea what it was but it was very good.