I was a little worried I may be taking some peruvian dirt super highway but my worries eased on the edge of town. There was a possible trail option but with the impending rain and it being uphill I opted for the gently sloped road.

It rained but not for too long, soon I was riding a muddy road really wondering about the fresh car tracks, as the road was simply not traveled at all before.

Ive been looking for a somewhat protected spot when a man walked from his house to the road. Vincent was wondering how many more were riding with me. He had also met Clement, a frenchman and his dad who made their way down few months ago. He lives here with 5 dogs, some chickens and few hundred sheep. His family is in town and he gets to visit once every month or so. Its not that easy being at a cold 4200meters for 29 days!

I told vincent how I wanted to get a dog and he pointed to the white puffy dog, "take him".
Why not? It would certainly make things harder but it would be rad to have a companion. Dog walked with me up to the pass on the leash.

He wasnt really sure if he should follow or go back and sat there looking at me ride down.

But the poor dog just did not want to run. I knew he could but he just didnt want to.

Rather than letting him walk back, I sent him with one of the two trucks which were actually driving surveyors up here looking for stuff to mine. I too was looking for gold but a little different kind

Another flat peruvian dream road took me around the ridge and into view of a big mountain. I set up camp right when the road ended for few kilometers and just in time for the rain.

the main road goes off on the other side of the valley

Having gotten overly excited with using my jetboil and frankly taken a really long time to move forward I was saving my gas for windy days, lunch and breakfast. It was such an easy fix to cook with alcohol. A tuna can with few holes in it and the 96% alcohol found at any store. The jetboil pot fits perfectly and with the pot adapter, upside down i can use my big pot.

It was a great cloud show in the distance before the cold night and clouds roled in. It poured again but at least it made it warmer.

In the morning I saw the next snowy giant I was headed to.

I also saw 3 horseman who were curious what I was and told me I cant fish in the lake. They were also going to check on the miners.

Now, the miners, had seen me ride from the other ridge and drove up to check on me, curious if it was a motorcycle. On his notepad was written "defying mother nature," i wonder if all miners have these standard issue notebooks.

So I told the miners the horsemen were going to see them, the miners were disappointed there were 3 of them because they expected 6. Where did the other 3 horses and men go? nobody would know. Miners drove back to where I told them the horsemen went and I went off too. Then it started pouring rain. I was hoping it would be short like normally but it was a whole day kind of deal. Regardless, i was on another amazing dream road traversing ridges and nearly flat. Here, there, over that little pass... i really wonder why they make roads like that and leave them? Was it for mining? So they can sample and test the hillsides?

When it got too cold to keep going and before the descent I warmed up a cup of noodles and a coffee. In a fluid motion I was blowing out air to cool it down and then slurping coffee and half breathing in.

Downhill was fun and muddy. I tried to ask a man for directions but looking at his green mouth (coca leaves) and incoherence I decided he was pretty out of it. Not the first time I see that, this stuff must be quite strong.

After 30 minutes of sitting on a rock and soaking in the sunshine like a lizard I found the potholes... with some road on them.

Then it was time for round two of rain and I discovered a new gear: dont break a sweat rain gear. Aka just walking your bike up very slowly, trying not to get too warm.

I connected to a main road: a single lane paved one zooming down over 1000m vertical to my turnoff and straight into the rain. First part I was ok but soon I was drenched and shivering. Couldnt feel my fingers but I could still use the brakes. At Tarica I first saw the school, went in the office and asked if I may set up camp here for the night.
"The director isnt here.. but you can come to my house".
I got to hung out with the teachers for a bit for dinner but I was hesitant to take off all these wet clothes and zip into my sleeping bag.

There was also a chance for me to go to nearby town where I can withdraw money and the idea of taking a day to do it with bus and actually having proper food for the next week and christmas sou ded good. I boarded the 10:30am bus as suggested and I honestly dont know why they dont gove you a bag to vomit in with your ticket. We drove the one lane paved road which was very, very curvy and also full of switchbacks when not. I had a bag in my hands, eyes closed (better if you dont watch the road) and hoping for the best. Imust have fallen asleep because one of the speedbumps before town where you become airborne woke me up. Sihuas actually had a bank with bank machine which was awesome and I got to get a whole bunch of internet stuff done, as well as sending ahead few things to Huaraz.

Then by luck I got onto a bigger bus back "The Pearl". These rides are not for the faint of heart and I honestly admire the drivers who can drive these roads. We clinked and clanked our way up until the pearl did its final clinkand clank and we were shipwrecked! After some waiting he drove up and I kid you not he started trying to turn around on the narrow road. I asked him to let me out and he said its ok, we are going back.

We drove backward for 30 minutes (really not a small feat on this kind of road) and there was just no place to turn around. Another bus going up stopped and they started transfering some cargo. Me and few others going only to Tarica, 2 hours away went ahead and jumped ship. The catch was, we will be standing. The bus tv was playing some action movie: "lethal justice" where some gringo just fights and kills people. No wonder people are afraid of gringos here! Otherwise it was a very smooth ride but there were many people vomiting, some in bags, others out the window. The mother breastfeeding on the seat ahead of me vomited on her baby... poor kid, I dug to the bottom of my pack and offered her some paper. I thought this pass was weeding out the feeble and the weak but it was actually the last of the strong... as this bus has been moving since 7am...

Back on the bike and with a good 6 day supply of food, the climb out of Tarica was just a little too improved and good to be true.

There were many road signs and for the most part they were right on...

But I had that unpleasant gut feeling that there will be a giant mine somewhere... people just dont make roads like these to reach a tiny 100 people town...

The peruvian dream road I saw on satellite view was nothing more than an old water way but it still was rideable and walkable.

Around the bend with awesome views but not many places to camp and ironically: no water.

After some scouting ahead, continuing to its end at what seems like a lake was not viable and I just found some water and a flat spot.

I also found a hole in my carbon fork, where the brake hose had rubbed before... gotta keep an eye on that.

Like clockwork the evening rain came and then let out as the sun set

There were some stars, rain and I must have finally gotten used to the altitude because I woke up way past 7 with the sun shining on the tent

Back on the mother road, there was no mine in sight. Just little operations mined and fenced off and planted with trees.

I took a smaller road with no risk of mines on the way

Just cows.

A man told me there is a trail to where I wanted to go but a previous google satellite research and just not seeing it on the steep hillsides made me chicken out and take the main road down.

I was down into hot country at 3200m and a nice valleyside ride most of the day. En route were stores and dogs and no bridges. While most peruvians are nice people mny of them dont know how to act when they see a foreginer, i can easily sneak past small villages with few waves and hello's but if I stop to shop it can gather up a crowd sometimes.
"Mira, gringo! (Look a gringo) and more gather along with a vibe that I am in a zoo, I am a zoo. I keep these as short as I can and bigger towns seem to be more manageable.

no bridge, no problem! these cool, highly visible guys let me ride through the still-being mounted hunk of steel over the river

I found another good camp up a hill with a view of this entire valley system and as usual stunning sunsets.

But wait, whats that over there?

I think I go to that thing next.

And it would be perfect with the moon! At night you can hear the dogs bark and see the lights and they all seem so close without seeing the terrain.

Then I went up on the main road in the area to the pass. Seriously this was not even steep, I just admire the peruvian road builders and how they make their roads.

Then my road began, somehow on google satellite going for some 20-30 kilometers closer to the mountains. It was clear that there were arely any motorized vehichles here.

Through stunning curves and cuts in the ridgesthe road nearly flat made its way but surprisingly people were out and about everywhere. A man hardly believed that I had a bike and not a motor, women were herding sheep up and down and for some odd reason people were having meetings on the hilltops.

Up and up toward the big mountains the road went. It seemed that as a christmas activity, the whole family went chasing their sheep, cows and pigs in the valleys.

Then, around the pass came out the big mountain. Hm. It wont be a half-bad spot to spend the day. I had the tent and fly up well before the typical 4pm downpour and things cleared just briefly after that before the fog rolled in. At night I got up to look at the stars, much brighter than I was used to and much colder too.

and more photos:

The quiet morning brought clear skies and I did not wake up until the sun shone brightly and melted all the frost from my tent. It was clearly the middle of nowhere but I had the christmas commuters stop by and check if my tire pressure was ok!

I followed the road down to a forgotten valley

It was odd to see another bike here but nobody was to be found in this 3 house village.

This was truly a dream road. Well surfaced, flat and going to the belly of the beast!

After the road ended there was some serious pushing up the hill to the second lake, which unfortunately was not accessible.

Some backtracking through the thickly overgrown last part took me to the first lake, by then both me and my bike picked up enough vegetation to be like christmas trees. Which is good because its christmas!
The only major requirement was picking a spot where I can see the mountain from my tent door as anything else would result in always getting up, bending and twisting to look at it.

Second day, a day off was surprisingly hot. So hot infact that I went for a swim in the 4200m lake. It was refreshing, especially since the last shower was a little over two weeks ago. So clean and refreshed was I that even the local ladies with their christmas dresses stopped by to say hi.

It was a rather lively place today. Some sheep made their way to the lake and beyond, carrying their "beee"ing along, a horse came to look at me and later got joined by another band of horses. Two annoying birds flew about everytime I got near the lake threatening to poop on me and in the evening the wild pigs made their round, looking for food, worms or whatever it is pigs look for in the mountains.

I rode into that small 3 house village to see everybody there. Two men burned their fingers touching my brake rotors (???), then one tried to ride the bike. Then some very important measurements were taken and after a cup of coffee I was on my way.

Unlike that llama, i managed to cross the river by riding through and just barely getting one of my feet wet.

Up over the pass and down on another road that I was promissed connects. It disappeared at a ridge for 20 meters which gave me a scare but then started again.

It was a fun downhill with little weight on the bike to Pomabamba where I stop for a day or two and more importantly plan out the next leg. I had a good plan to get to Huaraz... but why not try to get around the Cordillera Blanca few times before that?

meanwhile i think this will be the last post using squarespace. Its just a monstrosity and posts like these take a good 2-4 hours of waiting and clicking, waiting and clicking... if you are lucky and the browser does not crash. new posts will go at a wordpress page while I work on transfering as much as I can over but there will be some stuff that will get lost.