Road to Ecuador Step Cajamarca-San Ignacio, from October 3 to 16 
While we are about out of Peru, we trace some outstanding episodes of this final step, to San Ignacio Cajamarca.
Cajamarca is a city historically famous as the place where it met for the first time the Inca Atahualpa and conquistador Francisco Pizarro. This episode has never seal the doom of the Inca civilization, marking the beginning of its decline.
Cajamarca owns a historic colonial center, quiet and pleasant. This quietude was frankly troubled by rallies and concerts organized by the multitude political parties vying for ostenscibles means to rally to their cause citizens on the occasion of municipal and regional elections. Thus, concerts, food distribution, flags and gadgets, fireworks fill the streets, on a background of thundering messages disseminated through megaphones vendors.
Far from the agitation, we have met Yolanda, a young woman of 60 years, in whom we were having breakfast in the covered market. Program for intensive french courses anticipate its future business in France. She wants to ride his restaurant and waiting for the formal authorization Our President ... We remain confident.
Our craft was a big success, we sold all our bracelets and other pairs of earrings, boys have had their fingers boudinnés has the force of braiding hair. Arguably more than left their hair.
We thank the dairy cajamarquinos; between cheeses, milk, yogurts, the manjar (local milk jam), pure feelings ...
Then we hit the road until Celendin, a bike this time after our jump intergalactic bus from the city of Abancay near Cuzco and Cajamarca in the north.
the way we took the opportunity to wallow happily in the "imperial baths of the Inca." There are many hot springs flow from the hot springs from the earth, thank you Pachamama.
A Celendin, elections were the order of the day. The first round results were slow to come forward. We tested the legendary hospitality of the bomberos, firemen from their work.
following days, we tackled the technical part of the route. After 13 km of climbing, we are facing a breathtaking landscape. The Cordillera Central in which we operate for several days is bisected by the Rio Marañon. The mountains are drawn a multitude of tortuous paths. The forecasts are well underway on the road as we take the next day. What follows is a dizzying descent, chaotic and sandy, on a road side shields. Hands, knees and the bike Yanoch still remember it. More harm than fear ... We go from 3500 m to 900 meters. The changes are radical and far as the descent. Cacti and arid place with banana leaves and very high humidity.
The finish Balsas, while down, opens the door for tropical fruits (Tamarindo, guava, banana, pineapple ...) offered by the children of the pueblo and cold beer courtesy of adults.
After a night on the beach of the river, we leave very early in the morning, at 5, after discontinuance of Yanoch to injury. We find a Leimebamba the next checkpoint.
The program includes an ascent of 60 km to find the high altitude (2500 m elevation), which was challenging. Difficult psychologically and physically from other Cyril then the cart that tows. A slow, heavy sweating, water is scarce but the panoramic are Astonishing. Hypoglycemia rears his nose when a family we offer timely, cycling and a meal of a dark corner to restore the lost strength.
still a good day association of 6 hours of cycling, from dawn to dusk. We sleep at night "Oh the stars!" a mosquito-free. We see the very bottom of the village or in the morning we left the road and playing hide and seek with the mountain. There remains only the last third of the climb, we do the next day with much less hassle than before. The arrival at 3600 is still fun.
And it's way down, spans more than 200 km, we let ourselves live, taking advantage of the kinetic energy gained hard to appreciate the Andean countryside flashing by.
A Leimebamba, we find the Yannoch, dashing, he had repaired the hands of the post salud. He still has a hard hand. But as the track is soft he goes down with us. We spend the night at 10 km from.
Rosa offers us sleep in his meadow. The next morning, starting again, you realize a dream we have for some time. He bought a small chicken, not possible to know if it's a male or female ... Rosa says okay, if you eat a chicken egg, if you eat chicken ... .
And then the folly of the purchase that took us suddenly, he also takes a cuy. It's a guinea pig, but it is also a typical dish of Peru and Ecuador as it seems ....
We will be starting a new, without knowing it ... The trail runs along the river, and then slowly descends. We met a French family in cycling. Both parents and teachers their two daughters, 8 and 2 ½ years. They left Quito 3 months ago. We spend a nice little moment with them to discuss.
We arrive the evening before a sort of big house.
A man goes out with a towel around his waist, "How can I help you" "we look for a place to sleep" "Oh, if you want the bottom or the bottom near the river to wash your it may be better, I'll take you. "
And we're off to circumnavigate the owner towel ...
is prepared a nice little fire tonight is cuy!
Ant is presupose the crash of a knife, and Arthur was keeping tabs of this little creature so charming, with these small round eyes and then her tummy softly
... What I am saying I am already being attached to her, never be able to kill, to eat.
But good if you eat meat is like a milestone even see the death of the animal side.
s Silence installs, the knife blade touches the animal's neck, has seen those eyes that he understands what he is happen to him. It was expected that she grows a few cries, but not nothing, not even liable up her resistance.
The blade retracts and the blood starts to flow, warm the hand. Death comes quickly, followed by some reflex movements of mouths ...
It takes a cold, but the good is harder because now he has left the dive in warm water to remove hair, open the belly of this sort is not good, spit and cook ... .
Later in the evening is the owner password, it has discussed with him. We talked about pre-Inca mummies they found in the mountain-side, these fields he has only grown during the rainy season, from his avocado, horses passo Peru.
We had seen it on the road, horses carrying a rider, but walk'une special way between the walk and trot, lifting the front legs on the side. To see it is not super graceful, but the rider is much more pleasant ...
The cycling day that goes quite well, there are concrete, we continued down along the river until Pedro Ruiz.
It descends between two rocky cliffs, there full of all shapes and colorful, with trees in tropical mode, the frame is really nice.
Starting again with Pedro Ruiz, one begins to follow another river and another road in worse condition. From what
realized six months ago, there was a huge landslide, and everything fell into the river which was a sort of tidal wave and won a lot of things.
Lots of people have gone to live elsewhere.
Going on the road we can see that whole sections missing. At one point there was even a pillar of the big suspension bridge with concrete screed below, which had been torn off and lying in the middle of Rio.
When you see it You feel you again on tounage a disaster movie, but it is reality.
the evening another meeting cyclo tourist, with a Japanese, Ken ... He left Alaska two years ago and goes up to Ushuaia.
was spent the evening with him, as he rather not pronounce a little English (ca not be easy to learn for a Japanese), was able to ask lots of questions about Japan.
We realized how much this culture we are far away.
Music, School, Scripture, from the top down to the literary left to right for math and political relations with China and Korea, Hiroshima, religion is a mixture of a little while Shintoism, ancestor worship, Buddhism ....
Anyway it was really a very nice evening, thank you Ken ...
The next day the girls leave the first ones.
After focusing more or less clear, Bagua large or Jaen, and Cyril with Yannoch we believe we should find the other has Jaen.
Ant, and Chives Janou them we will wait, until late in the after-noon, Bagua Grande on the place of arms, or we will not because we have an appointment you Jaen ...
The landscape has hints of Asia, we pass through rice fields, there are some palm trees by it, through it, filled with coconut. Cyril did not last long, it climbs and takes us back full of nuts, milk ... .
is progressing slowly. The heat is much harder to bear than the cold, the body is flattened, sweat stings the eyes. We think only going to jump into the water. Fortunately after a when the wind gets up and makes clouds.
We spend some time at a toll booth to eat coconuts with Julie, 10, and her little brother, who teach us to play at the top.
By late afternoon, we arrive at Chamaya at the crossroads for Jaen. We talk to people who are. "That was how Jaen" "Oh, 15 minutes, max half an hour" Bike? " "Yes yes bike there and after a small side is that the descent."
Ah the magic of the people here, everything seems shorter, faster, easier, but right after you when the reality falls a little above it dur.En The sun goes down and you see a sign Jaen indicating 17 km.
"Well it will be a little more than 15 min! "And the little side
in question extends for 12 km, but a good night it's true that travels less account of terrain.
It arrives at 20h Jaen has a bit tired, it was over 100 km in the day. Fortunately, Ken told us we could go to Miguel who holds a bicicleteria.
We spend the evening on the Plaza de Armas, there is a contest banda tipica, who play Wayne, the pace is somewhat similar to that of the Chaqualera Argentina.
The next day we will see Miguel to settle our bikes, which are in great need. It is super nice and very professional.
The tienda is full shimano bike parts, that's nice stuff.
"there are many people who buys this kind of room here "" oh no it's just that not too much like the fine mechanics, and then it can help the traveler like you sometimes ...".
We spend two days over a adjust, change and wash a few things on the bikes.
and spreads very glad to see others who are pressed before us by taking a shortcut. They borrowed dirt roads and took the tray. A true race as in street racers ...
You could find a Tamborapa, in which Anita lends us his living room for the night.
starting again the next day, you meet a band, which gives us the almuerzo and some good time music A small
Dire Straits , good recovery
walk of life with a bang this is always fun.
We arrive the evening Perico, Miguel told us we could go to sleep at Milton, a cyclist friend.
He is a farmer, now he cultivates bananas, coffee and papaya.
We spend the evening talking about change in the region. The construction of a canal twenty years ago, allowed people to convert from farming to the chakra (plantation).
And then we got to San Ignacio, 50 across the border. We arrived before last night. We slept the first night in a gym which is owned by a friend of Milton Sylvester
The next day we went to school in San Ignacio de Loyola, it was a show in the morning for the primaries and after noon for schoolboys.
Saturday morning we did a workshop in juggling and acrobatics. There were many children, everyone went home with bullets and smiles.
Now he'll have to cross the border before Monday night, not to be fooled as to return to Peru ...
Here I put a good slice of bread and two side ... But as good each time the border crossing is a bit foufoufou ...
Lots of kisses to you by The
zarmalouloux, which promise you the pictures soon ...
PS: we began to update the item meets on the site, all full of links to other sites of travelers bike ...
www.zarmalouloux.we.bs
