Back to the PanAmericanHighway for a short time and then back into the mountains.
Riding on flat pavement in mild temperatures to Chiclayo through the desert was kind of nice- a good change from climbing and not being able to see far and beyond. The head wind was the price to pay in this case, but the desert was only interesting for a short time and the fog, the wind and the bleakness of it all made us weary pretty quickly. The little ghost towns along the way looked more than sad und our moods tumbled to the ground.
Left:
right:
Straight ahead:
Big huge deserty piles of trash:
After resting a few days in Chiclayo it wasn't too difficult of a decision to climb along the Rio Magdalena back into the mountains.
A fairly easy and paved road climbing gentle enough to be able to look around and enjoy the scenery ...and beautiful it is all around:
We are learning that the two road maps we have are getting more and more unreliable. Roads don't exist and others are not marked - Lakes are indicated which we couldn't find and the question about which roads are paved and which aren't are useless because you will never know...complete bummer!
There seems to be enough cycling traffic and caring people to communicate what is going on in the Andes from a cycling point of view, so we are getting good information from cyclists who posted their experience on the web. Keeping in mind personal levels of capabilities and opinions on what is difficult and what is not....
I -for my part- am suffering right now from a pretty established level of anxiety just by looking at the Andes on maps or pictures or what ever else is available. One climb back in Colombia got me crying and the other - even higher pass- before Cuenca in Ecuador made me give up and hitchhike - granted I got sick with a stomach bug and fever, but who knows why that hit me right then and there....?
To be fair, I have to say that some passes came out OK...I really enjoyed the climb and especially the views. From here to Cusco we are riding up and down mostly on dirt roads like never before in elevations like never before. Is it just something to get used to? Is my mind in the way? Can I shut it up at the right time and do what I set out to do? I can hear the anxiety in those words...
For now the Inca hot springs are calling from the east side of Cajamarca where the last Inca ruler Atahualpa took his bath while the Spaniards moved into town. I am going to sit in that precious water and think about how lucky I am....
