July 10th 2024 – Chachapoyas, Peru

The days in Cuenca flew by. Our apartment turned out to be a great basecamp. The place was a bit run down, but spacious and clean. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a kitchen with a dinner table and even a drying room. Not bad for $30 a night.
One afternoon I got contacted by Philippe – a Swiss guy heading north on a 300 Rally. He asked us to join him for dinner in the evening. We agreed to meet up at a restaurant in the hills behind our house. Fin, Kat and I walked there. Philippe, who stayed at the other end of town, showed up on his bike.
The restaurant offered a great view of the city. Philippe had a lot of stories to share. We didn’t get back home until late.

We only visited Cuenca’s historic center once during our stay. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a 3.5 km walk from our place we reached the Tomebamba River that marks the southern boundary of the historic center. We spent all morning roaming the old streets. After lunch Fin had to return to the apartment for a nap. It’s not easy getting old.
Kat and I continued our urban hike until late in the afternoon. My guess is that we walked around 15k that day. The historic center was very picturesque but I enjoyed some of the other neighborhoods we passed through just as much.

Cuenca got its first university back in 1867. The number is now up to 4 and has earned the city its official title as “City of Universities”. I have often experienced that the influx of young people in university cities creates an interesting and dynamic atmosphere. Cuenca was no exception.
We spent most of our time locally and got to know the neighborhood quite well. The local gym was good and the nearby hills tested our running skills. We found a seamstress to repair a few things.
SOAT (mandatory motorcycle insurance) for Peru got sorted with the help of the legendary Hugo Anibal.

The last day in town we decided to do a rideout together. It’s a pleasure to ride without luggage once in a while. We did a loop towards the Pacific. It was a fun ride with great views – as long as we were above the clouds. Along the way we descended The Andes and entered the clouds. Everything was soaking wet for a while. It was a gray day under the clouds. After a bite of lunch we headed back up into the clouds.

Visibility ranged from bad to worse until we popped out above the clouds. Wet clothes and freezing temperatures made it a welcome sight when we spotted a small restaurant by a lake at 4.000 meters. Time for coffee and to warm up a bit. The ride back to town was a blast on dry twisty roads.

Eventually we were ready to move on.
Fin wanted to revisit the Amazon while Katrine and I preferred to stay in the mountains.
On the morning of departure Fin celebrated ‘Merica Day by braying “the Star-Spangled Banner” at the top of his lungs while wrapped in the Stars and Stripes he always carry with him.
It was time to say goodbye and head our separate ways.
Kat and I enjoyed the ride south. Most of the day we follow the PanAm. It was twisty with nice views and hardly any traffic. We stopped for lunch at an idyllic cheese dairy/cafe. We just had cheese and coffee.

In the afternoon we reached Vilcabamba and knocked on the door of Las Palmas Hostel. We got the last of only 3 rooms. The place was a gem and we decided to stay 2 nights. Vilcabamba turned out to be a small expat haven. The benefit of that was several good restaurants and cafes in town.
I was sitting by the pool on our second day in town when I suddenly heard a familiar bike in the street behind the garden wall. I stuck my head out and hailed Fin who had just pulled up to see if there was a room available. Unfortunately there wasn’t and he had to make do with another place a few blocks away. In the evening all 3 of us went out for dinner together.

Vilcabamba charmed Fin just as it had Katrine and me. He stayed put when Kat and I hit the road the following morning.
The road degraded as we made our way south towards the border to Peru. A couple of hours into the day the road turned to dirt. The views were spectacular and the road well maintained for the most part.
We called it a day in the small town of Zumba and stayed at Hotel Calem with a great view. The hotel was surprisingly nice considering its location off the beaten path. We were the only guests.

We continued on dirt roads towards the border in the morning. The views were stunning. The Chanchis River marks the border. The Ecuadorian side consisted of a ramshackle collection of buildings. The customs office was deserted. Eventually Kat found a confused guy in full camo behind the building who agreed to handle our papers. 15 minutes later he allowed us onto the bridge crossing the river.
On the Peruvian side we were greeted by a friendly officer. He briefly checked that we had the correct papers and then explained where we needed to go and in which order. A welcome change from the usual chaos at Latin American borders. It was a very quiet border with no lines anywhere. The processing still took 1 ½ hour.

Peru welcomed us with a nice tarmac road. It was a pleasure. The fun didn’t last long.
About an hour from the border as we passed a speed bump going into a village, the rear suspension collapsed on Kat’s bike. We pulled the bike to the side of the road and unloaded the luggage. A quick inspection revealed that the retaining washer at the bottom of the spring had cracked and the spring was now resting on the suspension linkage.
This was not something I could fix by the side of the road. We needed help. Having just crossed into the country, we didn’t have neither working phones nor local currency. An old man came up and asked if he could be of assistance. We explained our predicament. There was a mechanic in town but it was a Sunday and his shop was closed. Katrine and the old man walked to the shop to see if the guy was around.
While I waited with the bikes several people stopped by to see what was going on. A chatterbox of an old man had joined me on a bench in the shade when Katrine returned. The local mechanic was nowhere to be found. The best option would be to continue to the town San Ignacio 10 km down the road. I asked the old man on the bench if he knew someone who could give Kat and her bike a lift into town. He left and came back shortly after with 2 other guys. They offered to help and went to pick up the coolest tow truck ever. We had plenty of helping hands to load the bike into the bed.
Kat and her luggage joined the bike. I followed behind.
We unloaded the bike at a shop in San Ignacio that worked on anything 2 and 3 wheeled. The shop owner, Fernando, took a quick look at the rear shock and told us he could fix the problem – but not until the following day.
I offered the tow truck driver $30. It would cover his expenses and allow him to buy a round for all the guys that had helped us out in the village. He seemed very pleased with the payment.

We left Kat’s bike at the shop overnight. She waited in front of the shop with her luggage while I left on my bike in search of a place to stay.
I still didn’t have a working SIM card, so I couldn’t use my phone to locate a suitable place. That was when I remembered that iOverlander is an integrated part of my Garmin Zumo XT. It guided me to a place in town with secure parking.
I checked in, unloaded all my luggage and went back to pick up Katrine’s stuff. While I had been away the locals had taken good care of her. A couple owning a store opposite the shop had taken her in. I loaded her luggage on my bike, gave her directions and rode back to the hotel. Just as I was done carrying all her bags up to the room she came strolling around the corner. Perfect timing.

After a change of clothes we found an ATM that could provide us with some much needed cash. We had an early dinner before walking by the shop. The shop was still open when we got there. Fernando had already taken the shock out of the bike. The Aluminium retainer looked pretty fucked. It was cracked, bent and bit chewed up. We agreed to meet up at the shop the following morning at 8.

I showed up early with cakes for Fernando and his family. They all lived at the rear of the shop. I had brought my tools, so while Fernando took the spring retainer to a smithy I used the opportunity to check, clean and lube the linkage system.
It turned out that the damaged retainer was unsalvageable. Instead the smithy would manufacture a replacement in steel. They would have it ready before noon. Fernando picked up the shock with the new spring retainer in place. It looked like the smithy had done a good job. I reset the preload and installed the shock myself to ensure it was done correctly. Fernando charged me 100 Sol ($26) for the repair.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, Fin pulled up. I had told him about the issues the day before. Passing through town he decided to drop by and see how things were progressing. He agreed that it looked like a decent repair job. He continued on his way and I returned to the hotel with the bike.
Katrine was relieved to see the bike back in roadworthy condition. Katrine had spent the morning getting our laundry done while I was at the shop.
In the afternoon we managed to procure Peruvian SIM cards for our phones. It had been a productive day.

It was with some trepidation we hit the road in the morning. Would the repair last? Numerous speed bumps and sections without tarmac put it to the test from the word go. As the day went on we started to relax and just enjoy the ride.
The landscape kept changing throughout the day. Extensive roadworks meant that we often had to wait at road blocks. Every time we went to the front of the line. The roads were a patchwork of tarmac and gravel. It was fun riding.

The sun was dipping towards the horizon when we arrived in Chachapoyas. After a much needed shower we walked 2 blocks down the road, knocked on a door and were greeted by none other than the infamous JamieZ. Him and Fin had rented a Airbnb together. They got to know each other a couple of years ago on a motorcycle trip to Cuba and have stayed in contact ever since. I have heard about Jamie from different sources for a few years. It was a pleasure to finally meet him in person.
All of us went out to dinner together and had a lovely evening with some interesting conversations.