And now Peru.

Ahhh, a nice quiet night and a really good sleep. We wake up just before the lady knocks on the door as our reminder to get the big dirty bikes out of her restaurant. She was not mad, she was just sayin’.  

After breakfast we have one more order of business to take care of, SOAT, which is the acronym for liability/travel insurance. In Peru it is mandatory to have insurance or the Police can levy steep fines equal to the insurance premium for a whole year. The SOAT office was next door to the hotel but we walked around for half an hour before we found it, again only a small sign inside the store that also sells grain, shampoo, fashion jewellery, stationary, and candy. When we asked for SOAT, a young girl started yelling up the stairs to somebody, then to everyone’s surprise a young lady appears with a towel wrapped around her head and another around her body, she blushed heavily then ran back upstairs only to re-emerge with hair done and fully dressed. She was very helpful but in the end said it would take two days to get the policy, as we had no intention of waiting she suggested we stop in Jaen and try there, it is a bigger city and may be able to write the policy in-house. We pack up and make tracks towards Jaen. The SOAT stop in Jaen is a similar story of two day for the policy and the highlight of our visit to the city is riding through some guys yard instead of turning around at the dead end road, he didn’t seem to care and neither did we. Brenda’s description of the event is; jump the curb, cut through the work area, crank to the right, across the sidewalk, and over the other curb onto the street, hit the brakes to avoid the rickshaw. Once again the smaller bikes come in handy.

From Jaen to Chachapoyas the road is again under construction but we make good time all the same. There were sections of hard pack sand that was really fun to ride as the corners were sticky and the straights were flat and smooth.

There is something about standing up on a motorcycle at 60mph that adds an element of freedom to the experience of just riding. Then the scenery just exploded in front of us as we rounded a corner, this is what Peru is famous for, steep green mountains, valleys that seem infinitely deep, palm trees mixed with cactus and coconuts. There are also rice paddies, another first, and as we drive by I keep thinking the rice fields look like something out of a Vietnam movie. The scenery keeps us in awe all the way to Chachapoyas, which is located high in the hills where the air and water are pure. It is a center point for exploring many ancient ruin sites, hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, or just enjoying the traditional Spanish architecture in the city.

 

We intend to stay a day or two at most, just enough time to see some of the sights in the area. Jose, the manager at the Backpackers Hostal, is very informative and he suggests a couple of local spots that because of our bikes we can get to quickly rather than taking a tour bus or hiking all day to get there. He is also very helpful with finding a SOAT office and directs us to where we will likely get the fastest service. As it turned out the policy would still stake two days, well more like the rest of today and until 10am tomorrow, so that is ok with us. This allows us to take a day trip up to the two different spots that Jose suggested, get a load of laundry done, and still leave town somewhere around 10am the next day.

Chachapoyas from the second viewpoint location.

The first place Jose suggested was the Huanca Canyon, it is known by the locals but the tours don’t go there, maybe because there are no souvenir shops. What there is there is a tremendous view of the canyon, and no other people. We take our time and absorb the majestic views and tranquility of the mountain breeze. Part two of location one is another canyon where there is a four stage waterfall and even more spectacular views of surrounding mountains. There is only one other couple here and some benches to sit on and enjoy the views. We even take off our boots and socks and do a little grounding and deep breathing while we take it all in.

 

 

The second location is on the opposite side of town way way up above the city. The road was a little tricky to find as the side roads outside the city core are all dirt and you guessed it again, under construction. We practiced our offroad skills to the delight of the kids we passed. I guess they don’t see many people standing up while riding. We find the road and snake our way up the hill and are presented with some incredible views of the city and surrounding valley. These roads in Peru are just out of this world, what amazes us more is the thought of how they managed to build them in the first place.

On our way down we come across one of the farmer families taking their harvest into town, a little different than the way we do it in Canada.