Dropping from Chachapoyas I headed up a river valley with a gentle rise towards Leymebamba. Absolutely charming scenery. Old farmhouses and forgotten villages evoked childhood memories of holidays in the Dordogne. 
I tried to hide a smug smile as I nipped through this rockfall past a line of waiting cars. Good thing too as a few minutes later my gear cable snapped, just 10 days after the other one failed. I lumped on to Leymebamba with just three gears, hoping and praying for a bike shop in the village. I 
As I'd feared, there was no solution to be found in Leymebamba, it's a small village. However, a motorbike mechanic told me with certainty that I could find a new gear cable in Yerbabuena, an even smaller village 12 miles back down the valley. It sounded too good to be true but it was worth a shot; I had no other option. Miraculously Yerbabuena delivered, a new gear cable bought and fitted for 2 soles - 50 pence! 
I'd lost an afternoons riding but was determined to make up the time and still reach Cajamarca in two more days. The next day, riding up and out of Leymebamba, the first challenge was a 1500m climb to a pass at Calla Calla. 
A real pleasure of Petu is that I'm meeting other cycle tourists every day.
This group of four chicas from Ecuador and a Chico from Barcelona admired my lightweight setup. Nearly everyone I meet has four panniers (as did I until Costa Rica). Two is enough for me and I soon raced off ahead of them. 
1500m up was followed by an exhilarating 2500m drop into a deep gorge. 
Peruvian roads are so much fun to ride! For all the change in elevation the last nclines/declines are rarely very steep as the sinuous curves snake across the hillsides finding the gentlest routes. 
Towards the bottom of The Valley i entered a desert environment.
50 miles of riding with few breaks and I was starving. A simple meal of soup, eggs rice and beans seemed like the most delicious meal I had ever tasted. 
River crossing, from here the only way is up. 2200m to the next pass!
Riding through the desert was inspiring and detracted from the climb. Such an alien environment to anything we have back home, it feels exitic and other worldly. 
Barren and inhospitable, desert scenes always carry a stark beauty for me.
I'm not sure how well the pictures convey the scenery but I found it absolutely breathtaking.
A room with a view. In an afternoon ride up the pass I managed to get halfway up the 2200m before calling it a day. 
I bailed out of the climb and stumbled into a tiny village called El Limón. No hotels or guesthouses and no one around but a group of girls carrying wood into the village bakery. I asked them what my options were and they said I could camp. I really didn't want to and explained about the rain and that I'd be willing to stay in a simple room. So one of the girls asked their mother to give me a room and I had a roof over my head for the night. Result!
Doris, pictured, really didn't want to take any money from me but I did give a 5 soles donation. I'm glad I gave at least this meagre sum because later Doris would serve me dinner and breakfast.
The village girls wanted to try a tiny bit of English with me but were more interested in the bike. I took off all the gear and gave all and sundry the opportunity to ride up and down the lane. 
I think the frame may be one or two inches too big for you....
Next day, feeling fantastic after a good breakfast and all the wonderful contact with the village folk, I ride on to the top of the pass. 
Two hours later I reached the foggy peak and it was a quick descent into Celendin. All that remained was a final 1000m climb, but spread over 30 miles, then a slow descent into Cajamarca.
I didn't take many photos in this final leg of the journey, it was raining a lot of the time and, honestly, the fatigue of the previous days was setting in and I just wanted to get to Cajamarca in one piece. Finally, after three long rides - 228 miles in total, I cruised into town, exhausted but contented to have completed a challenging stretch.
I write this early on Friday morning in bed in a hotel in central Cajamarca. What will today bring, who knows? Legs are feeling a little leaden but I'm thinking a shorter ride, perhaps in the afternoon to get back into the villages and countryside - that's where the real reward of this trip lies.
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