I had a great rest over the weekend in Chiquian, the village to the right. The snowcapped mountains in the background are the Huayhuash. Time for reading, listening to podcasts and chatting with the hotel owners. I also had time to clean up my drive chain and tighten up my brakes that were dangerously loose on arrival. I'm sure Bertha's going to make it through to the end of the journey. 
I'm in the fortunate position of having no time pressure to reach Lima so was able to do some off-road exploring.
EXTRA IMPORTANT POINT: passed 20,000 km on this day!
I more or less chanced upon Laguna Yanacocha at 14,400ft / 4400m. 
Not a bad lunch spot. After a hefty climb out of Chiquian I stopped for the day at just 19 miles and... 
...took the opportunity to hike around the perimeter of the lake. 
Very fortuitous, a locked up abandoned building had an accessible area perfect for camping and storing my kit. What may otherwise have been a very chilly night was cosy and (relatively) warm. I slept pretty well until 5:30am when I was rather unceremoniously woken with a flashlight pointing at the tent and a gruff voice demanding to know what I was doing there and that I was on private property, a space reserved for fishermen. He said a lot more but it was too early to be translating Spanish. I decided to stick my gringo head out of the tent and explain that I was a cycle tourist looking for a place to camp and meant know harm. I meekly and with very little conviction offered to leave there and then, in the cold and dark. All my apologetic remonstrations softened his tone, he asked my name and nationality and told me to simply move on later in the morning. Very reasonable in the end.
And what a glorious morning it was. Brilliant blue skies and a fast warming sun melted the ice in the puddles and I lingered over breakfast basking in the sun on my palace's veranda. 
Despite seeing this kind of view almost daily I still find snowcapped peaks absolutely breathtaking.
Laguna Conococha.
Distant flamingoes. 
Beginning the Conococha-Chicla dirt track route detailed in the Andes on Bikes webpage. 473km with very little tarmac ahead of me. Somewhat daunting but this is my last hurrah, the final opportunity to do some challenging riding and see some incredible landscapes. 
Like this. 
And this. 
Small villages along the way were strangely quiet and seemingly almost deserted. 
Quick lunch stop. 
Rustic timewarp. That would be a great album title. Or maybe not. 
Bertha's fan club. 
Andean roadblock. 
Idyllic campspot. The mountain range in the background includes Silua Grande, the peak Joe Simpson climbed in, I believe 1985, before the descent went horribly wrong. Touching the Void, perhaps the best documentary film ever. Mountain climbing? Not for me, I'm happy to slog it out on a bike through the Andes. 
Llipa Viejo, another village where I didn't see a soul. 
Beginning the long descent into a deep canyon. 
Getting drier and more barren. The road surface deteriorated, rocky, loose gravel and soft sand. A slightly always, massive concentration is needed to stay safe and, even so, I took one tumble escaping with just a few slight grazes. 
Somewhere down there is the bridge. 
A happy cyclist. 
Ditto.
Desert scape. 
Finally made the crossing. 
A few more miles along the canyon, the sound of turbulent water roaring in my ears. 
Lunch spot at the bottom of the descent meaning it's time to go up again.
Though it's not immediately obvious from this picture, I got a break, the road surface in the climb towards Cajatambo was actually really good., hard packed and(relatively) smooth. 
A helmet would be useful here...
Why was I not surprised to come across the umpteenth landslide I've encountered in Peru? Unload the bike, a few careful crossings back and forth, five minutes later and I'm on my way again. 
Slow bus to Lima? 
Now I wouldn't recommend this and haven't done this since the States and Canada but my best option last night was a roadside camp. Flat ground is in such short supply around here that I really had no choice. Still, it's so calm, rural, safe in these parts that I had absolutely no qualms about camping there and no one bothered me whatsoever. I'm also utterly confident that I can sweet talk my way out of any bother with my humble tale of adventuring by bicycle from Canada. It gets people every time. . 
None shall pass. Except Bertha.
I decided to make an early start this morning, not wanting to stick around the roadside camp.
Riding from 7am in the cool morning air, brilliant blue skies, spectacular landscapes with the satisfaction of knowing you've already climbed a lot of those switchbacks, it was quite simply inspirational. I truly felt on top of the world. Shall I go for another 11 months? (no chance!) 
Donkeys are usually very skittish and easily spooked so I approached slowly to get this perfect family portrait. 
Yes, all those switchbacks, I rode up them. 
Sebastian from Belgium, on the road for 16 months, about 5 more months to go. He too was having a great day, he too had recently had moments of doubt, of having had enough. We had a great conversation and encouraged each other to aprovecha make the most of our remaining time. 
In truth this was a ride I didn't want to end, but this is the approach to Cajatambo, the village you see in the background. 
Bertha resting in the grand gateway to Cajatambo where I'm staying tonight.
Six more rides on dirt, two rides on tarmac and I should have made it to Lima. Aprovecha! Aprovecha! Make the most of your remaining time and don't forget that the hard way is usually the most memorable and rewarding way.
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