The Calla Calla pass

As we cycle deeper into the mountains, the scenery changes and widens; the river becomes smaller and cleaner. The settlements remain very poor, with smily but dusty children, dogs barking at cyclists. Modernity comes with corrugated steel roofs and piles of trash. We still have not seen a llama!

Arriving at Leimebamba is a shock: a historic colonial town, with clean houses well lined up along the streets, a pristine central square (Plaza de Armas), well maintained cobbled streets. We enjoy the night spent there, purchase a few provisions, including plenty of juicy fruit, visit the museum (previous post), and by 11:00, slowly but surely, we attack the 1400m climb that will bring us out of the Utcubamba valley and into the next.

A long climb combines management of effort (with the help of gears), food and water with the enjoyment of changing scenery, vegetation, animals, even humans and the discovery of the beautiful order of the mountains. It is also a long meditation :- me, my bike and the rhythm of the pedals, my breathing, at some point the pain, the wind, the cold; the processing of all the new things we have seen, read, heard, and, always, thoughts of home, family and friends.

These many hours culminate with the great pleasure of the long awaited sign post! Yes, we made it. We've never been so high before!Read more