Hairpins to Pallasca

Night has set on our little eagle's nest; from the tent we can feel the traffic on the other side of the valley, brake noises and gear shifts, occasionally interspaced with bright lights shining on us; more alarmingly, rock sliding noises of various intensities. Coming out of the tent, we see in the dark a few trucks or buses, lit with green, red, white lights, slowly moving from one hairpin to another. This is the preview of our road tomorrow.

We start by crossing the Tablachaca river, still a clean mountain torrent here. We collect and filter a couple liters of water from it. Then start the climb. The double lane road itself is well graded, but there are many landslides at just about every hairpin or little straight segment. These landslides create very steep (20-25%) slippery sections for us to pass over. At some point the route is diverted to an older, even steeper road. This is a roadworks diversion that was not there overnight... (maybe an overnight landslide? ). The old road is harrowing, we can barely climb. The stunning views provide an excuse to take photo stops... and to breathe ourselves back to life.

Finally we make it to Pallasca, where we are welcomed by steep streets and a charming little town. A very nice host lady provides beds for the night and the use of her washing machine for our disgustingly dusty clothes.Read more