Our hotel in Mancora, which we did not see the night before because we arrived late, had 20 cool jungle cabins and was owned and run by a nice Peruvian/Austrian couple.
We left Mancora at 8am sharp, after a very nice breakfast, to embark on the longest day ride of the trip. 600+ kms across the driest parts of Peru.
Very interesting and unique landscape ... lots of sand everywhere, hills and mounds made of petrified sand, with very strong cross winds throughout the day.
It was fun playing video-game-like evasive maneuvers every time we came to a town ... we had to pass on the right, on the left, or whatever there was an opening ... everything around us moving in all directions ... 20+ variables to sort out every second ... cars passing buses passing tuk-tuks passing bicycles, suddenly swerving to avoid something, traffic coming at you from all directions, dogs, cows, people crossing and running, bicycles, and the occasional potholes and huge speed bumps.
Absolutely invigorating! 100% attention required ... or you die : )
Every once in a while we would come up to an oasis like area where there was a river with water ... like Egypt around the Nile ... lush greenery in the middle of a sandy and dry landscape ... sugar cane, banana, and rice crops.
I was surprised that with so much wind there were only a few wind turbine farms.
A hard day of riding and an absolute joy to ride with a group of such experienced riders. Nothing to worry about even in the toughest riding situations. The skills, the judgement, the decision making, the controlled risk taking, the smiles, and the pure joy of doing what we all love with people that "know" what "it" is without having to say anything.
We arrived in Trujillo as a sand storm was brewing. It was nice to arrive a the compound of a large tourist hotel, after such a long tough ride, with all its creature comforts, and the dusty, sandy, dirty city left outside.
Tomorrow, we go up into the Andes to ride El Canon del Pato.
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