I woke up early to the sound of music and people dancing on the main plaza at 06.00. These girls had been practising the night before as well, so a festival must be imminent. Good luck to them, I say, as it was unbelievably cold that early in the morning, with a freezing fog hanging low and cutting off vision after a hundred metres. I went to the loo, and then got back into bed as quickly as I could, burying myself beneath a pile of blankets. An early start was never going to happen.

I resurfaced at 08.00, and went to use the internet for a bit, in the hope that things would warm up some. Finally, at 09.45, the sun remembered what it was there for, and started to give out some heat, which is when I hit the road.

Junin

Today’s cycling was easy, with the general theme of flat or downhill. The kms went by easily as I cycled through the barren landscape towards La Oroya.

There must have been a bushfire here recently. With the way the wind was blowing, it was quite easy to imagine how quickly it spread.

I stopped off for a warming Caldo at the tiny junction settlement of Los Angeles, before getting the last section done, which was basically all downhill.

La Oroya is a peculiar town, in that it is a main junction town (Huaraz - Cusco - Lima), and that it is also a mining town. Huge white cliffs dominate the settlement, and the bus terminal is a hive of activity. I found another 10 soles a night palace to stay in (was a bit too scared to use the grimy shower), and worked some on the internet. Tomorrow should prove to be a long day of 120 km if all goes to plan. Best get an early start and no laying in !