restday Cajamarca: serendipity

March 4, 2017

We have three big shout-outs of thanks to the bicycle touring community. First to Neil Gunton for creating and maintaining the CGOAB site. Because of the networking through this site, we also thank Andrew & Amanda Prenty and Andy Peat for their help with our stove. (Addendum: no longer support CGOAB. Due to a call out to the administrator breaking his own rules on the forum, our journals were deleted. We moved our journals to cycleblaze and find this to be a much more civil group)

What luck. Less than ten days ago we discovered that we could not use our stove because we had the wrong fuelpump. When we updated our blog less than a week ago, we received a message from Andrew Prenty (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/letsridebikesca). Andrew and Amanda paused their biketrip in Cajamarca a couple of months ago, and guess what: they have a MSR dragonfly fuelpump in their stuff stored here. What is more, they are willing to part with it since they can pick-up a new one on their way back here when they continue their ride. Thank you!

So this morning, we take a mototaxi to the Casa Mirita (http://casa-mirita.blogspot.pe/) where all their stuff is stored. What a nice place, Andrew had highly recommended that we stay here and we see why. Vicky is very friendly and helpful and though the location is away from the city center, the mototaxi to get around is cheap: 2 soles. Even though we were not staying, we were given tea and a city map with information on sites to see. Yesterday, arriving into the city and tired, we went directly to the Plaza des Armas to find accommodation and western food.

The third thank you is for Andy Peat and giving us valuable information for how to replace the pump (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/thistimesouth)

he suggested checking with tatoo, a large outdoor retail chain in Ecuador and Peru. They have an online shop. Though not needed, it was nice to have an alternative.

Back in the city center we find a "Metro" supermarket to stock-up on cereal, milk powder, granola bars and some other goodies that are not found in the Tiendas of small town Peru. The next section to Chachapoyas is not very long in kilometers, but it has some huge hills and will be slow going.

Next task is finding an ATM. This takes us a while to find an ATM that has cash and near the city center. We were looking for a bank, and the ATMs are "hidden" in stores or on side streets. Then back to the Tuna Cafe for an excellent lunch. We visit the Cathedral and later in the afternoon hike up to the Cerro Santa Apoliana for a view over the city.

Just one block north of the Plaza is a street with at least half a dozen wood-fired-pizza places where we find our dinner, topping it off with each of us have a huge banana-split at the Dutch-run Heladeria Holanda. The owner comes from Limburg and has been here 22 years. He has some good route advice for us too.

Tomorrow, we've signed up for a tour to Cumbe Mayo, a site of pre-Inca aqueducts. This time we requested and paid a little more to have an English-speaking guide.

The Church of San Francisco on the Plaza des Armas.

Our "American Breakfast" at the Tuna Cafe. One of the nicest eateries we have seen in Peru.

With Vicky at the Casa Mirita. These are Andrew and Amanda's bikes stored in the daughter's bedroom. Justin Bieber is keeping watch. And thank you Andy Peat also for advice.

Found it! Andrew let us sort through their stuff and we found his fuel bottle and the Dragonfly fuel pump! Patrick promises this will be the last photo in our journal that has Justin Bieber in it.

Carnival in Cajamarca is a big deal. We just missed it by a couple of days, but the decorations are still visible.

Plaza des Armas and Church of San Francisco in Cajamarca.

Steps leading up to the Cerro Santa Apolonia.

Statue on the way to Cerro Santa Apolonia.

View over Cajamarca from Cerro Santa Apolonia.

The city sprawls towards the east. Endless concrete post-and-beam construction with brick infill. Not much green to be seen, but many houses have quite pretty courtyards with potted plants.

Cajamarca Plaza des Armas and Cathedral in the evening. The fountain on the plaza stems from 1692.

Dessert at Heladeria Holanda. As you can see by the wall colors this place is Dutch owned and it serves excellent banana-splits.

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