All in all, we spent a little over a week in Cajamarca. On our last day, we were both feeling really well again and wanted to use the time for something productive.
Shortly after we set off again following our lunch break in Tumbes, the landscape changed dramatically. Within just a few kilometers, the lush tropical lowlands gave way to a barren desert. At first, we were glad about this, because we are much more comfortable in dry heat than in a tropical, humid climate. Have we mentioned this before😉? Soon, however, a headwind picked up, giving us more time to gaze out at the desert landscape than we would have liked.
We lean against the wall of a supermarket and take our siesta in 33°C heat. We don’t feel like going any further, as the landscape here in northern Peru is boringly flat and the area is terribly desolate. It’s a good opportunity to write a few lines about the past weeks and revel in refreshing memories of the cool mountain air in beautiful Ecuador.
Our journey through Ecuador began with an incredibly straightforward border crossing: exit stamp in Colombia, across the bridge into Ecuador, entry stamp… et voilà. There were no questions, and nobody seemed interested in our luggage. We had actually expected more checks, since Ecuador is currently under a state of emergency to combat criminal groups. Under these circumstances, we would have thought at least a glance into our bags would have been appropriate😉, but instead, after ten minutes, we were already pedaling up to the Ecuadorian border town of Tulcán.
Salento had a café, restaurant, hotel, souvenir shop, or tour operator hidden behind every colorfully painted door, but we liked it just the way it was.
