Day 35 – Monday, March 2, 2026

The USP of me staying at the bungalow that night was the excellent breakfast - at least according to the owner. The issue was that the start was only at 8 am. I was pretty much ready to begin my ride at 6:30 (it was bright light already), bur decided to wait for that excellent breakfast. Large families wers already occupying tables. waiting for the magicial churn of the hour. Looking back, it was over an hour and a half of good riding time that I lost - the breakfast wasn't bad, but it was definitely not worth the wait. Oh well. So it was only around 8:30 that I left - and was soon in the town of Punta de Bombon (pompous name, eh?). I placed this small settlement somewhere between the second and third world (which is no longer a PC thng to say).i The houses were rather desolate and entire families were riding motorbikes (without helmet, what else....? It reminded me of my stay in Pakistan). Right in the center is a site of an older car wreck. This was the bad part. There was a wonderful church, a large Jesus statue on a hill and a small covered market, where I had an excellent fruit shake (mango, banana, pineapple). A pretty large river (the bridge over it is 150 meters long) is the source of the fresh water for all the lush green in the area - namely rice fields (reminiscent of Vietnam). After nearly four weeks, I was enjoying the ride in a green area. lasting some 20 km. There was even a waterfall! To drizzle the fields, to my surprise, drones are used - as already posted. I stopped at a national bird sanctuary, where the entrance fee for locals was €2, but €7 for foreign visitors, I politely declined the offer. (I would have spent 5 minutes there - not worth it). I was not even allowed to enter for a quick photo. Now in Chile....you know, but then I am in Peru. The town of Mollendo followed. Here I could either ride through town or take a major road going uphill around it. I chose the latter, which I believe was a good decision, as the town did not appear to be appealing. Next to the main road were slums.(favelas), fabricated houses out of tin. An older man used a wheelbarrow to transport water.

After the town, it was back to the desert- no more green. I was saddened to see some more desolate buildings. What followed was quite a spectacle- with hardly any traffic. I admit you have to be nuts to enjoy this. Now came 60 km through the desert - and there was absolutely no signs of settlements. After so many days, I find the desert to be fascinating, you see sandy areas, rocky ones, other surfaces are smooth like the butt of a baby. The white patches on the rocks is salt deposit, also called salares. Mother Nature offered two wonderful spectacles within a short spam of time. The first was a sunset, with our star dropping into the sea. The second was the rise of a full moon, it illuminating my surroundings. Finally, I reached the small, tidy settlement of Quilca, with quite a few restaurants, all closed. I found a very basic hotel for €8, with a battered outside shower - still, the water was refreshing. I took a small walk and treated myself to an ice-cream. I rode 120 km, with 1,250m of altitude gain.