to abandoned quarry camp - 3400m: getting rained on - Racpat RTW 2015-2017

March 6, 2017

to abandoned quarry camp - 3400m: getting rained on

"Iglesia? Bonito!" The woman sitting at the junction to the town says and points down the street. We arrived at Polloc sooner than expected and take a litte detour to see the church. Pim, the Dutchman from the ice cream shop in Cajamarca told us this one is not to be missed.

We haul all our gear back down the maze of stairs in Hotel Prado, pack-up in the lobby and head out. Getting out of town is a bit of a maze, but we navigate the one way streets to the main road and are pleasantly surprised with the parallel pedestrian and bicycle path for 6km to Banos Del Inca. Then the first climb starts. After about 300 meters altitude gain we reach a wide flat valley and just before the town of Encanada is Polloc, a small village with a beautiful church. The road through the town is rough, dusty and downhill to the church, and oh so worth the effort! We'll let the pictures show how much. After eating lunch and walking around, we make our way back to the main road.

A few kilometers further up the valley we pass through Encanada. Their "grifio" or fuelstations seem to double as a hospedaje, but we are going further today. The police station and Plaza d'Armas have mosaics similar to the church in Polloc.

Then the second climb begins we switchback up looking back over the town and the bullfighting ring. We come to a road construction site. The road is closed for another half hour and we have to wait for it to re-open, sometimes on bicycles you can still get through, not this time. It could have been worse, we could have gotten here earlier and be stuck for hours.

Patrick had checked on Google-Earth trying to spot potential camping spots. We pick up water from a spring along side the road so we can dry-camp if needed. The first potential spot is a bust. It is a nice dense pine forest, but way too steep to get into and also fenced off. This is dairy cow country and most fields are fenced off to keep the beasts in and us out.

We continue on and crest the high point. Just as we start going downhill a storm blows over the ridge. It rains and it gets cold. It takes us another ten kilometers to see an abandoned flat gravel lot with a quarry just around the corner. It is also fenced off, but we squeeze underneath the barbed wire and find a spot out-off sight from the road. Just after we set up camp and fix a hot cup of coffee (the stove works!) it starts to rain. When the storm eases we fix dinner, just in time before the next storm hits. The soil does not drain very well and puddles form all around our tent, but fortunately we are on a good slope which keeps the puddles from getting too deep.

It pours most of the night.

We arrive in Polloc and ask directions to the "Iglesia". Pim, the ice cream guy in Cajamarca told us about the church here.

Inside the Iglesia de Polloc. The outside is beautiful but deliberately plain with only a few mosaics. Once inside the mosaics are everywhere. And the contrast startling.

Next to the church is a garden with many more mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible.

Mosaic ceiling decorations at Iglesia De Polloc

Bible scene in mosaic at Iglesia De Polloc.

In stark contrast with the beautiful church, here is Main Street Polloc.

These villagers must have had some leverage. Every house has a brand new out-building with water. In the next village they had even added solar hot water.

Milking the cows in the field. This is dairy country.

As we are cooking our (hot!) dinner dark clouds are moving in from the east. There is a rainbow between our tent and the bikes.

Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 28,750 km (17,854 miles)

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