Hospitality In Pallasca

The plan for the day was to leave our camping near Huamachuco and ride the backroads of the Northern Highlands of Peru on the west slope of the Cordillera Central of the Andes, get lunch at the small hill town of Pallasca, and head south to find another place to camp.

It did not quite turn out that way – but as one door closes another opens.

The gravel roads were generally well looked after but narrow and very twisty – no complaints there from this group but nobody was looking to go very fast. The scenery here is magnificent and cresting every rise opens up another astonishing vista; distant mountains and intensive agriculture at elevations higher than the summit of Mount Hood. Another fascinating glimpse into other people’s lives.

Then the road became paved, plunged into the valley of the Rio Tablachaca, and zigzagged up the other side; probably the finest and most dangerous motorbike roads I have ever ridden. It is impossible to photograph and adequately convey the thrill of seeing the road on the other side of the valley and realizing that we were going to ride all the way down and then across the side of the next mountain.

We finally arrived in Pallasca at 5:00pm, an hour before dark, and learned that the other half of the group had chosen a different route and one of them had broken down.  After a quick enquiry, we found Hostal Alvarez as our digs for the night – $3 a bed and an internal courtyard to keep the bikes and their contents safe. Comfortable beds and cold water was all we needed and all we got.

Bill and Chris stayed in the owner’s suite with all his mementoes of his military service and an inexplicable fake Christmas tree.