It’s roughly 250 km from Lanlacuni Bajo to Puerto Maldonado. The Peruvian high mountain Amazon quickly changes into the Peruvian Amazon. The landscape is a mix of tropical plants and bushes, with breaks of farming. I’m on a mission to get to Puerto Maldonado by afternoon. As I descended the last of the Andes and the eastern foothills, the twists and turns dwindled with each passing hour. For many weeks to come the roads would be more or less straight. Sometimes mind-numbingly straight. The motorcyclist motto, “Waste no turn” would have little meaning.

On arrival in a town, I developed a simple process to search for lodging. There are more services, restaurants, and stores, there’s more life and activities. On occasion, I would pick a place on the edge of town. Wanting to complete a few errands, being in or near the center was the way to go. If the town is small, I like to ride until lI reach the other side, then double back. That way I get a feel for what the town has to offer and I’m not checking into the first, possibly overpriced, hotel on the edge of town. It’s best to stop with a few hours of daylight to start looking for lodging. The buffer allows a traveler to be picky, look at the room, and test the bed, before committing. Pulling late and after dark, there is a chance of finding more lodging that is full. 

Google Maps returned a promising result, Tambopata Hostel. The prices listed look good and it had a swimming pool. The secure parking was a space for several cars to park one after another in a line behind a gate that would be closed at night. Potentially blocking me in when I wanted to leave in the morning. A chance I would take. The hostel is a huge facility with dorm rooms, an open kitchen, and offerings of river and jungle tours. The clerk gave me a good price for a private room, which was enormous. I’ll sleep in a dorm room if I must. Dorm rooms generally have low security for your bags and it’s not unusual for people to arrive after lights out or making their departure pre-dawn. Sometimes I have gotten lucky and got a dorm room all to myself. Getting as possible to a full night’s sleep is my personal goal, as I often get sleepy after a few hours on the road, so I’m willing to pay a little more. 

On the couches near the reception counter, I saw three young people crashed out, a woman and two traveling companions. After running errands I found the trio still on the couch, but now they were awake. I could hear them speaking in English and decided to say hello. Mostly I was curious why they were sleeping on the couch. It turns out they spent the night participating in an ayahuasca ceremony. The ceremony started in the evening with one cup. After some time there was no effect, so they drank more, waited a while then drank more. Finally, in the wee hours, the psychoactive qualities kicked into some degree. Sleep was not in the cards for them. They had returned to the hostel and paid a day storage fee for their backpacks and camped out on the couch. They were waiting for the night bus where they planned to get some sleep. They were young, with more interest in adventure than a budget! 

My tasks to accomplish included, printing the Peruvian ownership document, “Datos Del Vehiclo.” A stationary store printed copies for me. The ownership transfer had been completed while I was in Cusco. The Peruvian government provides the document online. A beautiful resource, meaning I didn’t need to hang around Huanuco for the proof of ownership to be prepared. Start here: https://www.gob.pe/sunarp, then follow links to Consulta Vehicular, a few screens later enter the license plate details, then the document is returned. It’s important to have a printed copy with your papers, even in Peru. Why? The police can look up the details if there is cellular data available. More often than not, Peruvian police want to see the SOAT document; liability insurance is mandatory in Peru. The main reason to print the Datos Del Vehiclo is for crossing borders. Proof of ownership is critical and other countries aren’t going online to confirm ownership. I was only delayed briefly re-entering Argentina from Chile when heading north from Terra del Fuego. With a little convincing from some Argentines I was traveling with the aduana official relented after 5 minutes of questioning my documents. The delay was pretty funny because the bike had already been admitted to Argentina several times…

The Honda XRE 300 was new to me, I prefer to have a professional manage some maintenance, and I’m a little lazy. Ok, it is also a pain to adjust the chain to allow for the weight of the luggage and the rider. It means getting on and off the bike, and pretty much guessing that the chain isn’t too tight or too loose. A downside of traveling alone. Motorcycle mechanics are everywhere and there is rarely a wait while someone loosens the axel, adjusts the chain, then tightens the axel. Five minutes maximum. 

Finding the motorcycle zone on the western side of town that chain was expertly tightened. Across the street, to my great delight was a sign advertising a circus. I returned that evening and enjoyed the singing, dancing, acrobatics, and general fun of a one-ring circus. The jokes in Spanish went over my head. Popcorn and a candied apple made the evening complete. Pictures were “not allowed”, so I only managed to sneak a few shots. 

The saying goes, “Cash is king.” In small shops, it’s important to have cash, and sometimes a better rate can be negotiated for lodging. Some mountain hotels simply won’t accept credit cards. Ask me how I know.  Finding an ATM was next. Google Maps to the rescue. Finding parking was tricky and I circled the block a couple of times looking for a space within eyesight of the bank. Ultimately I parked in a less-than-legal spot and when taking off my helmet I was greeted by Calu Vaz Barbosa! I met him in Andahuaylas, 800+ km to the west, on the other side of Cusco. Calu, his girlfriend, and his dog were making their way to Brazil as their Peruvian visa was running out. This time I was able to see his jewelry and bought a braided wristband; it slipped away from me months later. =(

In the morning breakfast was included and it was filling. I was soon packed up, headed over a bridge and north towards the Brazilian border. Near the city limits who did I see hitchhiking by the side of the road? Calu, his girlfriend, and his dog! I slowed down without stopping and gave Calu a high five. Grins all around. That made my third time running into Calu. Would there be a fourth? Yes, online. We connected with via Instagram. There is always the chance we will meet again. =)

Back on the Interoceanic Highway within striking distance of the Brazilian border at Iñapari. I'll be in Brazil later today.