Moyobamba to Chachapoyas
Trip Start
Feb 06, 2007
1
68
332
Trip End
Jan 14, 2008
Moyobamba,
Peru
Friday, May 4, 2007
Had it not been for the sandflies we would have stayed another day or so in Moyobamba. There are several tours available to the jungle, and a trip to a hill about 14km away with birds, orchids etc. But Barb is itching, hands, face and ankles, and wants no more bites. Pete seems immune.
The bus to Pedro Ruiz started late and stopped for long boring periods in bus stations along the way, so it was 3.30pm before we arrived. The scenery is spectacular initially, jungle-covered hillsides and steep ravines. By Pedro Ruiz most of the jungle had been cleared.
On arrival we were told that the road to Chachapoyas was closed till 7pm for major roadworks, just like the road from Yurimaguas to Tarapoto a few days ago. So we had a late lunch then decided to see if the 7pm departure was right. Unless you come on a bus from Chiclayo, transport is a shared taxi
Chachapoyas 1
. Our driver said 'No, no, there are no problems with the road'. So 4 of us piled in and drove just 2km then the road was barricaded. By now it was raining again, the road was sloppy mud, and so we had no choice but to sit in this damned taxi till almost 7pm. The driver moved Barb's pack to another taxi to reduce weight on the back axle then had the cheek to ask if she would mind sharing the front bucket seat with a 5th passenger. No way ! The road would have been far better travelled in daylight, but even at night it was fascinating. It had been carved out of the rock and for kilometers we were driving under half of a tunnel, with rock overhead. At one stage there was a short tunnel. We assumed the raging river seen in Pedro Ruiz was on our right, and given the state of the road it may have been just as well we could not see it. Magically, the last half hour was bitumen.Arriving in Chachapoyas just before 9pm we set off for Hostal Juhamaji, which doesn't have the carpeted floors Lonely Planet promised, we have single beds, no TV, and our room is 2 metres from the noisy restaurant. But at 25 sol we shouldn't complain.
