Huaraz, Cordillera Blanca, Peru: 388 kms (21713 kms)

Christmas came early for Matt and I Saturday as, simply put, we had the best day of the trip bar none. It was also the best day's riding either of us have ever experienced. We were in the saddle for 11 hours straight from the moment we left Trujillo at 0600 hrs.

The Pan American Highway hugs most of the Peruvian Pacific coast towards Lima but we decided to take a parallel route to take in the Cordillera Blanca. As we were arriving from the north we had to traverse an otherwise seldom ridden route from sea level to a height of 3000m that involved 83kms of the rough stuff alongside the River Santa. That's where the Christmas quip comes in! Funny huh? Anyway, once our vitals had been recorded by Peru's most remotely stationed Policeman we were finally allowed access to this little-known Peruvian playground. It turned out to be a rest day for gears 3, 4 and 5 as the route took in sand, mud, shingle and an almighty amount of dust. The track included some of the most breathtaking scenery seen by either of us to date. After 70 kms we arrived at an oasis of humanity called Huallanca where we gorged ourselves on water and Coca Cola. I was asked to stay in return for food and lodgings by the lady in the centre of the picture below. Despite her kind offer we made a polite exit to continue our travels but she will always hold a place in my heart as she thought I was only 22 years young. God bless her. The asphalt within Huallanca dried up 200m after it began and we were back off-road again, this time traversing the Canyon del Pato. The track consists of numerous hairpins, switchbacks and 35 tunnels carved out of the rock. Immense fun. When we finally arrived at 3000m we were greeted by glacier and snow capped peaks and Peru's highest mountain, Huascarán. Although shrouded in cloud when we rode alongside her it was visible early Sunday morning and is truly a beautiful peak to behold. The last 90 kms of asphalt was merely a means to an end as we rode into Huaraz late Saturday afternoon. An unbelievable day's riding, not least because we both feel very comfortable riding off-road and neither of us made an arse of ourselves. Remarkable.

I was totally finished after this day's adventures but Matt was able to dance into the early hours. Come Sunday morning however, we were both still completely toasted so we've stayed the weekend and will push on to Lima early Monday morning.