Excuse me while I post furiously in an attempt to get up-to-date before our next country change.
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It took a day and a half to climb up out of the Cotahuasi canyon but the hairpins were gentle and the tarmac was a welcome, if short-lived, change after so much dirt. It was lovely camping with our friends @outdoorroamers again. .
Then the weather changed. Fortunately the lightning stayed distant but the clouds rolled in, hiding our snow-capped volcanoes. Rain and river crossings made it feel more like Scotland than Peru.
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What might have been a spectacular descent with views across the 'valley of the volcanoes' became a cold and sodden slog through cutting rain - faces wrapped tight under buffs and hoods. The hotel at Andagua was very welcome despite its leaking roof and absence of promised hot water. Also I do have a weakness for towns that embrace topiary. .
The next morning the skies were clear again so we could appreciate the various volcanoes popping up in different sizes along the valley - from your basic 'starter' cone, less than a hundred metres high, to your luxury 'could blow at any time' cone. It was glorious cruising down the track through the different layers of lava but I don't think I'd want to buy a house there.
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On the other side of the valley we reached the village of Chachas which has a reputation for being friendly but I wasn't expecting the old woman in the restaurant to welcome me with such a big hug. We spent the night in the immaculately clean home of a lady called Irma whose solar shower may well be the best in the whole of Peru. We might have stayed there another day if there'd been electricity. Instead we left early to get started on the next enormous climb.