Days 12-14: Piura>Desert>Beach>Piura

It still baffles us to think how we ever managed to get from Cuzco to Piura in just 11 days; but in doing so a new set of possibilities emerged. We had 3 days to spare.

The first priorities were to drink and celebrate, get our clothes washed, sleep - which was the prime focus for day 12.

But as day 13 dawned we realised there was something missing from the trip. Though we had driven a massive distance, and over the most inhospitable terrain, we had not really reached a true endpoint.  Sure, Piura is in the very North of the country, but what we needed was a clear physical endpoint, namely the Pacific Ocean!

And so off we set, across the Sechura Desert which was pretty barren and smelt of fish in many parts, to the small beach town of Colan. Here we literally reached the end of the earth, taking our beloved mototaxi as far as was physically possible before having to turn around.

We spent a relaxing evening by the sea, playing 31s (a card game taught to us by Aussies Doug and Dave) before completing the final, final, final leg of the journey back to Piura, an 50km blast down the treacherous Pan-American highway (from which mototaxis are clearly banned...but hey, "law schmaw").