The border crossing less travelled

The La Balsa border crossing is infamous for its relaxed imigracion office, meaning, the one official assigned to the post likes to take extended lunches and can be difficult to locate. The day I arrive is no different. I ascertain from the locals the imigracion officer left and no one really knows when he’ll return. I hunker down for the long haul. After a couple hours of down time at the border I get back on the hard pack and make good time to San Ignacio. I continue south the following morning expecting a relatively light riding day to Chachapoyas. Rather than the longer southern route through Jaen I find a more direct route through Bellavista. What my map didn’t indicate is there is no bridge crossing the river at Bellavista. I ride to the river’s edge expecting to find a shallow crossing and instead find a loading area for the local ferry service and the ferry is a small wooden boat. The proprietor acts as if loading my oversized bike and all its luggage is business as usual so I figure, why not? Besides, the day was already quite hot and I’m not keen on turning around. The boat captain and his mate have my bike loaded in a near blink of the eye and we are off. The crossing is uneventful and I spend most of my time fielding queries from my fellow passengers about my travels. Had I been more attentive to the bike I may have prevented the three inch wooden spear from puncturing my front tire. After suffering from near heat exhaustion changing my flat on the river bank I welcomed the cool mountain air of Chachapoyas.