Since Google maps had positioned me off the beaten track, I asked some of the peasants for directions. Strangely enough they were still sitting coca chewing in front of their houses - not only during daytime, but also at night. After all their advice brought me back on track again! Yet the path was steep, it was late and my bed in Cajamarca was calling. This was the setting which led me into a miscalculation. When I spotted the mud hole ahead I figured, the only way through it, is with speed - but there was no way through it. I got stuck again, this time in the middle of nowhere or more precisely on a cart track in a Peruvian forest in the Andes. I stepped out into the mud; Investigating the situation I realized that not only the wheels were spinning, but also the car was sitting on a ramp of now firm soil. With my hands I tried to shuffle the soil away - pointless. Swearing, then silence - or wait a second, what was that? A robust noise nearby, the sound of splashing water and a familiar 'muh': a cow took a leak in the forest, obviously scared. - A couple of effectless attempts later, to move the car in either direction, I saw two LED lights approaching: The two guys who i asked for directions. They saw my calamity and hence offered to push the car while I was steering; one, two attempts - but not a single millimeter. We came to the conclusion that waiting for daylight and then get help. would be best. They left again, I returned into the car, canceled the hotel and put the seat into a sleeping position. Then I saw in rear view mirror that they were coming back. This time they were three and had tools with them: a pick, a spade and a hack. The pick was of most use. One of them used it with great skill to hack the soil loose while I shuffled it away. 20 minutes later we gave it another shot and it worked. The car was free again.
I had what I would call a Werner Herzog moment: not quite a ship over a hill drawn by an Indian tribe, but yet a car from a ramp by three campesinos; They did it during daytime, we at night. - Thank you Christian, Matthias and you, dude with the pick. - I returned to Cutervo where I found a hotel. I guess I got lucky - not only with the hotel.