Peru´s northern coast appeared to me as a world apart from Ecuador. Gone were the verdant mountains peering over deep valleys, and the rainy days that accompanied them and in their places were only sun, sand, ocean, and the occasional pre-Incan temple.
For all the reasons that I enjoyed this bleak desert, the most important stemmed from a tangible absence of international tourism which provided a variety of benefits for the lazy traveler, ie me. For starters, no reservations were needed - not for hotels or transportation, and certainly not for archaeological sites (stupid Cuzco). Additionally, the food was 100% Peruano/amazing/cheap. All of this acquainted a genuine feeling experience, and with very little expense to my patience.
Northern Peru, however, acquainted to more than just escaping Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts, it also provided the opportunity to explore archaeological sites and fantastic pre-Incan funerary objects. The Trujillo area proved to be truly spectacular in this respect, containing the world´s largest adobe city, Chan Chan, and the Huanca de la Luna with its colorful murals. The Chiclayo area´s sites also proved impressive, specifically the 20+ pyramids at Túcume and the wealth of lavish finds from ¨Our Lord of Sipan´s¨ tomb, located in the museum of Lambayeque .
The joys of local transportation abounded in these northern cities, where I appreciated the exhilaration of riding in some of the ubiquitous mototaxis (a motorcycle hitched with a rickshaw) and combis (a van overflowing with people and live chickens, including an assistant yelling at passerbys, and stopping to pick up anyone with $.30 and a desire to be herded like cattle). Sure this variety of transport meant crowed, cramped, smelly, and dangerous conditions, but for me it was a breath of fresh air.
Trujillo´s modern charms also shined as a highlight of the region, with a warm colonial air, fine dinning, bohemian cafes, and the nearby surfing town of Huanchaco. Huanchaco is famed for its oddly shaped kayaks, known as caballitos de torora, and its layedback atmosphere. There was also this dog, so cute...were I you I would not miss it, it caught things...
...I´m going to stop myself here because I´m running out of adjectives and am honestly finding it difficult to be sarcastic about the area.
For all the reasons that I enjoyed this bleak desert, the most important stemmed from a tangible absence of international tourism which provided a variety of benefits for the lazy traveler, ie me. For starters, no reservations were needed - not for hotels or transportation, and certainly not for archaeological sites (stupid Cuzco). Additionally, the food was 100% Peruano/amazing/cheap. All of this acquainted a genuine feeling experience, and with very little expense to my patience.
Northern Peru, however, acquainted to more than just escaping Hawaiian shirts and khaki shorts, it also provided the opportunity to explore archaeological sites and fantastic pre-Incan funerary objects. The Trujillo area proved to be truly spectacular in this respect, containing the world´s largest adobe city, Chan Chan, and the Huanca de la Luna with its colorful murals. The Chiclayo area´s sites also proved impressive, specifically the 20+ pyramids at Túcume and the wealth of lavish finds from ¨Our Lord of Sipan´s¨ tomb, located in the museum of Lambayeque .
The joys of local transportation abounded in these northern cities, where I appreciated the exhilaration of riding in some of the ubiquitous mototaxis (a motorcycle hitched with a rickshaw) and combis (a van overflowing with people and live chickens, including an assistant yelling at passerbys, and stopping to pick up anyone with $.30 and a desire to be herded like cattle). Sure this variety of transport meant crowed, cramped, smelly, and dangerous conditions, but for me it was a breath of fresh air.
Trujillo´s modern charms also shined as a highlight of the region, with a warm colonial air, fine dinning, bohemian cafes, and the nearby surfing town of Huanchaco. Huanchaco is famed for its oddly shaped kayaks, known as caballitos de torora, and its layedback atmosphere. There was also this dog, so cute...were I you I would not miss it, it caught things...
...I´m going to stop myself here because I´m running out of adjectives and am honestly finding it difficult to be sarcastic about the area.
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3 comments:
hi Russell,
sounds wonderful. Do you have any photos? Where to next?
MOM
caballitos de totora! se te olvido poner el nombre de totora.
hi Rosa!
how are you doing? What do you hear from Russell?
Sharon
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