The previous blog post was written in Trujillo and three days were spent within its charming colonial style boundaries. The beauty of Trujillo was a complete surprise and I arrived to the city bus terminal very early in the morning without any accommodation reserved. Only a few minutes of research about this place was undertaken beforehand and by complete luck a local taxi at the bus station recommended a hostel that ended up being one of my all time favorites of this trip. El Mochilero is a cheap, centrally located gem of a place to stay which offers great coffee and a heavily chilled out environment. This discovery was the first of many great experiences in Trujillo and for that I am truly thankful. The Plaza De Armas is stunningly clean, bright, and full of life. At night break dancers form circles and casual pedestrians roll through wide avenues lit in dim yellow hues. The food is great and there is access to some wonderful ruins such as the Chan Chan and Huaca Del Luna y Sol. Only fifteen minutes away is Huanchaco, a laid back beach town that provides seagoers with spenty of sun, fine sand, and relaxing ocean swells. After doing some exploring I was able to partake in a few language exchanges with some really cool locals. In the end this place ended up being one of my favorite cities to explore in Peru.
After the three day detour I hopped a four hour bus ride last friday to Chiclayo to visit my friend Kristie and her family. The ride to this destination was part of a promise I made two months ago and the trip up the coast went without problems. Chiclayo is a coastal city in Northern Peru and is situated between Trujillo and the beach haven of Piura. After spending exactly a week here a few striking characteristics have definitely set this place apart from anywhere else I have been in this trip. Currently the city, which is considerably hot, dry, dusty, and surprisingly loud, is under massive road reconstruction and it seems that for every person walking down the sidewalk there is at least one motorcycle taxi honking for their attention. A sea of vehicles swarm its narrow streets like ants attacking candy and moving from place to place at times has felt like a game of Frogger. It's the first time in a great while where the traffic congestion and frequently looming hum of passing vehicles has left me quite uncomfortable at times. Also despite it's normal appearance I have been warned multiple times that this place is a little dangerous and that constant caution is recommended. These descriptions seem like major reasons not to see this place but despite some of its tradeoffs Chiclayo offers the best food, access to some of the most culturally rich traditions, and houses some of the kindest people that I have ever encountered. The Ceviche, Arroz con Pato (duck), Cabrito (baby goat), Chaufa (Chinese infusions), and various Asados which can be found on nearly every street corner make this place a gastronomic Mecca. My friend Kristie has been a wonderful host and has done her best to expose me to the various cultural offerings of her city and for that I am truly fortunate and thankful.
In addition to food Chiclayo is in very close proximity to numerous pre Inka museums, ruins, and various historical sites. On Saturday we took a collectivo taxi to Lambayeque, a neighboring town, which supposedly was the first place officially liberated from the Spanish empire in Peru. On Sunday Kristie's sister and I went to El Museo Tumbas Reales De Sipan which houses a collection of artifacts taken from a Moche (one of the first Peruvian civilizations dating back thousands of years) temple. Also time has been shared around Pimental Beach, El Museo de Sican, and seeing inverted pyramids at Tucume. A great deal of time has been spent with the family of Kristie who all have been very welcoming and have shed a great deal of light on Peruvian home life, food culture, and family dynamics. Overall this experience in Chiclayo has been extremely rewarding and it is an absolute goal to return here in the future and to hopefully be as hospitable to guests in my future home as her family has been with me.
I apologize for the very wordy blog update but a lot of events have taken place since last week. On Sunday morning I will loop back south to Trujillo to commence a series of substantially lengthy bus rides to Chile and finally Argentina (and maybe Bolivia or maybe just buy a sandwich). More updates will be on the way soon and thank you for reading this blog! Have a great day and take care.
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