Into Peru

We have arrived in Lima, the capital of Peru, after 10 days of travelling. Our journey has, quite literally, been one of ups and downs, sometimes in the coastal lowlands and sometimes up in the mountains of the Andes.

Our passage through the Equador/Peru border was quiet as we arrived in the bus at about 5 a.m. on the morning of the 2nd Jan. There were only four passengers and we all filed towards a rather seedy office to present our passports. Jon and I were having a tiff because he had, meanly I thought, nudged me awake with his elbow and we went through he whole process in stoney silence. On the Peru side, the official was bravely fending-off a bat that had become trapped inside his office. He held a broom in one hand and completed our forms with the other. Once the bus got going again we were astonished to find, as the dawn was breaking, that we were now in a desert region with rolling sand dunes where there had been misty mountains before.

The entry into the town of Piura was heralded by piles and piles of stinky rubbish, and the bus station was a complete nightmare with seething humanity and fetid waste all over the road. We made an instant decision to catch a bus, the same day, to Chiclayo which added another 4 hours to our journey. Chiclayo was very pleasant and we stayed there for two nights in a hostal which was so bland that neither of us can remember anything about it.

We then carried on our journey to Truillo where we joined a tour to visit the ruined temples of the Moche and Chimu people that predated the Inca rule. Through this visit we have developed a fascination for the history of Peru. Our next stop was in Huaraz, high in the mountains. We found a nice cafe, in the town, which provided a book exchange and reference books. Here, for the three days were were there, we enjoyed breakfast in the mornings and read up about the culture and customs of the people , got a little more information about the Incas and planned the route we will take. The Incas ruled a vast area of South America from Equador to the south of Chile from about 1100 to 1500. They were peaceful conquerors who left communities intact and didn´t destroy cities. Thus there are many well-preserved ruins which have been excavated in Peru. The most intriguing and famous is Machu Picchu, the Inca temple at Cusco, which is where we are headed next.