Ruins, beaches and long bus journeys...Welcome to Peru!
Getting into Peru was a really simple affair compared to all of our drama with airplanes. We were warned by our hosts in Vilcabamba that while crossing the border at night was safe, it was a good idea to keep an eye on all of our luggage. They also recommended that we write down the bus number just encase the bus driver decided to drive away without us. Ofcourse, non of that was an issue. At 4am in the morning people move around like ghosts. One interesting thing that we found was that we obtained an amazingly detailed map of Ecuador on our exit from Ecuador.
Arriving into Puira after the long, long bus ride with little sleep, felt like we were shellshocked. It was hard to think clearly and with the swarm of taxi drivers at the terminal we made some hasty decisions that left us red faced for a few days. Just to warn anyone coming to Puira, all the bus terminals are on the main street, it doesnt cost $8 on a taxi to take you around the block. Next, the exchange rate is at around S2.7 (soles) for US1, there hasnt been any crises in the country that deflated the exchange rate. Thirdly, Chiclayo and Trujillo are as safe as any other city in Ecuador or Colombia, just go on!
Mancora
With the urging of our ´helpful and trustworthy` taxi driver we decided to head off to Mancora even though the plan was to go to Chiclayo.
The drive to Mancora was spectacular. We passed through vast deserts, dunes, mountains and ruins sprawled all over the farm land. Mancora itself is situated on the coast, surrounded completely by a massive desert. The town felt like a carnival; lots of colour, people and restaurants to cater to all of the tourists needs. Getting of the bus in the main plaza, the bus was surrounded by little mopeds, everyone yelling at the same time that they could take us to the best hostels for the best price. Honestly, non of those little retrofitted bikes could carry our backpacks even if we wanted to go with them. Instead, we walked around Mancora looking at 6 or so different hostels until we settled on Hostal Posada. It turned out to be a really good decision to come to Mancora. Not only did we obtain allot of usefull information about what to expect of Peru, we were also able to understand the pricing system as the change from dollars to soles plays with the mind. The hostel had a camp ground, a decent kitchen and somewhat warm showers. The best thing about it was that it was just a 5 minute walk to the beach.
Mancora was our `coffee break`. A place to break up the journey and to get our heads around Peru. One thing that we immediately noticed is that internet cafes are much cheaper in Peru than they were in Ecuador, S1 compared to US1. Fruit and general groceries are a bit more expensive. Our greatest discovery was that Peru actually has some pretty good beer. For S6 we were able to obtain a 620ml bottle of Cusqueña Malta, a really good dark beer. Interestingly enough, the price of one bottle in a bottle shop was the same as the price you would pay for it in a restaurant. We splurged a few times on Ceviche and we found that it differs a little here from the ceviche that we`ve had in Ecuador.
The hostel that we chose to stay at was recommended by Lonely Planet. While it was family ran, quite and near the plaza, it turned out to be one of the worst hostels that we`ve stayed at. The owner of this place was a really shy and quite lady in her late 30`s with obvious social and communication issues. The hostel was our first in a few ways. Firstly the kitchen didnt have a fridge, which we managed to do without, however what it did have was a load of cocoroaches crawling all over the walls. The bathrooms had little hot water and no toilet paper while also missing the toilet seat covers. Obviously, we dont recommend staying there.
Chiclayo turned out to be a nice city. It had a beautiful main plaza and lots of of supermarkets and internet cafes. The little towns surrounding Chicalyo had allot to offer in the way of ruins and other historical sights. We decided to pay a visit to Lambayeque, a little town, 30 minutes by bus. There we visited the Royal Tombs of Sipan. A museum with the largest display of gold artifacts that I have ever seen. Another thing that we quickly learned is that while Peru has all these amazing things to see, they are quite expensive. All the touristy sights are desgined to milk as much money from the tourist as possible. Happily we discovered that our student cards give us huge discounts, on the order of 70%.
Chachapoyas
The reason that we came to Chachapoyas was because we wanted to see the less popular rival of Machu Pichu; Kuenka. Kuenka is a huge fortress located on top of a mountain. While it has massive walls surrounding the city, archeologists believe that it wasnt a defensive fortress, but rather a place dedicated to worship.
We stayed in Hostal Plaza, a hotel facing the plaza with a really nice interior court yard and a downstairs restaurant. Interestingly enough, while having the usual 2 double beds, there was a huge shower built into the
middle of the room, with step leading to it. We quickly learned that Chachapoyas had much more to offer than just the fortress. Just in 2005 the third largest waterfall in the world was discovered 2 hours away from Chachapoyas. At the same time, there are a myriad of other ruins and archeological sites to visit. Another thing that Chachapoyas has going for it is the really cool Mercado Central. There we were able to obtain the local specialty, Juanes, a type of tomale made with chicken, maize, olives and egg. For S1 (or 40 cents) each they were a bargain.
We took a tour to Kuelap, which included an English guide, a really tasty lunch and a long bus ride there and back. In terms of grandeur, Kuelap is massive. As you drive through the valleys, you can see it perched ontop of the mountains. We learned that inoder to build the place, people had to haul huge rocks down from the river floor 3km away, up the mountain. This was the exact same way that they obtained enough water to sustain the population.
The next day we decided to head to Karajia. Karajia is a little town, 2 hours drive from Chachapoyas which is home to really small but interesting sarcophagi. Seven of them stand guard to the enterance of the cave, overlooking a huge valley. Said to contain curled up mummies and perhaps even treasures, a couple of years ago a helicopter took 2 of them away for further study. While they are 2.5m in height, the distance that you can view them from makes them seem less significant and impressive. Its easy enough to get to them on your own, so a tour is not worth the expense.
Huanchaco
Located 15 minutes North of Trujillo, Huanchaco turned out to be the perfect place for relaxing and unwinding. Arriving at the bus terminal we knew which hostels we wanted to check out and how much it should cost to get there. Our taxi driver suggested that the place we wanted to stay at didnt have a kitchen so we decided to stay at Hostal Fiscal, a quite family run hostel. It had a really good kitchen but the fact that it was so dead really didnt inspire us to stay there longer. Next day we ventured over to the hostel that we were initially going to go to, and turns out that not only do they have an awesome kitchen, they also have a really good camping setup. Needless to say we moved the following day.
Hostel Nylamp is located on the other end of town. It has the best camp grounds that we´ve stayed at, with a huge kitchen with all the possible utensils and some of the best hot showers. At S10 a night, it was a complete bargain. Getting out of our tent every morning we were treated to a view of the roaring ocean, palms and the desert behind us. The fact that there was a guy there with a slack line only added to the feel of the place. We spent way longer than we intended in Huanchaco, laying around on the beach drinking Inca Cola quickly became a habit.
Besides the amazing beach, there are a ton of archiological sites to check out around the area. One of the biggest attractions is Chan Chan. A huge sprawling city covering 1000km, was once home to 250k people. One of the first things that we explored was the palace located within the walls of Chan Chan. It has been rebuilt in places, with explanations and easy to follow routes so as not to get lost in the city made of sand. Getting to the palace is a 30 minute walk through what looks like a desert, with crumbling walls and half hidden foundations as far as they eye can see. There are plenty of people offering to drive you around so that you can see all the sites, or tour guides offering there services suggesting that you really need them. Honestly, it was mostly a rip off. All the places can be reached by bus and most of the places offer some form of explanations as to what they are and what happened there. We walked from the palace back onto the main road to the Museum dedicated to the site. Calling it a museum is a stretch as all it is, is 3 rooms, with bits of information, honestly one of the smallest museums in the world. From there we walked to Huancas Esmeralda, a temple located in the suburbs outlaying Trujillo. While impressive with lots of cool designs, its most striking feature was that it was located in the middle of suburbia, a centuries old temple amongst twenty first century buildings.
Getting into Peru was a really simple affair compared to all of our drama with airplanes. We were warned by our hosts in Vilcabamba that while crossing the border at night was safe, it was a good idea to keep an eye on all of our luggage. They also recommended that we write down the bus number just encase the bus driver decided to drive away without us. Ofcourse, non of that was an issue. At 4am in the morning people move around like ghosts. One interesting thing that we found was that we obtained an amazingly detailed map of Ecuador on our exit from Ecuador.
Arriving into Puira after the long, long bus ride with little sleep, felt like we were shellshocked. It was hard to think clearly and with the swarm of taxi drivers at the terminal we made some hasty decisions that left us red faced for a few days. Just to warn anyone coming to Puira, all the bus terminals are on the main street, it doesnt cost $8 on a taxi to take you around the block. Next, the exchange rate is at around S2.7 (soles) for US1, there hasnt been any crises in the country that deflated the exchange rate. Thirdly, Chiclayo and Trujillo are as safe as any other city in Ecuador or Colombia, just go on!
Mancora
With the urging of our ´helpful and trustworthy` taxi driver we decided to head off to Mancora even though the plan was to go to Chiclayo.The drive to Mancora was spectacular. We passed through vast deserts, dunes, mountains and ruins sprawled all over the farm land. Mancora itself is situated on the coast, surrounded completely by a massive desert. The town felt like a carnival; lots of colour, people and restaurants to cater to all of the tourists needs. Getting of the bus in the main plaza, the bus was surrounded by little mopeds, everyone yelling at the same time that they could take us to the best hostels for the best price. Honestly, non of those little retrofitted bikes could carry our backpacks even if we wanted to go with them. Instead, we walked around Mancora looking at 6 or so different hostels until we settled on Hostal Posada. It turned out to be a really good decision to come to Mancora. Not only did we obtain allot of usefull information about what to expect of Peru, we were also able to understand the pricing system as the change from dollars to soles plays with the mind. The hostel had a camp ground, a decent kitchen and somewhat warm showers. The best thing about it was that it was just a 5 minute walk to the beach.
Mancora was our `coffee break`. A place to break up the journey and to get our heads around Peru. One thing that we immediately noticed is that internet cafes are much cheaper in Peru than they were in Ecuador, S1 compared to US1. Fruit and general groceries are a bit more expensive. Our greatest discovery was that Peru actually has some pretty good beer. For S6 we were able to obtain a 620ml bottle of Cusqueña Malta, a really good dark beer. Interestingly enough, the price of one bottle in a bottle shop was the same as the price you would pay for it in a restaurant. We splurged a few times on Ceviche and we found that it differs a little here from the ceviche that we`ve had in Ecuador.
Chicalyo
We arrived to Chicalyo in the morning and were adamant on taking it slow. We hailed the best looking cab; a fancy silver, slick looking car. While on the drive our taxi driver informed us that we needed to be really careful with what kind of cabs we caught. He enlightened us to the fact that even those taxis with signs, numbers and official stickers could all be faked. So our strategy for choosing cabs was completely gone out the window. The thing about cabs in Peru is that all to often, travellers would get into a cab, only to be driven to the furthest part of the town and have their bank accounts emptied out. The solution is to pretty much avoid catching taxis or have the hostel or bus company call official cabs. In general, its quite easy getting around on local transport, there are a million combis going to all parts of the city, they are also allot cheaper.The hostel that we chose to stay at was recommended by Lonely Planet. While it was family ran, quite and near the plaza, it turned out to be one of the worst hostels that we`ve stayed at. The owner of this place was a really shy and quite lady in her late 30`s with obvious social and communication issues. The hostel was our first in a few ways. Firstly the kitchen didnt have a fridge, which we managed to do without, however what it did have was a load of cocoroaches crawling all over the walls. The bathrooms had little hot water and no toilet paper while also missing the toilet seat covers. Obviously, we dont recommend staying there.
Chiclayo turned out to be a nice city. It had a beautiful main plaza and lots of of supermarkets and internet cafes. The little towns surrounding Chicalyo had allot to offer in the way of ruins and other historical sights. We decided to pay a visit to Lambayeque, a little town, 30 minutes by bus. There we visited the Royal Tombs of Sipan. A museum with the largest display of gold artifacts that I have ever seen. Another thing that we quickly learned is that while Peru has all these amazing things to see, they are quite expensive. All the touristy sights are desgined to milk as much money from the tourist as possible. Happily we discovered that our student cards give us huge discounts, on the order of 70%.Chachapoyas
 |
| Main square |
We stayed in Hostal Plaza, a hotel facing the plaza with a really nice interior court yard and a downstairs restaurant. Interestingly enough, while having the usual 2 double beds, there was a huge shower built into the
middle of the room, with step leading to it. We quickly learned that Chachapoyas had much more to offer than just the fortress. Just in 2005 the third largest waterfall in the world was discovered 2 hours away from Chachapoyas. At the same time, there are a myriad of other ruins and archeological sites to visit. Another thing that Chachapoyas has going for it is the really cool Mercado Central. There we were able to obtain the local specialty, Juanes, a type of tomale made with chicken, maize, olives and egg. For S1 (or 40 cents) each they were a bargain.
We took a tour to Kuelap, which included an English guide, a really tasty lunch and a long bus ride there and back. In terms of grandeur, Kuelap is massive. As you drive through the valleys, you can see it perched ontop of the mountains. We learned that inoder to build the place, people had to haul huge rocks down from the river floor 3km away, up the mountain. This was the exact same way that they obtained enough water to sustain the population.
The next day we decided to head to Karajia. Karajia is a little town, 2 hours drive from Chachapoyas which is home to really small but interesting sarcophagi. Seven of them stand guard to the enterance of the cave, overlooking a huge valley. Said to contain curled up mummies and perhaps even treasures, a couple of years ago a helicopter took 2 of them away for further study. While they are 2.5m in height, the distance that you can view them from makes them seem less significant and impressive. Its easy enough to get to them on your own, so a tour is not worth the expense.
Huanchaco
Located 15 minutes North of Trujillo, Huanchaco turned out to be the perfect place for relaxing and unwinding. Arriving at the bus terminal we knew which hostels we wanted to check out and how much it should cost to get there. Our taxi driver suggested that the place we wanted to stay at didnt have a kitchen so we decided to stay at Hostal Fiscal, a quite family run hostel. It had a really good kitchen but the fact that it was so dead really didnt inspire us to stay there longer. Next day we ventured over to the hostel that we were initially going to go to, and turns out that not only do they have an awesome kitchen, they also have a really good camping setup. Needless to say we moved the following day.Hostel Nylamp is located on the other end of town. It has the best camp grounds that we´ve stayed at, with a huge kitchen with all the possible utensils and some of the best hot showers. At S10 a night, it was a complete bargain. Getting out of our tent every morning we were treated to a view of the roaring ocean, palms and the desert behind us. The fact that there was a guy there with a slack line only added to the feel of the place. We spent way longer than we intended in Huanchaco, laying around on the beach drinking Inca Cola quickly became a habit.
Besides the amazing beach, there are a ton of archiological sites to check out around the area. One of the biggest attractions is Chan Chan. A huge sprawling city covering 1000km, was once home to 250k people. One of the first things that we explored was the palace located within the walls of Chan Chan. It has been rebuilt in places, with explanations and easy to follow routes so as not to get lost in the city made of sand. Getting to the palace is a 30 minute walk through what looks like a desert, with crumbling walls and half hidden foundations as far as they eye can see. There are plenty of people offering to drive you around so that you can see all the sites, or tour guides offering there services suggesting that you really need them. Honestly, it was mostly a rip off. All the places can be reached by bus and most of the places offer some form of explanations as to what they are and what happened there. We walked from the palace back onto the main road to the Museum dedicated to the site. Calling it a museum is a stretch as all it is, is 3 rooms, with bits of information, honestly one of the smallest museums in the world. From there we walked to Huancas Esmeralda, a temple located in the suburbs outlaying Trujillo. While impressive with lots of cool designs, its most striking feature was that it was located in the middle of suburbia, a centuries old temple amongst twenty first century buildings.
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