Scerenity: Chiclayo, Peru

Our bus from Cajamarca arrived at 6:45 in the morning. We stumbled out, dazed and a bit confused, batted away the swarms of taxi drivers and headed towards the main square to look for a hostel. We walked by a 4-star hotel that doubled as a casino (don't think so) and a decent-looking hostel that had tinted windows and man (who we could only barely see) waving us away. Hmm. A bit early, perhaps? We passed many more closed hostels before reaching the Plaza de Armas, at which point we saw Hostal Jade, right next to the plaza, with open doors. We walked up the stairs to find a sweet woman who owned it. She showed us the room that had a view out onto the plaza and cathedral, with a private bathroom and hot water, and a little mini-terrace. 45 soles ($15) a night, for both of us. I love South America.

After dropping off our stuff, buying tickets for the next day, and having breakfast (can you see the pattern?), we wandered around the plaza for a bit before deciding to join a tour in order to visit a forest (Bosque de Pomac) and archeological site about an hour or so out of the city. The only tour available was leaving in in a few minutes, so we joined and hopped in the mini-van. First we went to Museo Brüning, which showcased the history and culture of the Chimú, Mochi and Inca civilazations (Jay took photos, see links below). Then we all had lunch together, which gave us an opportunity to talk with the other people. The group had a total of 6 people - a couple from Trujillo, a woman from Lima, a woman from Berlin, and us. Everyone was extremely nice and friendly, which was a welcome change from the other tour we went on (where everyone basically kept to themselves).

After lunch, we continued on to Bosque de Pomac to see el Árbol Milenario, an extremely old tree that twists and turns in intricate patterns and is worshiped for its association with mysticism in the region.

We walked through the Bosque, with a guide who told us about the excavation sites we passed and explained some more of the ancient local culture and what had been discovered about the native population that once lived here.

After the tour, we returned to Chiclayo, walked around a bit, and enjoyed views of the sunset over the plaza from our window. That night, a procession (apparently in celebration of the Virgin Mary) walked, sang and chanted right past our window, ending up in the plaza where they had speeches, more chants, and fireworks. We have no idea why this happened (a special event, a holiday?), but it was interesting to see and we were very thankful for the lucky placement of our window.

The next morning, we hopped on a 3-hour bus to Piura, where we are sitting right now. We're here for the day, and then taking an 8-hour overnight bus to Loja, Ecuador. So far we've had a great time in Peru, but are also excited to see Ecuador. Fortunately, we will be coming back through Peru (Piura, Lima, Arequipa and Tacna) before heading south to meet up with Carrie and Stephanie for our flight to Patagonia. Yay travel.

Here are photos. Enjoy!

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