Tariy, Days 4 & 5: The Turtle and Trujillo

Hi everyone! I´m currently in Lima in a super hot internet bodega across the street from my house. Today is day 9 of my travels and it´s my birthday!! I hear there is a surprise party planned for me, not much of a surprise anymore I guess, but regardless it should be a ton of fun. I will continue where I left off last, in Casma visiting the ancient ruins of Sechin.

Thursday March 13th (cont´d)

Although Sechin is small compared to most archaeological sites in Peru it still holds a wealth of artifacts to look at. The small museum next to the ruins exhibits a mummy with its mouth gaping wide open and it also contains many drawings and works of art taken from the ruins.

Here are a couple of pictures so you get a better idea of what the exterior of the compound looks like.

Maycol and I have become pretty effective at flagging down vehicles by now. I have to say that our best technique, although I don´t really recommend it, is to just lie in the middle of the road and wait for a car to stop.

From Sechin we headed out to a beach about half an hour away from Casma on the western coast of Peru called La Playa de la Tortugas or Turtle Beach in English. The beach was pretty empty being that it was a weekday and also the evening. We walked around and admired the beautiful setting, the beach being wedged between two large mountains. The beach itself is small and looks like a turtle hence its name. We strolled the peaceful beach and sat down to drink some Brahman at a small restaurant while we waited for some transportation to bring us back to Casma.

That night was our last in Casma and we celebrated it by going out with my cousins to a discoteca. We toasted the night away with 12 jars of beer and danced the night away. I was surprised how many people were out considering it was a weekday. But if Peru is known for one thing it is its love of partying.

In the morning we caught a small collectivo to Chimbote, a town about two hours away from Casma and a transportation hub. From there we took a larger bus to the city of Trujillo, arriving in the afternoon.

I´ll leave it at here for now, I´m leaving for Huacachina, Pisco and Ica tomorrow. I´ll try to post some birthday pictures and continue from Trujillo over the weekend, Chau!

Tariy, Day 2: Caral

Tuesday March 11th (cont´d)

So to begin where I left off, heading up the trail to the ruins of Caral my cousin Maycol and I came across a pair of mean dogs, we threw some rocks at them and that settled things pretty quickly. Yes I know that some of you may take offense to our actions but some advice for anyone traveling in the country is that a rock is your best friend against dogs who are far from tamed and are territorial. The "smell my hand" trick just does not cut it when it comes to such circumstances. If you travel in large groups then it´s a non issue but if your going at it alone, take my advice.

After slaying the beasts (c´mon lighten up!) we continued on the trail that eventually led us to a small river with a very dainty bridge. Looking downstream I couldn't help but scratch my head as I could see more sturdy looking bridge in the distance. We took the dainty bridge over, because you know.... that´s just a heck of a lot more fun.

It took us another fifteen minutes from the bridge to reach the archaeological site of Caral. As a student of history and archeology it was a sight to behold. There in front of me lay 6 ancient pyramids dating back to 3000 BC. These megaliths have yet to be completely unearthed, and according to one of the archaeologists it will take another 15 years before the site is fully excavated. After we had a look around the place we hiked up the side of a mountain for a better look.

When backpacking to place to place there is never really any reliable transportation. There are no schedules, no worries and unfortunately very little to do while waiting for that elusive collectivo.

We eventually flagged down a super crowded collectivo with about 10 people inside. Being that I was hitchhiking I didn't have a problem with it. Getting to know Caral was great I will definitely make it a stop for future programs. With Karikuy however you won´t have to wait on the side of the road, all transportation is planned out of course.

The night was spent in Supe, a nearby town and although it was a pleasant place, it was very quiet. The town was dead by 11 and there was no nightlife, it didn't help that it was Tuesday either. What do you do in such circumstances? Well you break out the radio, drink some beer and talk about life and all of it´s surprises. Including the nasty surprise that I was very badly sunburnt.