Paseando entre muros eternos en Trujillo

Another early rising. This time to start our tour of the city itself. We began with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, and then it was off to the PromPeru office in Trujillo, not far at all from our hotel since it’s located on the Main Square. We met with the representative and took some pictures together with him, and then Yolanda said we had to start since we were going on a walking t our. Unluckily for us, the weather decided not to cooperate. It was drizzling, damp, and a little chilly. Brrr. We chose to brave the elements anyway.

Yolanda led us around the Main Square first and explained what each building was. Lovely architecture and vivid colors, even on this gray morning. She told the history of each and even provided architectural details. She certainly knows a lot on these subjects. We saw a couple of mansions (Casa Urquiaga and Casa Bracamonte) plus the city hall. In the middle of the square is a massive monument erected in honor of Liberty. Trujillo is the capital of the department of La Libertad and was the first city to declare its independence from Spain. The square is also a pedestrian mall. No cars allowed, so it’s safe and calm as well.

Our next stop was the cathedral. After a brief tour, we took off down some side streets that are lined with houses built during the Spanish Colony and whose windows are covered with ornate grills and bars or that feature enclosed, wooden balconies. We then found our way to two important landmarks: the Casa de la Emancipacion and the Iturrequi Palace, both built during what is known as the Republican Era and perfectly preserved, like time capsules, so we felt as if we had stepped back in time some two hundred years.

The walking tour had just ended, and Yolanda whisked us off to see more archeological ruins but this time from a culture called the Chimu. We were told they lived in this area from 850 A.D. to 1440 A.D., when they were defeated by the Incas. The first one was the Pyramid of the Rainbow, but the more important site was the mud city of Chan Chan. It’s the largest of its kind in the Americas, measuring some 20 km². The Chimu built 10 large chambers within the city, and the walls are huge: 3 meters thick by 11 meters high, and we are guided through the best preserved. Unfortunately, Chan Chan sits right next to the Pacific Ocean, so the salt air has really eroded the mud walls. Our trek through this ancient city takes us to a large plaza, a small, interior pond from which the Chimu got their fresh water, storehouses, more huge walls, and some pyramid shaped temples. It’s all kind of disorienting, like a labyrinth rather than a city.

The Chimu decorated the walls of their city with reliefs: geometric shapes, birds, and fish. Pretty incredible. Overall, we are amazed at Chan Chan. It doesn’t look like much when you are driving towards it, just a bunch of mud walls in the midst of the desert and next to the sea, but when you get inside and see everything it is hiding and realize it has been standing here for hundreds of years, you are pretty much left speechless. Then, there is the ceaseless voice of the sea ever in the background. Yolanda tells us that legend has it the Chimu came from over the sea, possibly from Asia.

OMG! I just took a picture of something out of a Chimu legend… a Peruvian hairless dog. It easily could be one of  the creatures we saw on the walls of Chan Chan.

All that walking and sightseeing has famished us, so Yolanda tells us we were going to eat some of the best  seafood  Peru has to offer at Huanchaco Beach. How far, we asked, because we couldn’t last much longer without  food. 12 kilometers. That’s good. And worth the wait. The fish was excellent, and we ate something called causa  de cangrejo, a mashed potato cake stuffed with crabmeat. We were also served Peruvian white wine. As we ate, we looked out upon this beach and saw the lovers strolling by hand in hand and the surfers braving the rough  waves.

A quaint custom of this place is the “caballito de totora”, a canoelike boat fashioned with reeds that local fisherman still use daily to go out to sea and fish. It is an old custom, hearkening back to the time of the Moches, and the techniques haven’t changed much either: e arly morning cast off to place nets, return to the beach to wait for the fish, and then an afternoon launch to bring in the catch. You can see the picture we took and imagine how hard it would be to handle such a boat. The pilot has to kneel down in prow. Poor knees!

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Sept. 2^nd

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Early rising, very early… three in the morning. Cleared the sleep from my eyes. It’s too bad we aren’t able to enjoy our hotel room more, especially the bed where we can play some hide and seek…

<!–[if gte vml 1]> <![endif]–><!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–> Morning traffic was light to the airport, and check in lines practically non-existent, though there was still plenty of hustle and bustle, even at this early hour. We checked our luggage at the Lan Peru counter for the 6:35 A.M. flight to Trujillo and now had to wait. Despite the craziness of yesterday’s travel and the early wake up, Olga and I weren’t the least bit tired; the best thing, though, was this flight was really short: 65 minutes, and then it was off to the legend.

The flight was smooth all the way to Trujillo. There, we were met by Yolanda, our guide, and Juan, our driver. They will go with us everywhere.

<!–[if gte vml 1]> <![endif]–><!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–>But first, they took us to the Libertador Hotel in town. Smack dab on the Main Square. What a location! And what a building: a beautiful Spanish Colonial mansion transformed into a charming hotel. We took a quick look around and realized right away it follows the traditional layout of these types of mansions, with its rooms, restaurants, and sitting room all facing an interior patio filled with meticulously pruned flowering plants and shrubs as well as the swimming pool. Smiling faces greet you around every corner as staff members are more than willing to lend a hand. Can’t beat service like that.

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We took a short rest and then right off to visit some Pre-Incan ruins. We went to see two landmarks from the Moche culture: the pyramids of the sun and of the moon. Yolanda told us these people lived in this area from 200 B.C. to 600 A.D. I was awed at the size of the stones they used to build the first pyramid. Both Olga and I are reminded of Egyptian pyramids although we have never been there. Just seen them on T.V. or in a magazine.

Down a path to the foot of the Cerro Blanco (a small hill), we reached the Pyramid of the Moon. There’s an archeological dig still in progress, and they let us take a glimpse inside.

The Mochicas had an interesting method for building these pyramids. You see, their rulers would command their builders to construct a platform. While they ruled, the builders built. Once the new dynasty took over, they would cover the last ruler’s level with adobe and begin building their own monument overtop of the existing one. Archeologists have found seven levels in this pyramid, and the inner and outer walls of each are decorated beautifully with moldings and ceremonial motifs and painted in vibrant reds and ochre.

At the end of our visit, our stomachs were rumbling, so off we drove to a local restaurant called Chelsey. Mmmm. The food was delicious. We ordered some local dishes like cabrito con arroz y friloles, baked goat with rice and beans, pato con arroz verde, baked duck in a spiced rice, papa a la huacaina, boiled potatoes covered in a spicy cheese sauce, and rocoto rellleno, a beef stuffed spicy chili pepper. We weren’t sure how we were going to be able to get up from the table because it was all so filling.

That afternoon, the plan was to go to a dance school to learn how to dance the Marinera. Maybe we can work off the weight we just put on! Yolanda told us it is Trujillo’s pride and signature dance, a very sensual display whose beginning has been traced back to the time of the Conquistadors and their African slaves. We first watched as several couples took to the floor to show off their skill and their elegant outfits. It is a true mating dance as the men try to woo the women and the women flirt coyly with their partners.

The first exciting day is now over, and it’s time for a well deserved rest…first dinner, and then to bed.

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Sept. 1<!–[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]–><!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–> <!–[endif]–>^st

Our taxi dropped us off at the curb of the Barcelona airport where we were to pick up our flight aboard KLM airlines to Peru with one stop in Amsterdam. I was so excited that we were just a few short hours from our destination that I almost left one of my suitcases in the car.

We finally made it! I was tired and bored from sitting in the plane so many hours, but excitement filled me with nervous energy. I was ready for the real journey to begin, but we couldn’t just yet. First we had a meeting with PromPeru.

Our PromPeru hosts were very gracious; they had us picked up at the airport and taken to their headquarters. The hop from Callao to Lima along some major Lima streets makes you realize just how big this city is. And full of cars, people, motorcycles, trucks, buses… constant movement. Once at the office, we met PromPeru representatives and one from the travel agency handling our trip arrangements. Very nice people.

Later, we were taken to our hotel in Lima. PromPeru picked out a great one for us to stay in: the Thunderbird Principal Hotel. I love the location. Right in the heart of Miraflores. You can feel the beat of its energy pulsating through the streets and alleyways. As I look out my guestroom window or from the restaurant, I see the city sprawl out in front of me, a spectacular sight.

Twenty-four hours without sleeping does take its toll, let me assure you. When Olga and I finally stopped to rest, we couldn’t believe how tired we were. I am adding a picture of our first day’s runaround to this blog, but I should warn you that Olga’s not too thrilled about having our haggard expressions posted for all the world to see. She is definitely much prettier than what the photo shows and always prim and proper (where’s Photoshop when you need it, eh?).