And into Peru....Beaches!

On the crossing from Ecuador into Peru, we missed the Ecuador customs stop (there was no sign!), so we sailed directly into Peru.  They made us go back to Ecuador, about a 10 minute drive, just to turn in our Ecuador vehicle permit, and then return to Peruvian customs.   At the Peru immigration and customs, everything was very straightforward and official.  We had no trouble, except for when they asked for our license plate number, and I replied “Pichula”.  As everyone in the office burst out laughing, I remembered that yes, in Peru they understand what the word means… I tried to keep a straight face and stammered out a story about Pichula being the name of a mountain in Virginia.  They bought it and gave us the vehicle permit, laughing the whole time.  Welcome to Peru!

 

We drove south, excited to get to the Peruvian beaches!  It had been a long time since we had seen a beach (since Venezuela in fact) and I was missing them.  The first beach town that we drove to was called Zorritos. 

 

Zorritos was a small town, with streets filled with tuk tuks, and pretty Pacific beaches.  The owners of a hostel and restaurant agreed to let us park in their parking lot, right along the beach.  We had a nice set up going. 

 

That night we went for a beer at the hostel, and told the owner that it was our first night in Peru.  He warmly welcomed us to his country, and asked if we had tried the ceviche.  Well, we love ceviche, and told him that. “But you have to have Peruvian ceviche,” he said, “it is the best.  Here, let me prepare you a plate for your first night in Peru.” We hesitated, not yet familiar with the prices in Peru and wondering how much it would cost.  But, we gave in and said, ok, one plate to share, to celebrate arriving to a new country.

The ceviche turned out to be very good, although Ricardo’s is better… but in the end he charged us 32 soles – which is about $13!  Considering that we had gotten used to meals under $2 in Ecuador, this seemed outrageous to us (and now knowing real prices in Peru, it was).  We figured it was our own fault for not asking the price first, though, and since they were letting us stay for free in their parking area, we just paid it.  After spending almost 3 months in Peru, the first night was by far the most expensive meal we’ve had here!

We spent a couple days in Zorritos (and didn’t go back to the restaurant).  The beach was beautiful and relaxing, but the days were mostly cloudy and cool. 

 

We decided to move a little farther south, to the popular beach resort area of Máncora.  We arrived in Máncora and not only did we have much better luck with the weather, but we met the French family there too!  Our friends Nicolas and Celine are travelling the Americas in a camper with their 3 kids, and this is the 2^nd time we have met on the trip.  They told us that they had found an incredible, free place to park right along the beach, so of course we found the spot and joined them!

 

Mancora was great - it is a popular beach vacation spot in Peru, but since it was off season, there weren't so many people were there.  We spent lovely, sunny, warm days enjoying the beach.  Aaahhh...

 

We watched some amazing sunsets, too... the pictures just don't do them justice!



 

 

 

And nights were for relaxing with our good "neighbors"!

I never want the long, lazy beach days to end, but alas, in the end we always have to move on. 

Goodbye Mancora!

It was a long drive through the Peruvian desert to get to our next stopping point, Huanchaco. 
 

At one point, we almost ran out of gas.  We stopped at the first semi-populated area (no gas stations though, of course) that we had seen in 100 miles or so, and a man sold Ricardo a Coke bottle filled with gas from his car.  It was enough to get us to the next gas station, but it was a close call!

back on the road

The day we rolled into Huanchaco was cloudy and drizzly.  The city had a nice feel to it, though, and we parked ourselves right along the beach and crossed our fingers that the weather would get better.

We were in luck, because the next days, although never as warm as in Mancora, were sunny and nice.  We met some other overlanders, two German couples (traveling separately), a Canadian family with two boys, and a French couple with a tiny kitten they had recently adopted and named "Salchipapa"  after the popular fast food item with sausage and french fries - haha, great name!

While in Huanchacho, we decided to visit the nearby ruins called Chan Chan.  Chan Chan is a Precolombian city built out of adobe.  It was the largest adobe city in all of America, built by...No, NOT the Incas!!...the ancient Chimu culture.  It was once a rival city to Cusco, but the Incas came and destroyed the city in approximately 1470.  The ruins have been rebuilt and restored based on archaeological evidence, and the area has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 

 

The city is almost maze-like, with many corridors, rooms, and large ceremonial areas.  The thick walls of the city are decorated with many designs representing animals like birds, fish, and squirrels.  There are also many geometrical designs - the lattice-type design is thought to represent fishing nets, due to Chan Chan's close proximity to the ocean.

 

designs on Chan Chan walls

 



Ricardo being a Chimu king

Chan Chan water reservoir

After visiting the main archaeological site, we also drove around to the various sites located around the city of Trujillo.  We went to the museum that had statues of what it is thought the Chimu people may have looked like, as well as some artifacts found at the site.
 

 We also went to some of the temples that are located right within the city.  Cool!

We found some cool animals at the temples:  a pair of owls hanging out on the perimeter, and some ugly Peruvian almost-hairless dogs! 

Mother and baby owl?

Ugly dog award!

Our beach days were coming to a close.  Next we would be heading inland, to the Peruvian Andes, and Huascaran National Park.  I was sad to say goodbye to the beach, but exited for the mountain adventures that were to come!  We savored our last beach sunsets...

 

Next post...Huascaran glaciers!