Sand, clay and a beach

March 2-8:

The contrasts between the verdant Vilcabamba valley of southern Ecuador and northern Peru are stunning: the land becomes drier until it turns to desert, with sand drifting around rocky hills. Large swaths of desert are privately owned by mining interests, with what appear to be bleak mining camps scattered along dusty side tracks into the hills. Here and there are river valleys flowing with distant Andean glacial meltwaters, turning the desert into narrow green corridors of sugarcane and (believe it or not) rice paddies. At these river valleys along the Pacific coast are cities and evidence of ancient cultures clustered around these green corridors irrigated for hundreds and thousands of years by a network of canals.

We had crossed into Peru from Macara, and landed by bus in Piura with a cluster of other westerners. Together, we found banks to convert money into Peruvian soles, and then searched for a bus company to take us further south to Chiclayo. Unlike Ecuador, most Peruvian cities don´t have main bus stations, just the company depot, sometimes near or often on the other side of the city from the other companies´ depots. This makes coordination of bus travel among cities a more onerous undertaking for a tourist, to be sure. In Chiclayo, we were amazed at the small houses made of adobe or reed mats on the outskirts, clinging to existence in the desert dust. Then, there was the abundance, exuberance and wild abandon of mototaxis, a motorcycle with an enclosed bench for passengers behind the driver - just like in some parts of Asia!

We appreciated the company of Canadians from Mississauga as we explored the nearby ruins of Tucumbe (28 eroded pyramids, the largest adobe structures in South America), and the Bruning and Royal Sipan Tomb Museums. The latter two are stunning, with displays on the Moche and Chimu cultures that inhabitated northwest Peru before the Incas, and the amazing artefacts found in several unlooted royal tombs. These included intricate headresses and necklesses, hundreds of pots with intriguing designs, plus numerous large and sculpted solid gold pieces to adorn the heads, ears, chests and arms of the ancient leaders. Quite a demonstration of artistry! The city of Trujillo brought more examples, with the extensive Chan Chan city ruins of carved and concentric adobe walls, the Temple of the Moon with 5 layers of impressive ¨Russian doll¨-type painted walls, plus other associated complexes nearby. A new artistic and architectural tradition was expressed in the lovely colonial homes, public buildings, churches and main square in downtown Trujillo, complete with ornately screened windows and wooden carved balconies (plus a vibrant pedestrian street scene).

But enough of buildings and history - we set off for the beach! In nearby Huanchaco, we savoured seafood caught that morning by fishermen on individual, traditional reed boats or by crab-collecting women of the town. We enjoyed the walks along the beach, body surfing in the waves, and sipping beers as we watched the surfers try to cruise the cresting waves. This provided some down time after several days of travel, and before we set our sights on the distant mountains inland.