7:00 am 1/26/2009: The flight into Chiclayo was smooth and non eventful. As we approached the valley the mountains receded into the background and fields of glistening green stood out. You could see that the fields were wet, as we got closer the bright green was magical. They were rice fields. The city stands alone, nothing nearby but mountains and other valleys. As we flew right above the city you could see that most of the streets were dirt, only the main one’s had been paved. The buildings on the outskirts were made of adobe and people were walking. We landed, got off the plane onto the tarmac and entered a small building, the size of SwiftCD, and waited on our luggage. The one luggage carousel was torn apart so the handlers carried each bag in, one at a time, and they were passed from the front of the crowd, overhead, towards the back until they landed in the hands of their owners. It was quite the sight. Organized chaos that really worked! We were met by our guide “Jose Jimenez” and our driver “Willie” to be taken to the hotel. We thought perhaps we’d be joining another group but it seems that we will be making this part of our tour alone. The drive to the hotel “Gran Hotel Chiclayo” was nice. Clean streets, smiling peeps, and lots of horn honking. The hotel is wonderful, 4 star, the nicest in town (we are told). After getting settled in (around 7:30) we were ready for a drink and a light dinner then hit the hay for an early rise. Two beers (V), a cappuccino and a pizza pie all for only $10! Wow and I imagine that was overpriced being that we ate in the café next to the hotel!
We spent the morning with our guide, going to the pyramids in Tucume. They were pretty neat. Made of adobe they had washed away but you could still see the outlines and some details. In Lima the Pyramids are still mostly intact because there is not rain, ever. Here they wash away with each rainy season. After Tucume we headed for the town of Sipan and they weren’t in much better shape but they had excavated and dug up some of the old graves that had been filled with lots of treasure. Tomorrow we are headed for the museum that holds the gold and treasures from the site. Then on to Trujullo.
Cheers!
