I reached the border of Ecuador and Peru mid afternoon, tossing up whether to cross or not i decided to try. The outbound paperwork was processed quickly, then onto the confusing Peruvian immigration and customs. Customs was a little shed tucked in amongst market stalls so of course i rode right past it. I was then informed at a checkpoint to go back so off i went, a sign would have helped. The customs officer was a slob of the greatest order, more interested in sticking eucalyptus oil up his nose than dealing with the paperwork. He then stamped me into Peru and then out, after enquiring why he had done that he whited it out. I was assured it would not be a problem, we will see.
I then changed US dollars at the bridge seperating the 2 countries and proceeded onto immigration 3 kms away, it was all very laid back with 90 days given automatically. The usual border crossing crowds full of stalls money changers and beggars, not to mention the chancers hoping to make a quick dollar. At one stage someone tried to take my plastic clogs tied to the back, a loud yell at him and he dissappeared into the crowd. I dont enjoy the borders at all. The roads improved to beautiful smooth tarmac properly cambered and with hard shoulders. The scenery turned from green to desert with sand and desert mountains on the left and the ocean on the right. I reached a beachside town called Mancora and found a cheap hotel, exhausted and still hungover i fell asleep to the sounds of the ocean and woke to the crashing of waves as the wind howled in over the sea.
The ride to Chiclayo was at at leisurely pace fighting the wind all the way. The road eventually turned inland and with that the wind died off which made the last 100 kms a doddle. Finally arriving in Chiclayo in the late afternoon. The next day a visit to Sipan and Tecume both sites of adobe pyramids and some amazing finds. The next destination Trujillo, with the village of Chan Chan and temples of the Sun and Moon.
Leaving the next day for a 400km ride i stopped for fuel,after filling up i handed over a 100 sole bill. The attendant inspected the bill and then informed me it was a forgery. The money changer had slippped a forged 100 in amongst the legitimate notes. I was then informed that Peru was awash with these forgeries, oh well my first Peruvian souvenir. The coastal desert seems to stretch on forever, with towering sand dunes reaching the Pacific ocean. Road crews continually clearing sand from the roads as they encroach relentlessly, it is easy to see how whole cities are buried under the sand in such a short time. The ruins in this area are adobe, adobe pyramids and temples, adobe houses and city walls, all these ruins were pre Incan, from around 600BC. Still spectacular now they must have been amazing in their heyday. The ride to Trujillo was through more of the same desert scenery incredibly spectacular with white mountains as a backdrop, towering sand dunes and the Pacific Ocean always to the right. Coastal fog obscuring long distance views but making the scenes all the more dramatic as the scenery came into focus.
The temple of the Sun gave a real impression of how the pyramid must have looked. Parts of the walls with inticate friezes are still intact and undergoing restoration. The immense scale of these biulding is impressive. Unfortunately much damage has been done over the years by grave robbers and just locals foraging. Laws to protect these sites were only introduced recently, hopefully they will be protected for eternity. Chan Chan is a city on the fringes of the Pacific Ocean stretching into the desert, again it must have been immense in its heyday. The site is slowly being recovered from the desert and and they are doing an amazing job to preserve what is left. Tomorrrow its onto Lima.
