Off to Lima and heading home.

Tags

2009, Cruz Del Sur, Flights, Lima, Peru, Travel, Trujillo

Today was the start of the long journey back to Seattle and the first leg was a nine hour stretch on the Cruz del Sur. I thought that after enjoying the lower VIP section, that I wouldn’t be able to deal with the smaller standard seats upstairs but they were still roomy and comfortable. They also recline almost fully and I was yet again, able to manage the impossible of some sleep on the bus.

After sitting on the bus for so long, I wasn’t in the mood to haggle over taxis on the exit from the terminal and was hopeful when a driver walked up smiling and asking if we’d like a ride. Something I hadn’t noticed before when leaving Lima, was the same pricing board that I’d encountered in Chiclayo. This one said 35 soles to the airport which seemed pretty steep, compared to the guide books recommendation of around 15. I’d already decided that I wouldn’t be paying more than 20 and offered this to the driver, at which point, he promptly laughed and walked off shaking his head. Another driver headed over and offered the trip for 30 but I was pretty adamant. He dropped the price to 25 and complained about the traffic, but then finally agreed after I walked off, saying I had nothing more than 20.

It took forever to cover what looked like a short distance on the map to the airport, but the route took us through some of the more interesting areas of Lima, including the district with governmental buildings and it was nice to be able to get some kind of perception of Lima, that was more positive than the first night of arrival, three weeks ago.

Now I’m at the airport and all checked in, after having to wait for the AA desk to open at 7pm. Lima airport doesn’t have much in the way of choice, to keep you entertained for longer stays before take-off, so it’s time for a few celebratory drinks before catching the first of three flights back to Seattle, starting at around midnight.

Trujillo.

Tags

Chan Chan, Chimu, Hostal Colonial, Hotels, Inca, Peru, Tours, Travel, Trujillo

Hostel Colonial has a good rating from the guide book I have but upon arrival, it’s pretty lacking. There’s major construction going on in the middle of the building and the rooms are small and old, in a grubby way. As check-in wasn’t for a couple of hours, we were put in a holding room, which had plywood walls and camp beds.

With a bit of time free until our afternoon tour and room change, we tried out some of the highly recommended food in the restaurant next door. The food is good (but nothing to rave about) and beats snacking on junk food. After catching up with Email online, we managed to get moved to the correct room. With barely enough space to fit the bed in, hard scratchy blankets and rattling windows, it’s quite a disappointment. Considering we’ve been to far poorer areas such as Nazca and had far superior accomodation for the price, I expected much more.

Trujillo is the most ‘western’ city on this trip so far, with standard looking high-streets and more informal dress. There are still fleets of taxis forever honking but you feel less of a tourist here and don’t stand out as much.

The afternoon tour was excellent and cheap, covering two good archeological sites, a couple of mediocre reference museums and a trip to Huanchaco beach. The two main sites were the Dragon/Rainbow temple, and Chan Chan. The Chimu tribes of the time encompassed a vast area of which the grandness and scale of the buildings can be experienced, at the sandy remains of the Chan Chan ruins.

After the last stop of the four hour tour for a short peaceful stroll along Huanchaco beach, it was back to the hotel and grab some food before hitting the hay. It’s not going to be fun, trying to sleep on this hard, itchy bed.

Transport (hopefully) acquired.

Tags

Culture, Hotel, Lambayeque, Music, Peru, Transport, Travel

The reception guy must be bored, as well as a star. Picking up the change and receipt for hotel payment, he was in the middle of arranging a bus for us to Trujillo in the morning. Turns out that Emtrafesa aren’t answering the phone, so we’re booked on Transporte Linea at 6am. Apparently all I have to do is turn up at the bus station and say I have seats 7 and 8 under Mr Mike for Trujillo. Sounds simple enough.

We were about to head out to get some snacks for the evening when the guy pulled up Google translate and proceeded to spend the next hour, asking what bands we liked and showing some old rock vids like Journey, on youtube. It’s great to share some culture, even if it is a little abstract. Heading to bed early, to ensure the 5:30am taxi is caught.