On Monday, August 20, we crossed the border from Ecuador into Peru. It was a bit long because we had to wait in a relatively slow-moving line on the Ecuador side, but the process itself was straight-forward. Details are on our Border Crossings page.
Our first impression of Peru was far from good, to say the least. After traveling through Colombia and Ecuador, Peru was a bit of a shock. For a country that sees the amount of tourism that Peru does, the country’s infrastructure is less developed, the poverty level is visibly higher, and the amount of filth was deplorable. This was supposed to be one of the most visited countries in South America and we couldn’t help but speculate where all the tourism revenue was going and why the local people didn’t care about their land.
Also, while all the people we met along the way were friendly and welcoming, it seems that the moment they get behind the wheel, the other guy takes over. Peruvian drivers are the craziest and most dangerous we have faced on this trip so far. Red lights? They’re just for decoration. Lane markings on the road? They don’t mean anything; make your own lane. Turn signals? Nobody needs to use those; you just have to be a mind-reader. Sorry Mexico, but Peru takes the crazy cake when it comes to driving.
But that was just our first impression. As we rode further away from civilization, the amount of trash lining the roadsides and car-jacking insane asylum escapees (I don’t have a better description, sorry) on the road declined and the landscape got more impressive. We chose to head towards Lima along the coast of the country and we were glad to have gone this route because it took us through the stunning Sechura desert.
One thing we loved about Peru right away was the fantastic food. If you like your meals varied and on the spicy side, Peruvian cuisine will not disappoint. Colombian and Ecuadorian food were great, but we missed the heat as the locals do not use spices.
On our way to Lima, we stopped in Trujillo, a town close to the archaeological site of Chan Chan. Chan Chan (“Sun Sun” in the Quingnam language) was the largest city of the pre-Columbian era in South America with a population of 40,000-60,000 people. It served as the capital of the historical empire of the Chimor from 900 to 1470 and by the end of their reign, they were defeated and incorporated into the Inca Empire.
The site was interesting and quite different from the Aztec and Mayan ones we had visited in Mexico and Central America. There are no monumental pyramids or similar structures and the primary material used in the construction of the city was adobe. We’re glad we saw the site because it is threatened by erosion due to heavy rains, flooding, and strong winds along the Peruvian coast. Thanks, climate change!
That’s it for our journey from the border to the capital. We’ll have more from Lima! 🙂
Still following along, good stuff, thanks!
Thanks! Glad you survived the move away from advrider.com 😉