On Saturday morning I arrived in the town of Arica along the Chilean side of the border with Peru. After spending two enjoyable days in the laid back desert town of San Pedro, I had planned on staying a couple of more days in Chile relaxing on the beach. But after arriving I took a walk out to the beach, soaked my feet in the Pacific Ocean (which felt so nice after the cold mountains and desert), and decided instead to make the long haul back to Lima right away. It was an 18 hour bus ride, which, coming on the heels of a nine hour one the night before, didn’t really appeal, but I was determined to make it to the final two sites in Peru I had wanted to see before I left. If I could get to Trujillo and Chiclayo, both about seven hours along the coast north of Lima, and see the ruins of Chan Chan and the museum with the treasures from the tomb of the lord of Sipan, then my trip would work out exactly perfect. And I couldn’t settle for anything less than that.
So I took the 18 hour bus ride to Lima (which turned into 21 hours after being stopped by the police twice and having the whole bus searched), then took another 8 ride that night to arrive in Trujillo. This is one of the most important cities in the country, representing the north. It feels completely different than the south: hot, humid, and tropical with the ocean right along side. This is still desert country, but the city is located on an oasis, and so is fairly green and welcoming.
I didn’t have much time to check out the city when I arrived, and got on the first micro out to the ruins of Chan Chan. They are located out in the middle of sugar cane fields along the road from the city to the coast, about 8 miles from the center of town. Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu dynasty which held sway in this part of the country before the Incas came along and subjugated them. Hence it was a very important area, and the buildings left over are a demonstration of this. The whole palace, or ciudadela, was build of adobe, mud bricks. It is like a maze, surrounded by four walls about 12 feet high, and inside various hallways and passages leading along to open plazas containing courtyards, temples, and water sources. Along the walls are many carvings of fish and birds that scoot down their entire length, decorating the many rooms of the complex.
This couldn’t be more difficult than what the Incas built, yet they were nearly contemporary. The place felt like a giant sand castle, and so had a uniqueness that made it fun to explore. Overall, however, there was a certain crudeness to the construction that didn’t leave me too impressed. It was neat, and I am glad I came, but I was a bit disappointed.
The next day I took a bus for a three hour ride further down the coast to the other great city of the north, Chiclayo. Trujillo has a long history relating back to the beginning of the Spanish colonization, Chiclayo does not. It is not as pretty as Trujillo is, nor as inherently interesting, but it is a very warm and vibrant place with a lot of energy. Again, after arriving the first thing I did was visit the town of Lambayeque, and the museum of the tombs of the lord of Sipan there. The moche culture was predominate in this area of Peru around 1800 years ago, and is famous for its advanced pottery and sculpture. There are also many royal tombs scattered around the area. Most of these had been plundered by either the Spanish or local looters a long time ago, but in 1985 a group of local grave robbers discovered, nearly by accident, the complete tomb of one of the most important rulers in the history of the area, the Lord of Sipan. They found so much gold and artifacts that they had to carry it out in huge sacks– enough loot to make them rich for their entire lives. I learned about this story through my book on ancient Peruvian history. One of the details offered up was when one of the grave robbers inadvertently poked a hole in the ground above him, only to have a pile of gold and jewelry pour out, nearly burying him in treasure! It sounded like something right out of Indiana Jones, and I just had to see it. This museum was the result of a mass effort in Peru and the United States to collect the stolen treasure and return it to Peru.
The place did not disappoint. Some of the treasure itself was extraordinarily beautiful. A pair of circular golden earrings containing a carved bird made of bright blue stone were especially wonderful to see. The coolest part, though, was seeing the actual clothing and dress that the lord of Sipan wore. There had been paintings and sculpture, previously discovered, that contained pictures of his ceremonial dress, but not until now was there actual confirmation that this was indeed what he wore. To have this proof right before your eyes was truly, “history coming alive.”
After all that, I was beat and went into an internet cafe to send off some info to everybody back home. I got a conversation going with the owner of the place, and he ended up inviting me back to his place for lunch. The hospitality of the people of Chiclayo is apparently renowned, and this was a great way to end my trip.
It was a simple lunch, chicken fried up in a pan with rice and beans, but it tasted nice. Marco was from Chiclayo, but lived in Spain for two years, trying to make some money to send back to his family in Peru. There wasn’t much profit in Spain, however, so he came back to Chiclayo saying that working in Spain “really wasn’t worth the effort.” I felt sorry for him and his family as he detailed to me the problems in the country, the lack of good jobs, and the bleak future that most Peruvians face. Everybody wants to leave. To the US, to Canada, to Spain, to England, anywhere but here apparently. What do you say when told about a situation like that? I just try to empathize. His nephew is working in LA, and he would like to visit him, but has been denied a visa twice. I kind of doubt that he will ever get it. Its too bad, because he is a nice guy with a positive attitude towards the states. I hope that in the process of protecting our borders, the US government doesn’t alienate another person abroad. We cant afford to keep going at this rate.
Anyway, after all that I came back to Lima (again), this morning, and am getting ready for my flight back home. I am ready to leave. It feels right to me. But I hope to be back in South America, and soon. There is someone specifically who I am hoping to see again, and I don’t want to keep that person waiting too long
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The Best of Both Worlds 
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