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PERU

NORTHERN PERU - CHACHAPOYAS, CAJAMARCA AND TRUJILLO (June 2007)   photos

The easiest way to get from Ecuador to Peru is by Panamericana, running close to the coast.  Alternative route is by small roads connecting mountain towns in both countries.  It took 2 days but the border itself was the most relaxed I have ever seen.  The official who was supposed to stamp my passport was hard to find.  Finally, he emerged half naked and asked me to wait 15 minutes.   After the formalities, it was 3 hours by car negotiating potholes of this torturous road.  Average speed of about 10km/h.  I just wondered how many journeys this car can take.  Not many, for sure.

Chachapoyas

My next stop was the highland town of Chachapoyas.  The mountains in this region are steep and green, but there are no glaciers.  Before the Incas arrived, other cultures thrived.  I went to see the massive walls of Kuelap, a fortress on top of the mountain overlooking deep, green valleys.  Another worthwhile trip is a visit to Gocta waterfall.  At over 700m, it is said to be the 3rd highest in the world.  It´s not spectacular because there isn´t much water but the hight is impressive.  Finally, there are many sarcophagus and ruins in the nearby valleys.  The Chachapoyas people often build their houses into the rocks, and buried their dead inside sarcophagus made of clay and stones.  They didn´t do it just anywhere.  They were set into the rocks, overlooking deep valleys from it´s inaccessible rock shelves.  The whole area is now being searched and excavated.

Trujillo

This big city with very pleasant, colonial center is a base for visiting the pre Inca site of Chan Chan.  There are many interesting ruins it the area, but Chan Chan is the biggest adobe city in the world.  Over the centuries, water slowly destroyed most of it, but the remaining walls and plazas are very impressive.  Just a short ride from Trujillo is Huanchaco, famous for it´s fishermen and their reed boats.  They have being using them for generations, and many boats can still be seen drying in the sun on the beach.   photos