A Little Road Trip and Some Pics

Chan Chan, Trujillo, Peru

I spent this weekend traveling to Trujillo, a mid-sized city in northern Peru - trying to track down some sun and pre-Columbian ruins.

Regarding the sun, I got almost a day and a half's worth! Even a pale-face like me is really happy to bask for a bit. I did most of my basking at Trujillo's Plaza de Armas, where I also got to do some people watching:
























Plaza de Armas, Trujillo, Peru





















Street Parade Supporting Earthquake Relief



















Scary Clowns

























Amazing Colonial Architecture


The hospedaje I stayed at in Trujillo was a trip unto itself - a vintage mansion that has been mostly restored to its former gaudy colonial glory:


























Staircase that Would Have Seriously Bothered Mr. James Stewart
















The Ridiculous Balcony and Patio



















Can You Say Red-rum? The Hallway to My Room

After spending a day exploring Trujillo, and gorging once again cheap seafood (sudo langostinos - shrimp stew with spicy pepper - good s#*t) I met up with a couple of fellow travelers (a Brit and German who were both on the last legs of 4 month and year-long world travels - we Americans really don't do that enough) and headed out to check out the nightlife in Trujillo.

I can report that bands in Trujillo suffer the same problem of 99.9% of the other bands in the world - lousy, preening, uninspired lead vocals. Put it this way - if the band was JBs Soul Generals, the singer would have been Kenny Loggins.

My second day in Trujillo, I headed out on a tour of Chan Chan, the largest pre-Colombian (and pre-Incan) ruins in South America, covering over 14 hectares of desert, with 20 separate complexes, over 400 dwellings, and some truly impressive friezes. Although large portions of this adobe city have been word down by flooding and the ravages of huaqueros (grave robbers). The scale and scope is still quite awe-inspiring:
















Arco Iris (Rainbow Temple) Near Chan Chan Site















Central Plaza at Chan Chan site - Only 1 of 20 sites are currently open to public. The rest are still being excavated.













Me and the Ruined "Fish-Net" Decorative Wall - Fish and the Ocean were sacred, and a common motif. Mmm - fish... aghhh...














Artesian Well Built and Maintained at Chan Chan. Pretty impressive engineering for the time.













Friezes















Wooden Idols Keeping Watch Over a Ceremonial Room














One of the local Peruvian Hairless Dogs, Keeping Guard and Looking Heroic - Where's your cape perrito?


Nos vemos

M