Tombs and Ruins
14 October 2005 (Friday) – Piura to Chiclayo, Peru
Although I was very sleepy, I found it very difficult to fall asleep on the bus to Peru. Used to the short 2- to 4-hour bus rides so far taken in tiny Ecuador, this 8-hour bus ride felt like an eternity. How in the world did I survive that 32-hour bus ride in Brazil again? I had totally forgotten, but I had to start getting used to long bus rides again. We were being rocked sideways for nearly 3 or 4 hours viciously as the bus careened down the curvy mountain roads before reaching the coastal plains.
At about 3:30am, we crossed the border. Sometimes, you really wonder if the person who designs forms ever think through what he has designed. For the form to enter Peru, there was a space asking us which country we were heading to. Huh??? This is Mongolia, isn’t it?… have I taken a wrong turn somewhere?? PERU, of course!!! What else should I fill up there? I thought it was my 3:30am self not comprehending but the sample form had ‘PERU’ nonchalantly printed there. Sigh…
The lady in front of me wanted to travel for 15 days here in Peru and the customs guy gave her 90 days. I told him I wanted to travel for 3 to 4 weeks and he gave me 30 days!! What the? I protested mildly, more for the injustice than for anything, and he changed it to 90 days. Heh heh…
At Piura bus terminal, we were accosted by scores of taxi drivers. Ah, the taxi drivers of Peru… relentlessly pursuing fares by honking the horns or in this case, blocking our exit from the terminal. The bus to Chiclayo leaves from another terminal, one taxi driver told me. Thankfully, a Peruvian guy nearby told me the terminal was just 3 blocks away and he was going there as well, so I waited for him as he changed his dollars into soles. I checked his aura. I saw something, just not sure exactly what colour it was but it was not black. I can trust this guy. Hey, this is becoming rather useful.
We both bought the last two seats to Chiclayo and the bus left within 5 minutes. Phew, I was lucky. Now, this time on the smooth straight flat road, I managed to finally catch about 2 hours’ of sleep.
I have been to Chiclayo 2.5 years ago. So, as I left the bus terminal, I knew exactly where to head off, declined all offers from the taxi drivers and marched straight to the hotel I used to stay in – Hotel Royal. This grand old hotel is right smack in the centre of town. It is huge, ancient and atmospheric, with a curved staircase, long, huge lobbies and old mirrors. It feels a little like the hotel in ‘The Shining‘. I just try not to go to the toilet, which is quite a hike away, in the middle of the night. This time, I got a room that faces the plaza, a little noisy with the constant honking of horns by the sea of yellow taxis.
I forgot sleep, sent my clothes to the laundry, visited the Tourist Office, changed my travellers’ cheques and treated myself to a typical Peruvian dish – Lomo Saltado, a massive plate of strips of delicious stir-fried beef with rice and fries. Enjoy more of the diverse Peruvian cuisine here.
At the first bank, I had asked the Information Counter if they changed travellers’ cheques. Yes, they do. I was pointed from queue to queue, and finally, at a desk, the guy there told me I could not change travellers’ cheques here. I was rather pissed, because I had checked before entering, and even at the various queues, the person behind the counter heard damn well what my intention was.
To my disbelief, this guy, in trying to direct me to a bank that would change travellers’ cheques, actually abandoned the rest of his customers and ACCOMPANIED me to that bank, for my safety, he said. Wow… some terrific service this was from him!!
The tourist office lady had told me to be careful with my money, this guy from the bank warned me as well to take note of the crowd nearby as he parted ways with me, and the waiter serving me the Lomo Saltado was worried that I was travelling alone and wanted to accompany me. While I know I should really not take my safety and security for granted here and I should watch my things like a hawk, I was also half amused and touched by their concerns. How can you not love the Peruvians?
Chiclayo itself is not a very beautiful town, but it is a convenient place to base yourself as you zip to the museums and ruins nearby. I had previously visited the museums in Lambayeque. Gosh, my 2.5 year-old memories of the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan were still embedded deeply in me. That, truly, was one of the best museums I had ever visited, considering all the items on display came from a set of tombs of the Lord of Sipan. Absolutely stunning!
Today, I headed to another museum in Ferreñafe – Museo Nacional de Sican. This museum displays the treasures found in yet another unlooted set of tombs at Bagan Grande. While not as impressive as Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan, what were found in the East and West tombs were extraordinary as well.
For example, the East tomb was found with the Señor buried, cross-legged but UPSIDE DOWN. Look, if he is upside down, his face would normally be upside down as well. Yet, the head was twisted in such a way that it faced rightside up and a mask was then put on the twisted head. The replicas showing this burial literally stopped me in the tracks. Buried as well, were TWO LARGE DISEMBODIED ARMS that did not belong to anyone, perhaps made from ceramic, with several offerings on the scary hands. How fascinating!
Found buried in the West tomb, was another Señor in resplendent glory. There were several smaller chambers around him, consisting of 1 or 2 girls or young ladies. Extracting the DNA of these ladies from their teeth showed that they came from only 4 lines of family. Hence, many of these sacrificed girls and ladies were sisters or cousins.
I believe this area up north of Peru is still rich with tombs and ruins which will take many more years to be discovered and studied. All this is very interesting to me because I really enjoy learning about this sort of things.
Back in Chiclayo, as the day turned to dusk, I was surprised at how cold it became. Imagining this place to be rather warm, Chiclayo is not far from the desert and the beaches, I had sent nearly all my clothes to be washed. I had to hurry back to my hotel to put on the rest of what I owned.
Wow, what a difference compared to Cuenca and Vilcabamba where I had just come from! OK, Vilcabamba is a tiny town, so I guess it is expected that everything shuts down by 7pm. But, Cuenca also shuts down by 7pm. Walking around the town at 8pm to look for food, you have to walk for several blocks in the dark, only to find a handful of restaurants about to close.
Chiclayo is alive and kicking way into the dark, with hoards of people strolling and shopping. Well, this is a different country after all! The streets actually became more alive in the cool of the night, with more street stalls set up by the pavements. I did my fair share of shopping as well. I bought a new watch.
2.5 years ago, I remembered visiting a particular bookshop called – Feria de Libro (Book Fair). Yep, it was still selling the same trashy ancient magazines, cookbooks and pulp fictions of the lowest quality pulp… and fiction. I browsed around a bit and found pirated copies of ‘Cien Años de Soledad‘ (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and ‘La Casa de Los Espíritus‘ (The House of The Spirits) by Isabelle Allende. I had read both of them in English. Also, the ‘Cien Años’ is an abridged version in Spanish so I just might be able to read them. I tried a few paragraphs and found that I could more or less understand them. OK, I checked through the books. The thing about pirated books is that you have to make sure the photocopies are clear on every page, and even if they are not clear, you can still somehow make the words out. I bought them, they were very cheap.
Actually, I had just started reading ‘Eva Luna‘ by Allende, in Spanish since I left Cuenca and I found that I am reading rather fluidly now. I just skipped all the toughie words, but I understood the context. I am rather pleased with myself.
Tags: 08) Touch of Peru, Chiclayo
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