Peru
3 October 2019
Back in Peru with a three month visa, we drove up to Pomata on Lake Titicaca. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and later an evening thunderstorm crossed the lake.
Back in Peru with a three month visa, we drove up to Pomata on Lake Titicaca. Unfortunately the weather was overcast and later an evening thunderstorm crossed the lake.
Snowcapped peaks across Lake Titcaca.
4 - 8 October
As the weather was overcast and we had covered the Lake Titicaca area in years gone by, we chose to continue over the Andes towards Arequipa. We drove across the treeless altiplano with its alpacas, vicuñas and serene looking lakes supporting two different types of flamingos.
As the weather was overcast and we had covered the Lake Titicaca area in years gone by, we chose to continue over the Andes towards Arequipa. We drove across the treeless altiplano with its alpacas, vicuñas and serene looking lakes supporting two different types of flamingos.
From Arequipa we retraced our steps from earlier this year down to the coast. Generally the road was good but there was a 15 km section which had many deep potholes. Near the town, women and children were filling the potholes with sand from the side of the road and then hoping for a few coins from people using the road. On other hillside sections, small rock falls had left sharp rocks across the inside lane, our lane, making it particularly hazardous when driving aoriund them near the frequent tight bends. About 50 kms from the coast we descended into a very thick fog with visibility down to 10 metres for many kilometres. Cautious driving required all the time.
One of two resident peacocks at Wasipunko, near Nazca.
7 - 10 October
Time out at a relaxing camp near Nazca for a few days and then a couple of days at Cerro Azul about 100kms south of LIma. Overcast, cool, grey weather at Cerro Azul so no fishing by Guy.
Time out at a relaxing camp near Nazca for a few days and then a couple of days at Cerro Azul about 100kms south of LIma. Overcast, cool, grey weather at Cerro Azul so no fishing by Guy.
Checking and mending nets at Cerro Azul.
11 - 14 October Lima
Time for a truck service and a few things looked at while we decide what to do about our journey northward reference the situation in Ecuador.
13 October - Talks have happened in Ecuador and the situation has been resolved for now.
Time for a truck service and a few things looked at while we decide what to do about our journey northward reference the situation in Ecuador.
13 October - Talks have happened in Ecuador and the situation has been resolved for now.
North on the Panam from Lima.
15 - 21 October Heading north to Ecuador with a couple of inland side trips
We drove out on the Panamaerican Highway North with our first stop at Áspero, the earliest known settlement of people in the Americas. It was a fishing village of the Caral-Supe civilisation started about 3000BC and lasting until 1800BC, a complex pre-Columbian era society around the time of the Egyptians, but totally isolated from middle east and Indian development of the time. Not really that much to see as the site had to be cleaned up from being a modern day rubbish tip but it is now an active archaelogical work. The museum displayed items found at the site, was very informative and in english.
We drove out on the Panamaerican Highway North with our first stop at Áspero, the earliest known settlement of people in the Americas. It was a fishing village of the Caral-Supe civilisation started about 3000BC and lasting until 1800BC, a complex pre-Columbian era society around the time of the Egyptians, but totally isolated from middle east and Indian development of the time. Not really that much to see as the site had to be cleaned up from being a modern day rubbish tip but it is now an active archaelogical work. The museum displayed items found at the site, was very informative and in english.
Our next destination was Huaraz which is surrounded by some of Peru's highest mountains, 20,000'/6000m+. So inland from the desert to the Andes.
We camped at Cajacay along the way and met some local boys who were very interested in our truck. Guy was trying to repair our fridge which had stopped working the day we left Lims, one lad was very attentive, a tradie in the making. Having seen a young girl walk past in school uniform, I asked if they had school. The answer - No classes today!
We camped at Cajacay along the way and met some local boys who were very interested in our truck. Guy was trying to repair our fridge which had stopped working the day we left Lims, one lad was very attentive, a tradie in the making. Having seen a young girl walk past in school uniform, I asked if they had school. The answer - No classes today!
The weather in Huaraz was heavy overcast with intermittent storms and no views to the mountains. We waited another day hoping for better but the forecast was not predicting an improvement so we returned to the coast through some magnificent scenery with occasional glimpses of snow and glaciers.
Back on the coast we stopped at Puerto Malabrigo which has the longest left hand surf break in the world. We were a couple of months late for the best surf enjoyed a pleasant beach stop with a few surfers of all ages about.
22 - 24 October Cajamarca
From the coast we turned east again back into the mountians passing eucalypt forests and timber mills on our way up to Cajamarca.
A new steering part was required for the truck and so we left it with Isuzu and caught a minibus complete with Peruvian pan flute music into town. On our return we learnt that oil was leaking from one of the rear brake drums. A replacement part could be ordered in and arrive tomorrow afternoon. Good steering and brakes are essential especially for the winding narrow and steep PE-08B which we were about to tackle.
From the coast we turned east again back into the mountians passing eucalypt forests and timber mills on our way up to Cajamarca.
A new steering part was required for the truck and so we left it with Isuzu and caught a minibus complete with Peruvian pan flute music into town. On our return we learnt that oil was leaking from one of the rear brake drums. A replacement part could be ordered in and arrive tomorrow afternoon. Good steering and brakes are essential especially for the winding narrow and steep PE-08B which we were about to tackle.
Hats and shawls typical of Cajamarca.
We left Baños del Inca where we had been staying just outside Cajamarca westbound,. First stopping at the Ventanillas de Otuzco (little windows of Otuzco) which are crypts built into volcanic rock more than 1500 years ago and then the Church in Pollac with its beautiful mosaic work done by the local crafts people and their students. The work is ongoing.
Scary stuff
25 - 27 October PE-08B to Kuelap
We headed east on the notorious PE-08B. Fortunately this road has been sealed in the last couple of years but it is still narrow, clinging to the side of the mountains with frequent sheer drop offs as it zig zags down over two thousand metres before climbing into the cloud again - a few holdups for rockfalls and roadworks along the way but the scenery is magnificent as was Guy's driving!
We headed east on the notorious PE-08B. Fortunately this road has been sealed in the last couple of years but it is still narrow, clinging to the side of the mountains with frequent sheer drop offs as it zig zags down over two thousand metres before climbing into the cloud again - a few holdups for rockfalls and roadworks along the way but the scenery is magnificent as was Guy's driving!
Leymebamba Museum entrance
We stopped at the well kept and interesting Leymebamba Museum to learn about the Chachapoyan civilization. The museum houses over 200 mummies and their burial offerings recovered from the Laguna de los Condores in 1997. The lake is a couple of days hiking away. The Chachapoya flourished from around 800 CE until their violent conquest by the Incas in the 1470s. Many cliff tombs and hamlets of circular structures belonging to the Chachapoya have been found in the area often recent discoveries in remote areas.
From the Museum website - http://museoleymebamba.org/ley_momias_en.htm
The preservation of the human remains from the Laguna de los Cóndores is extraordinary. What could account for such preservation in an area of high rainfall and humidity? In spite of the rainy climate and the water, which often falls in sheets from the overhang protecting the chullpas (tombs), the dry ledge where the chullpas are located harbors a dry and cold microclimate that contributed to the preservation of the organic remains.
The Chachapoya appear not to have embalmed their dead; rather, they deliberately chose burial sites whose microclimates enhanced preservation. The evidence suggests that it was the Inca who introduced the Chachapoya to procedures such as embalming and evisceration.
Preliminary studies point to the skill of the Laguna de los Cóndores embalmers. The skin of the mummies has been treated and appears leathery, while unspun cotton placed under the cheeks, in the mouth and in the nostrils, preserved facial features. They controlled decomposition by emptying the abdominal cavity through the anus, sealing the orifice with a cloth plug. The bodies had been reduced to their minimum volume and weight: joints are strained to the point that the flexed position is almost unnatural. Finally, the bodies were wrapped in layers of cloth, creating a microclimate that promoted conservation.
From the Museum website - http://museoleymebamba.org/ley_momias_en.htm
The preservation of the human remains from the Laguna de los Cóndores is extraordinary. What could account for such preservation in an area of high rainfall and humidity? In spite of the rainy climate and the water, which often falls in sheets from the overhang protecting the chullpas (tombs), the dry ledge where the chullpas are located harbors a dry and cold microclimate that contributed to the preservation of the organic remains.
The Chachapoya appear not to have embalmed their dead; rather, they deliberately chose burial sites whose microclimates enhanced preservation. The evidence suggests that it was the Inca who introduced the Chachapoya to procedures such as embalming and evisceration.
Preliminary studies point to the skill of the Laguna de los Cóndores embalmers. The skin of the mummies has been treated and appears leathery, while unspun cotton placed under the cheeks, in the mouth and in the nostrils, preserved facial features. They controlled decomposition by emptying the abdominal cavity through the anus, sealing the orifice with a cloth plug. The bodies had been reduced to their minimum volume and weight: joints are strained to the point that the flexed position is almost unnatural. Finally, the bodies were wrapped in layers of cloth, creating a microclimate that promoted conservation.
As interesting as the museum are the beautiful gardens and hummingbirds surrounding it.
Next stop, Kualep, another Chachapoya settlement. On a plateau at 3000 metres with limestone block walls up to 20 metres high and an average thickness of 80 centimetres, Kualep was built to defend itself. It consisted of civil, religious, and military buildings as well as 420 circular stone dwellings, which contained geometric friezes. The Chachapoya flourished from about 900 to 1400 CE and seem to have been left alone by the Incas but fell to the Spanish on their arrival in the 16th century. The culture collapsed and the place was abandoned.
A beautiful drive through the lush mountains before the driness of the coast at Lambayeque and Sipan near the coast.
Grand scenery
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28, 29 October Sipan
At Sipan we visited the Huaca Rajada, where the "Lord of Sipan" tomb was uncovered in 1987. His remains and riches buried with him have been housed in a museum in Lamayeque. No photos were allowed at the museum. But the smll museum at the tomb had some interesting items.
At Sipan we visited the Huaca Rajada, where the "Lord of Sipan" tomb was uncovered in 1987. His remains and riches buried with him have been housed in a museum in Lamayeque. No photos were allowed at the museum. But the smll museum at the tomb had some interesting items.
In early 1987, looters digging at Huaca Rajada found several objects made of gold. A disagreement led to the police finding out and the rest is history. Excavations led to the untouched crypt of a Moche ruler dubbed The Lord of Sipán being found. Buried with the Lord of Sipán were six other people: three young women who had died some time earlier, two males (probably warriors), a child and animals including a dog and two llamas. The remains of a third male (possibly another warrior) was found on the roof of the burial chamber sitting in a niche overlooking the chamber. The warriors all had amputated feet. In addition to the people, archeologists found hundreds of ceremonial items and offerings in the tomb.
In 1988 a second tomb thought to be that of a moche priest was found and excavated. A third tomb was slightly older than the first two, but ornaments and other items found indicated that the person buried was of the same high rank as the Lord of Sipán. Sixteen tombs have now been found.
The Huaca Rajada monument consists of two small adobe pyramids plus a low platform. The platform and one of the pyramids were built before 300 CE by the Moche; the second pyramid was built about 700 CE by a later culture.
In 1988 a second tomb thought to be that of a moche priest was found and excavated. A third tomb was slightly older than the first two, but ornaments and other items found indicated that the person buried was of the same high rank as the Lord of Sipán. Sixteen tombs have now been found.
The Huaca Rajada monument consists of two small adobe pyramids plus a low platform. The platform and one of the pyramids were built before 300 CE by the Moche; the second pyramid was built about 700 CE by a later culture.
30, 31 October and 1 November
Three days on the northern coast of Peru which looked good with fine weather but the water was cold.
Now Ecuador! The troubles there are over for now and we are looking forward to the change
Three days on the northern coast of Peru which looked good with fine weather but the water was cold.
Now Ecuador! The troubles there are over for now and we are looking forward to the change