Trujillo

We got off to a really rough start in Trujillo. The hostal where we spent our first night, Hosteria el Sol, was a disaster! The “beds” were really more like cots – they had springy bed frames and the mattresses were deeply slumped in the middle, even before we climbed in! The bathroom smelled like mildew. The hostal was full of rowdy backpackers that stayed up drinking and making a racket most of the night.

And then the real kicker - the restaurant where the staff suggested we have dinner made us sick! We had been traveling for three months and had many meals from small hole-in–the-wall restaurants without any problems. Getting sick took us completely by surprise especially because the restaurant seemed like a nice place and was packed with customers. The culprit was either a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes or the rotisserie chicken with a side of fries that followed. Minh was sick for a few hours, but I had the Inca’s revenge shooting out of me for two full days! Imodium pills did not help at all, nor did a diet of flat coke, toast, crackers and plain rice. What finally saved me were some bananas. I ate two bananas and almost immediately my stomach started to go back to normal.

After an uncomfortable and nearly sleepless night, we got on TripAdvisor and found the number one rated B&B. We checked out and hopped in a cab. I gave the cabbie the address of the new B&B and all he said in response was “Okay.” He neglected to mention that he had recently moved to Trujillo from Chiclayo and had no clue where he was going! He stopped about 5 times along the way to ask for directions, and each time he got directions that conflicted with the previous set. I was freaking out thinking that I might get sick again in the cab, but luckily we made it to our new hostal without a problem.

The new place, Hostal Centurion, ended up being a wonderful hostal with very attentive owners and staff. They gave us the bananas that finally cured me. They also made tea and sandwiches for us, and helped us to get takeout on the nights when we could not make it out of the hotel. After a full recovery we began to explore Trujillo and its nearby archaeological sites. After a rough start, we both ended up enjoying our visit. Here are the highlights.

The Colonial City

The colonial section of Trujillo is small, but very beautiful with lots of brightly colored buildings. You can easily visit this area in one afternoon. We started off at the Plaza Mayor where there is a large, beautiful yellow cathedral.


We then visited some of the city’s old colonial mansions. One of the most beautiful and best preserved is Casa Urquiaga, located on Calle Pizarro by the Plaza. It is bright blue with white window panels, and contains several lovely courtyards and brightly painted rooms with original furnishings. The mansion contains a desk used by Simon Bolivar, who lived here for two years after proclaiming Peru’s independence in 1824. There is also a room exhibiting pre-Columbian ceramics. We took a free guided tour of the house that was short but very informative.


We also visited the Casa Ganoza Chopitea on Calle Independencia, which has some beautiful original murals. The mansion now contains a café with outdoor seating in its courtyard. We met one of the owners of the mansion who told us a little bit of history about the place and showed us the two small lions carved above the main entrance. He told us that his family planned to open an art gallery in the mansion in the coming months.

More Photos of Trujillo

Trujillo’s brightly colored buildings reminded me of the colonial section of Cartagena. Like Cartagena, Trujillo was once a walled city, having also suffered attacks from pirates. However, most of the wall was torn down to make way for a large boulevard that now circles the city. I wonder if the city now regrets that decision.

Huacas del Sol y de la Luna

Our hostal booked an all-day guided tour for us of the nearby archaeological sites that turned out to be fantastic! Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English, and the cost of the tour was half the price I had been quoted by some of the tour operators in town. Our first stop was to the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Sun and Moon Pyramids), the remains of an ancient Moche city.

We were very impressed by the Huaca de la Luna. Inside the pyramid there are several levels of murals of a Moche deity called Ayapec. We were surprised at how bright the colors still are on many of the murals!


The northern exterior of the pyramid also contains several levels of murals that are well preserved. They depict images of serpents, felines holding decapitated heads of warriors, fishermen, and spider-like creatures.


There is also a level depicting victorious warriors leading the losers, who are naked, to be sacrificed.


Huaca del Sol is not open to the public, but we got a nice view of it from Huaca de la Luna. Unfortunately it was really windy so we got pelted by sand as we tried to take some pictures. Sand got everywhere, even in our teeth!

More Photos of Huaca de La Luna

Huaca del Arco Iris

Our second stop was to the Huaca del Arco Iris (the Rainbow Pyramid). The Pyramid’s name is based on the rainbow carvings depicted throughout the friezes. The carvings are really well preserved!

More Photos of Huaca del Arco Iris

Chan Chan

Our third stop was to Chan Chan, the remains of a Chimu city. Construction of the city began around 850 AD, and it is the largest Pre-Columbian city in South America. The site is very impressive because of its enormous size and interesting murals that depict sea lions, fish and pelicans, amongst other creatures.

More Photos of Chan Chan

Chan Chan is an adobe city and portions of it were severely damaged by rain. Replicas have been created of some sections of Chan Chan, but we were a little disappointed to see so many of them.

Huanchaco

Huanchaco was our lost stop on the tour. It’s a fishing village near Trujillo popular with surfers. It’s famous for its narrow pointed fishing rafts called caballitos (little horses) made of totora reeds. In the afternoon fishermen stack their caballitos on the beach to dry off.

More Photos of Huanchaco

Where we ate

We didn’t get to eat out much since I was sick the first few days. However, we did have a great meal at Chelsea. Though this place describes itself as an English pub, we thought it was fancier than a pub, and the menu included a lot of traditional Peruvian dishes.

Where we stayed

Hostal El Centurion: This hostal is the number one rated B&B on TripAdvisor, and the rating is well deserved!!! The owners were so attentive to our needs, especially when we were sick. The hostal is very clean and the rooms are bright, airy and very comfortable. The bathrooms are modern and were recently remodeled. For USD $40 per night we had a room with a queen size bed, private bathroom with hot water, and a small balcony. Continental breakfast was included, but we could also order additional items, such as scrambled eggs or yogurt, for a very reasonable price.

Do NOT stay at Hosteria el Sol! You deserve better!

Chiclayo

Chiclayo was our first stop in Peru, and we made it our base for visiting some nearby archaeological sites. Chiclayo is not an attractive city and not much colonial architecture remains. However, it was a pleasant enough city to stay in for a few nights as it is modern, has some good restaurants and its location in the desert makes for some lovely, cool evenings with nice breezes.

Túcume

Located 35 km north of Chiclayo, Túcume contains the remains of 26 adobe pyramids constructed by the Lambayeque people over 1000 years ago. Excavations have revealed that Túcume was a major urban center of a society of farmers, fishermen and sailors, and that its residents engaged in trade with multiple areas of the South American coast, northern mountains and the jungle.

When the Spanish arrived to this region they did not realize that the area contained the remains of pyramids; they though t they were just giant mounds of dirt. Frankly, this is what they looked like to us, and we were not that impressed by the site. Unfortunately, rainfall brought by La Niña over the centuries has eroded most of the pyramids.


However, the smallest pyramid, which was used for religious purposes, does have some well-preserved wall carvings that are quite impressive. The area around this small pyramid has excellent displays explaining the significance of the various carvings.


Visitors can climb a look-out point that provides a nice view of the surrounding area.Túcume is located in Peru’s northern desert, so it is very hot, very dry and there is no shade. Make sure to wear a hat and bring lots of water.

While at Túcume, we saw hairless dogs for the first time. We think they are rather sad looking.

More Photos of Túcume

Museo de las Tumbas Reales de Sipán

This museum contains 1800 year-old funerary objects and mummies of the Moche people excavated from adobe pyramids at the Sipán site. Excavations began in 1987 and have revealed about a dozen royal tombs. One of the most significant findings was the tomb of El Señor de Sipán, a Moche ruler and warrior. His mummy was found clad with various ornaments (breast plate, ear ornaments, bracelets, necklaces) made of gold, silver, copper and turquoise, and burial offerings in small clay pots. He was buried with eight people, apparently his wife and two other women (possibly concubines), a military commander, a watchman, a banner holder and a child. In another tomb were found the remains of what is thought to have been a priest, along with a sacrificed llama and dog.

This is a fantastic museum, and it is much more impressive than the actual Sipán site. We were really impressed with the large volume of well-preserved artifacts that are on display. The museum is shaped like a pyramid, and ramps lead you down to the displays of each tomb, mirroring the sequence in which archaeologists discovered the various mummies. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the museum.

Sipán

We spent an afternoon visiting the site of the Lord of Sipán excavation. The site has replicas of the mummies and offerings found so that visitors can see what the tombs looked like when the archaeologists made their discoveries. There is also a nice museum containing the findings of tombs that have been most recently excavated. We enjoyed walking around the site, but the highlight was definitely the museum.

More Photos of Sipán

Where we ate

La Parra: This restaurant serves excellent grilled meats and Chinese food (the Chinese dishes are on a separate menu that you have to request specifically). We really enjoyed this restaurant and ate here twice. We liked that it seemed to be very popular with the locals. During our first dinner we had beef and broccoli and a chicken in tamarind sauce, which was similar to orange chicken. The second time we shared a delicious steak.

La Fiesta: This might be the fanciest and most expensive restaurant in Chiclayo, but is still reasonably priced by US standards. We had a delicious traditional ceviche and a duck dish that was also pretty tasty. We discovered that duck is a popular dish in northern Peruvian cuisine.

Café Astoria: A tiny café with tasty breakfast sandwiches. This place was always busy, but the service is fast and people are in and out pretty quickly.

Where we stayed

Hotel Mediterraneo Chiclayo: We enjoyed our stay at this hotel. It was very clean, the room was spacious and comfortable, and the staff and hotel owners were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located about a 10 minute walk from downtown Chiclayo. It was perfectly safe to walk during the day, and at night we took taxis, which were inexpensive. We paid USD $25 per night for a room with a queen bed and private bathroom with hot water.

Vilcabamba

We had not planned on visiting Vilcabamba, but several Ecuadorians recommended that we check out it. We’re really glad that we did because it’s a lovely town with lots of great hikes, beautiful views, and warm weather. Vilcabamba reminded us of Baños because it is located in a beautiful valley and guests tend to stay longer than they had planned.


Vilcabamba is most famous for the longevity of its residents – people in the town live to be well over 100 years old. Our guide to the Podocarpus park, Jaime, explained why the locals live such long lives. First, most of the residents are farmers and the Vilcabamba area is quite hilly so residents get a lot of exercise just by going about their normal routines. Second, all of the food produced in the valley is organic and pesticide free. Finally, the water in the valley is particularly rich in minerals that contribute to good health. Word has gotten out about the longevity of the residents – during our stay there were lots of retired gringos checking out real estate in the area.

Hike to Mandango

We spent an afternoon hiking up to Mandango, the Sleeping Inca, a mountain that overlooks Vilcabamba. The views from the top of Mandango, Vilcabamba and the rest of the valley are stunning!!! The first two-thirds of the hike were pleasant, though it got pretty hot because there are sections with no shade. Along the path we encountered some grazing cows and bulls. I got a little freaked out when one of the bulls stepped toward us as we approached and insisted that we walk off the path to go around the bulls. The last third of the hike was very steep and there were lots of loose rocks. This hike should not be done if it is raining because the path gets very narrow and you can fall pretty far.


Podocarpus National Park

We did a horse-back riding day trip to the Podocarpus National Park. We booked our tour with a company called La Tasca, and they turned out to be great! The owner of La Tasca owns land in the Podocarpus reserve, so we got to enjoy a private tour of this section of the park. Our guide Jaime was very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. We rode our horses from Vilcabamba on a rode out of the town then up a steep, muddy trail to the entrance of the park. During the ride we got to enjoy phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains. We also saw Podocarpus trees that are endemic to the area.


After riding for about two hours, we began to hike through sections of the park. We hiked down to a beautiful waterfall where we had our lunch. Then we climbed back up another path and ended up in the spot where we had left our horses. Parts of this hike were really difficult because of the steepness of the path and the muddy conditions in the park. But the views of the park were stunning!


Though we really enjoyed our visit to Podocarpus, we would not recommend this tour for inexperienced riders. You end up spending about four to five hours on the horse, and the ride to and from the path to Vilcabamba is done at a gallop pace. This was really painful for us novices. I was unable to finish the ride back to Vilcabamba because my lower back was in a lot of pain. We also felt really sore for several days after our visit.

Where we ate

Café Sambuca: This place has good Mexican food and nice outdoor seating facing the main plaza.
Shanta’s: Cool, rustic setting and delicious food. Minh had a filet mignon and I had frogs’ legs.

Where we stayed

Le Rendez-Vous: We really enjoyed our stay at Le Rendez-Vous. All of the rooms in this bed and breakfast face a beautiful garden, and each has a small patio with a table, chairs and hammock in which to relax. Our room was spacious, clean and very comfortable. Breakfast was delicious and included fresh bread baked on the premises, and the option of a fruit salad instead of eggs. We paid $26 for a room with a queen bed and private bathroom with hot water. The hotel has wi-fi that costs an additional $4 per day.

Garden outside our hotel room

More Photos of Vilcabamba

Cuenca

Cuenca is the third largest city in Ecuador, and has a lovely colonial area that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent an afternoon exploring the many churches and plazas in the colonial part of the city. One of my favorite sites was the Catedral de la Inmaculada (the “New Cathedral”), an enormous and impressive Neo-Gothic style cathedral with beautiful white and blue colored domes. The New Cathedral is located in the Parque Abdon Calderon, Cuenca’s main plaza, opposite El Sagrario (the “Old Cathedral”). We also visited the San Blas, Santo Domingo and San Francisco churches.

More Photos of Cuenca

We visited a market at Plaza Rotary where vendors sell ceramics, clothes, furniture, baskets and local produce. At the south side of the market we saw indigenous women performing some type of ceremony on infants and children. On each child the indigenous women rubbed some type of plant all over the head and body, spit water and rubbed an egg on the belly and face, and then drew what looked like small crosses on the forehead and belly. We did not take any pictures because we did not want to be disrespectful. However, I regret not asking one of the women to explain the purpose of this ritual.

Our last stop was to the Banco Central Pumapungo, a museum complex built on the site of Tomebamba excavations, an area settled by the Cañari indigenous group, and later conquered by the Incas. We visited the Museo Etnográfico, a wing of the Museum containing information on different Ecuadorian cultures. We found most of it a bit boring with the exception of a section containing a collection of shrunken heads. We also visited the Museo Arqueológico, containing Cañari and Incan artifacts excavated from the site, and the Parque Arqueológico, containing some ruins from the site. I hate to admit that we were not very impressed. Perhaps we were just too tired to appreciate the museum and the ruins. I do think it is worth a visit if you are an archeology buff.


Ingapirca

From Cuenca we did a day trip to Ingapirca, Ecuador’s most important Incan ruin. The area was originally settled by the Cañari people, and the Incas took over the site during the 15th century. Ingapirca was of strategic importance to the Incan Empire because of its location on the Royal Highway that ran from Cuzco to Quito, and soldiers were stationed there. The site includes both Cañari and Incan style ruins, and part of the Royal Highway is visible. It is best to visit this site with a guide otherwise you don’t get much out of it. We were fortunate because an Ecuadorian professor who had brought a group of students invited us to join her while she provided a tour of the site.


After walking around Ingapirca we hiked down to La Cara del Inca, an area where an immense natural formation in the rock looks like the face of an Incan.

More Photos of Ingapirca

Where we ate

Tiesto’s: Tiesto’s should put Cuenca on the Foodie Map! This was without a doubt the best meal of our trip so far! First we were served bread with a large assortment of different salsas and toppings, ranging from sweet to spicy. Next we had a tender steak served with an AMAZING cream of milk and parmesan cheese sauce! The waiter recommended that we try this dish when we told him we couldn’t decide what steak to order, and we were so thrilled that he did!


We finished with a tasty chocolate mousse with passion fruit gelato for dessert.


Not only was the food fantastic, but the service was also top notch. The waiter was very attentive. The chef and owner brought our main course to the table, and followed up a bit later to see if we were happy with our meal. It was clear that the Chef took a lot of pride in his work. Some of the tables around us ordered a prawn dish. We noticed that the Chef went around showing both children and adults how to get the most meat out of the prawns. This restaurant is the number one rated place in Cuenca (according to TripAdvisor) and has become very popular. Reservations are a must! If you are ever in Cuenca, call and make reservations before planning the rest of your visit!

La Esquina: We had a delicious breakfast at this restaurant while listening to some mellow Rolling Stones covers. The restaurant had a cool ambiance and was nicely decorated. The chef and owner took our order. Both he and the waiter/busboy were very attentive. If we had spent more time in Cuenca, we definitely would have returned here for dinner.

Where we stayed

Posada Todos Santos: We really enjoyed our stay here. The rooms were very clean, had modern bathrooms and comfortable beds. The hotel is within walking distance of restaurants and bars, but just far enough away to be very quiet. The hotel also has free Wi-Fi. I don’t remember how much we paid per night, but it was no more than USD $30.