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On the way to Huanchaco we visited a Chimú fort - Paramonga. We climbed to the top and were rewarded with fantastic views.
We didn't like Huanchaco. It looks very dodgy with not much going on. Our accommodation was OK with a good restaurant. Huanchaco is famous for the beaches but we didn't see it during the day time and the weather was not good.
The main reason for going to Huanchaco was to visit Chan Chan, the Chimú city. We visited one of the walled citadels made of adobe (mud bricks). When a king died they would leave him in the citadel and build a new one next door. We followed the fish signs with the guide. There was some lovely detail on the walls, pelicans and fish. It was a bit of a maze and you could really getting a feeling for what it was like to live there. There was a big reservoir with water in it. It had been dry until recently when the town of Trujillo switched from using the groundwater to an uphill river source. Now the levels are more representative of when the site was in use. It is a very important
site and you see why it is on the UNESCO world heritage list. They are doing a lot of work to preserve it. I am glad we saw it before they build lots more roofs.
Next stop was Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. The former is not excavated so we went to the latter. The sites were named as if they were Inca sites, so they have nothing to do with being sun and moon temples really. The Moche just built some temples. The amazing features of the temple are the images preserved on the walls. Bright colours were used to depict people and animals and their god, the Decapitator.
With an afternoon free, we took a taxi to the nearby city of Trujillo. Not a tourist destination but they do make good beer. The main plaza is very pretty with little gardens and an impressive statue and or course all the wonderful colonial buildings and a beautiful church. We wanted to visit the Casa de la Urquiaga but couldn't find it so we went to the tourist information. We have never found a more helpful tourist office. The lady told us where to find
the house and gave us a huge list of restaurants when we inquired about where to eat. And when we asked where we could buy postcards she gave us some for free. She also gave us free bookmarks and little bracelets made of coconut with pictures of ladies.
We couldn't find the house because it is now a bank, but we could still go in and have a look around. It is a beautiful blue colonial house with some rooms decorated in colonial style. One bedroom, a ladies, was decorated with delicate old white lace and there was an old umbrella open next to the bed. The courtyard was very colourful. We didn't learn much about the history as the guide was busy with other people. We had a security guard follow us around instead. We found a cheap chinese for our lunch. It was very good. And that was the end of our brief visit to Trujillo.
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