Blogs from Tumbes, Peru, South America - page 4

Hello, Everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted, life has been busy here. It has occurred to me that my entries are all full of the trips that I've taken. Just to make sure you know, I am actually here in Peru (not just playing), but I post the things that I think are interesting. To give you an update on my project, over the last two months I have spent all of my time writing (and re-writing) and planning (and re-planning) and meeting with numerous people about my project, as well as setting everything up to actually start my project. Although this process is taking so much longer than I anticipated, I am learning a lot, and beginning to realize that this is how it always is when starting a new project. There ... read more

Von Huanchao aus fahren wir zur archelogischen Staette Chan-Chan. Dies war einst die groesste Lehmzielgelstadt Suedamerikas (event. sogar der Welt) und wurde um 1300 gebaut. 1460 eroberten die Inkas das Chima-Reich. Die Stadt wurde jedoch erst durch die goldbesessenen Spanier zerstoert. Am Nachmittag gings dann weiter zu den Las Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Tempel der Sonne und des Mondes). Dies ist Perus groesstes praekolumbianisches Bauwerk. Es wurden dafuer ueber 140 Millionen Adobezielgel verwendet. Die Pyramide de la luna hat viele Fresken. Der Brauch der Chima, alte Tempel unter neuen zu begraben hat zu ihrem Erhalt beigetragen. Bei den Pyramiden hat es auch noch haarlose Hunde (wie in Aegypten). Die Hunde haben eine viel hoehere Koerpertemperatur als normal Hunde. Sie wurden in der tranditionellen Medizin als Koerperwaermer bei Arthritis benutzt! Gestern fuhren wir dann ... read more

So after travelling for 6 months thru the caribbean, we decided to check out the beaches on the north side of the coast of our own country. We were born here in Piura, but never really lived there except for very often visits to our aunts and cousins during summers while growing up. We had a great time once we arrived to Punta Sal in Tumbes, this beach is just a few minutes away from the famous Máncora, but during the high season,the summer months from Dec. to Mar there is a great difference. No kids beggin, no risk of food poisoning (and I was born with a tough stomach!) and not having to freak out at the barbarity of ppl throwing plastic to the sand and water.... We stayed at a hostel very much like ... read more

Its been an interesting week since Banos (and if anyone noticed my facebook page, I wrote that "Matt is feeling pretty relaxed chilling out in Banos", however, banos means toilets in Spanish which is perhaps a bit too George Michael, so I've quickly changed that!). On our way to Cuenca, we stopped off at Ingapirca, the most important Inca site in Ecuador. It was pretty impressive and we had a wonderful guide who was on turbo, as she was trying to avoid the gathering thunderstorm (three years ago a German tourist was killed by a bolt of lighting whilst standing on the main monument). We spent a couple of days in Cuenca, a town full of colonial buildings, which was our last stop in Ecuador. It was pleasant enough but one of our party got mugged ... read more

Arrived at the Punta Sal beach resort yesterday at around 9, after suffering a puncture roughly 10 minutes after we left our hotel in Huanchaco. Our spare was also kaput after it blew on the drive to Lima, which could have left us up shit creek, were it not for another Dragoman truck which was following on behind. After a detour to a tyre yard, we got back on the road after about 2 hours, arriving at Punta Sal in our Halloween costumes to the general indifference of everyone there. The next morning saw scenes reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan (or at the least, Shaving Ryan's Privates). The other Dragoman group had turned up late last night. I hadn't mentioned this before, but they got off on the wrong foot with some of us, mostly because ... read more