Diary 13 (or Wow! Simply Wow! )22/9/2001 It`s Friday so it must be Peru. An earlyish plane to Lima, capital of Peru and this is more like it! Lima doesn`t have sunshine[1] but its not raining either. First order of the day once I`m comfortably settled into the Hostal Espana is some new clothes. One pair of my Chinese trousers has finally given up the ghost - I had to secure my modesty with a safety pin before flying today - and they are left adorning one of the mannequins that populate my domitory. Now I have new trousers and a fleecy jumper to replace the one that I junked in Yangshuo several months ago. There`s a chill in the air here, but even in this capital city people have a smile and a few words of hello for you. Of course the purchase of my new trousers had nothing to do with how much the shop assistants flirted, all those smiles are simply contagious.Time to lay down the foundations of some basic knowledge - a quick tour of the Museo Rafael Larco Harrara shows the richness of the cermaic history in Peru. Huge locked vault doors open onto a gold treasure trove with face, nose and chest plates. Some are inlaid with intricate designs of turquiose and mother-of-pearl, but the real highlight is the beaded pectorals: their size and the delicacy of their construction is amazing. Finally the erotic room contains various depictions of sex, sexuality ad fertility rendered as pots and jars, some in quite graphic detail. Then a short stroll to the Museo Nacional de Anthropologia y Archaeologia which fills in the gaps with respect to the more human aspects of the first cultures, has some great models of the main sites[2] and then continues through the Spanish Conquest to the liberation of Peru, starring Simon Bolivar, and the formation of the Republic. They even let you use a tripod for photos! My final stop, the Museo de la Nacion is a good 12km away and the walk takes me through a real cross-section of Lima`s districts. Starting in quiet streets, houses with security grills and pleasant gardens, the serenity soon gives way to commercial districts where I`m choosing which side of the road to walk on and then to an area of autobody and parts shops where every pavement is covered in cars undergoing invasive, emergency or cosmetic surgery. Such a display of concentrated work and industry is definitely unusual in Latin America in my experience. Unfortunately the museum is a dissapointment after breathing all the traffic fumes to get there. Apart from the building itself, which is a huge 10 storey edifice of concrete, its inner space crisscrossed with walkways and pipework. However only the bottom 2 floors actually contain anything so (in typical Steve fashion) starting at the top, it was a while before I found anything except bare walls and locked doors. Braving Lima`s bus system (thank God for my compass) on the wy back I found typical Peruvian shopping in La Victoria, a real melee of shopkeepers, their goods and the hapless shoppers squeezed in between - though thankfully the streets were pedestrianised. Did I mention that the Peruvian beer is good? ;-)Errands first thing and after a late start the first bus north along the coast is at 4pm. With the vagaries of Peruvian timings and interminable stops at other bus terminals it was 6.30 before we left the suburbs of Lima. The drive is also slower than advertised and by the time of our arrival in Casma at midnight, not 8pm as expected, I`ve resolved to simply stay on the bus as it heads north until there is light in the sky. Chiclayo looms by 5.30am, home of Peru`s most northern touristy sites of interest, so its time to disembark. I hadnt planned on an allnighter, so after a couple of hours of snatched sleep its a bleary-eyed Steve that wanders into town in search of a hotel.Hotwater in the showerhead and cleansheets on the bed, sounds like a good deal at 6 quid a night. After a quick visit to the shower its out to the sights and sites. Chiclayo is relatively modern and the main streets are all decorated by tall trees with orange blossoms that look like tulips. All around me the town is waking up and transport is even easier than normal in little motorised tricycles like China`s. The Bruning Museum contains relics from the burial of El Senor de Sipan, whose tomb was discovered in the last 20 years. The amount of gold and silver (which together represent duality in life) is staggering and well-presented. Then the temple complexes of Tucume, clustered around a natural bare rock hill that is a distinct anomaly in the flat surroundings. Unlike the Mayan or Mexica ruins these require some stretching of the imagination to visualise their previous grandeur. These are not stone temples, but adobe, or baked mud bricks that are roughly pillow shaped and the years of erosion and recent El Ninos have taken their toll. It`s extent is still obvious and some of the walls easily top 10m in traingular cross-section, at the same angles as the temples themselves. Back in town the Mercado Modelo is a vast market covering the whole range of human needs, especially the produce section as expected, but the real suprise is the section for witch doctors full to the brim with herbs, medecines, religious icons of every persuasion and some dubious looking swords.The Lord of Sipan`s tomb is an hours crowded minibus journey from Chiclayo. There are a couple of temples but the real jewel is the tombs, still exposed and now restored with replicas of the artifacts of the nobel, his entourage and their burial gifts. The warrior guard buried above them has his feet cut off, presumably to stop him wandering off in the afterlife - intriguing! The bus back is even more crowded, over 40 people rammed into the minibus as it bounced its way back between sugar cane plantations. 3 hours south to Trujillo on the next bus, and this time I can admire the scenery[3]. There`s little agriculture and the landscape starts with absolutely flat sand, sparsely covered with small clumps of dry grass. Some tiny dunes crowned with green vegetation are dotted here and there and then as we continue they grow into larger dunes, cresents of pure yellow sand which in turn merge to form more "conventional" desert landscapes. The other window shows the Andes in the distance, looking suitably satisfied with their reputation, but too distant for close examination. It`s another grand but delapidated hotel in Trujillo, full of high ceilings and spacious courtyards. Trujillo is stuffed full of the same colonial charm as Campeche in Mexico, with wrought-iron grills and balconies adorning the brightly coloured buildings, especially around the Plaza de Armes. This is the the place to hang out, and a bunch of new friends are just around the corner. Orfelia, Cesar and Joaquin are brilliant, funny and above all tolerant of my halting Spanish which improves with lubrication of beer and rum[4]. As the night descends into a blur of different plazas, a dark discotheque and a spinning head, it might be time to crash soon...Wednesday, and its one o`clock when I surface and stagger down to the Plaza for a much needed chicken sandwich. The gang gather one by one and we head to the south of town for Miguel`s birthday party. His family run a series of restaurants out of town and the duck, rice and beans go a long way to settle everything down - quality victuals! I don`t get a lot done today, except sing-along to the stereo, drink and generally chill. Suppose I aught to get something touristy done tomorrow.First call tis morning is to the Chan Chan ruins north of town. Nine royal cities, each constructed by a different ruler stand in the desert, a maze of walls plazas and dusty hillocks. The Tschudi complex has been restored and its decoration reflects its constructors preoccupation with fishing nets, fish and aquatic life. After lunch[5] at Huanchaco, the beach resort another couple of kms out, its back to the plaza for more fun and frolics. I think I like this town!Just time for a quick visit to the Huacas de Sol y de Luna this morning, these are two huge adobe pyramids. The Huaca de Sol contains over 140 million bricks, each hall marked by its contributor, but I seem to be the only person not allowed to climb it by the tourist police, apparently 100`s[6] of visiting schoolkids have free rein though. I`m really sorry to leave my new friends behind, but its onto the port of Chimbote and a pleasant evening killing time with William as we wait for our repective night buses to Huarez in the Cordellia Blanco.Slept well on the bus last night, but not that well. Dump my kit in the hotel, and grab another 3 hours in a comfy bed before heading out into town. This is 3020m above sea-level and I`m not taking any major activity today. Strolling around the markets and catching up on my diary are more than sufficient. The scenery is superb, the air is clear and fresh and people are still smiling. I think I like it here too. :-)[1] Unless you count the dull light through the haze of seafog and smog. [2] Macchu Picchu looks fantastic, I can`t wait! [3] because its not night-time. [4] Or at least we seem to understand each other better ;-) [5] A huge plate of squid eaten on the edge of the beach watching surfers on the breaking waves. [6] Literally