PERU    DIARY  6

          From Diary 5.

I have only close to three hours drive to the next site, and start botanising a bit. Despite I really try to find some interesting plants, I fail completely. It is either sterile gravel and sand, or crop and weed. The most common crop seems to be sugarcane, but here are many others. Some areas are actually saltpans, other are real nice sand dunes.
Then I head for the beach a few times. They are made up by sand, and not even plastic for once. A few villages are not really interesting, and I drive right through.
The fields start to be farmed efficient, and then I reach Trujillo at ten, way too early for the shops to be open. I ditch the car at a yellow stripe - like anyone else, and start exploring. It should be a “mirage" town in a sandy desert. The beach is protected by boulders in the surf, leaving no room for a beach, but provide a home for some red crabs.
I head into the centre, and start with a fruit waffle, just to raise the spirit. Then some walks around the huge and real well maintained central square. The side streets do drop in standard, but in an odd way. Here are several real nice and well maintained buildings as well. My yellow line-parking, and the amount of cities I have seen lately, make head on after a short time.
I find the coastal desert road and quite soon; the surf town of Huanchaco. My room is not ready, but I just gas the car and check 10 kilometres of beach. All equally dull, with sand, a few hand size rocks and various amount of plastic debris. I have mentioned it before, and repeat: I think Peru is the most dirty country I have seen, maybe with the exception of Kuwait. Here is a layer of plastic and building materials pretty much everywhere. Behind the beach are some lagoons with a few tiny succulents, but nothing real interesting. I return to town, when the beach start to be closed off by private lots. Nothing fancy at all, but a high wall along the road.
Back in town, I find some souvenirs, a local dish with beans, rice, fried banana and eggs, then the first disappointing cake on the tour: Looked like cheesecake, but was just tasteless starch and a bit of synthetic strawberry taste.
Home to fight the computers for quite some time, as I’m locked out of everything, and for a first, I don’t have the right power plug. Sit on the roof terrace at a stow in a kitchen, with real bad Wi-Fi. Realises that if the computer shall survive, I better stop, and watch the sunset at the beach. Get a great curry next to the hotel at dusk, and call it a day.  Highlights from the day

22.  It is more than 400 kilometres to the first site, and mainly by familiar roads. I skip the archaeological site, which were closed, when I passed the first time. Then it is the coastal sand desert with some artificial watered oasis.
The road to the 5000 year old pyramids of Caral is a sugar cane road: It is gravel, soaked in sap from the canes. Create a special surface with less dust, but still bumpy. After 19 kilometres of that, it turns real bad. Huge ponds and then a wide river, but no bridge.
I got a feeling of, it is either the wrong way, or a back entrance. But it is the official and only trail, and I get there, along with a local woman I gave a lift, and who offers me dinner, when I return.
None speak any English at the visitor centre, and I end up with a guide, which might be mandatory. It make a dent in my last remaining cash, and I might have to restock.
A path leads from ancient small homes to the six pyramids and other constructions.
What really surprises me is that this civilisation didn’t have ceramics and domesticated animals. Here are wood, bone and raw clay work, along with cotton and grass weavings. And all real well preserved, due to the desert conditions. Here are also a few, two meter monoliths, thought to have religious or astronomical meaning. One have signs chisel in - they claim.
When we have done the loop, I buy a flute in bone, of which many have been found in the area. The sun finally break through the mist as I leave, but I don’t need sun on the few and most likely; alike photos.
I try to get back by another road, but the local farmer doesn’t share. I don’t mind the river, but the 19 kilometres of cane-road is bumpy. I do not turn in for the promised dinner.
I finally make it to Huacho, but fail to find the hotel. It is not where they have the dot on Booking.com’s map, neither where the address say. I find another, right next to the market. This is not a rich and fancy town for sure, but people are still smiling.
I aim for a ATM, then a restaurant. I only get half of my pizza, but that leave room for a cake.
While I get the needed calories, it turns dark and surprisingly cold. I had expected the coast to be steaming hot, considered the high altitude areas was pleasant. It must be a cold current in the sea, cooling the area this much. I do the central square, but then find my way home.  Highlights from the day

23. I leave early, and have to wait for my host to get dressed, and unlock around ten huge locks on three doors. Then I do several loops around the market and the larger area, real busy at this time. I find buns with fried eggs and even a large glass of warm milk and some coffee syrup.
Despite the area, my car is fine, and I set the GPS for Pucullana. The first petrol station get to fill the car, and then help me break into it, as the alarm locked me out again. The window won't close completely then, and when I try to reset it by opening it all the way, it remains fully open. It is a cold and foggy morning to drive over 200 kilometres with an open window. For a first, I appreciate the huge amount of trash everywhere, and find a huge, transparent plastic bag, and close the door on it.
Slightly change of plans due to the un-locked window, but I still start with Pucullana.
It is a several hour tour cross the modern Lima, which I actually thought of dropping. That would have been a good call.
The Pucullana area is not big - anymore. But the bigger clay brick pyramids are still quite impressive. I remember, I’m retired and above 60, when I buy the mandatory ticket for the just as mandatory guided tour. I just have to wait fifteen minutes for the English-ish.
We get a walk all around and up to the top of this 1500 year old construction. Two more civilisations have lived here, the following 500 years, and made their alterations. All three have known to ceramic. They have eaten sharks and sacrificed frogs.
Slightly disappointed, mainly due to the six hour drive, I get some pasta at the fancy restaurant I parked. Then out to the airport to return the car, around 30 hours before time, at three. But I don’t really feel like parking it in old Lima with plastic for one window. I sure seen modern Lima, and I hope to survive not seeing the old.
The guys can’t find scratch underneath all the dirt, and I know, I haven’t made any.
The only busses I can find, is the one  to the modern part of town, and knowing it take an hour to drive there, I can’t be bothered for two hours of daylights.
If I can locate a seat with a compatible power plug in the airport, I can catch up on diaries, photo backup and if I’m really bored; budget.
However, my flight is just after midnight. With 140 Sol, I’m not going to starve for sure. I managers to get my two boarding cards right away, and thereby access to the cafes and restaurants. But a live and right shaped power plug with a decadent seat is another story. I finally get at seat at the only restaurant offering it, and stick to it, till boarding time.
Peru have been great, but so dirty. The people are real nice, the prices a bit steep after Bolivia, but the sights they offer, real impressive for most. I have made 4014 photos and driven 3886 kilometres. I have spend 17500 DKK; €2350, which is the usual.  Highlights from the day
 HIGHLIGHTS FROM PERU
         
  My next site is in North-Eastern Brazil. 
 

Expenses	DKK	Sol	€
Flight (part)	5588	2866	745
Insurance (1/5)	120	62	16
Car + insurances	3979	2000	530
Petrol	1870	959	249
Park & Toll	372	191	50
Hotel	1885	967	251
Stuff	399	205	53
Food	1564	802	209
Admission	1665	854	222
Total:	17442	8944	2326