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Thursday, 09.05.2002: Lima - Huanchaco
We left the truck park in Lima at 8am for the final 3 weeks of our trip. After 2 hours we nearly had to return to Lima because we got stopped by the police and Darrell couldn´t find the folder with all the truck documents in it. He was going spare but finally managed to find them.
We later met up with the Oasis truck who said there was another road block ahead. This turned out to be quite a nasty protest by the locals who were throwing bricks at all the passing buses. We saw them all coming in the opposite direction with smashed windows!!
By the time we got there the heavily armed police had managed to restore control but it still looked like a very tense situation. We only know that the protest had something to do with a mining company and the local ports all along the coast. Maybe they were trying to close some of the ports which literally line the coast all the way up the north of Peru and, by the way, are extremely smelly when you drive through them!!
It was good to have 7 free seats on the truck which were much needed by Max and Bridget who were suffering from all the good wine the day before, followed by a lot more wine afterwards!!
We finally got to the Hotel Bracamonte (near the Huanchaco ruins) at 6-30pm. Helen, Kirsten and Bridget decided to take a room with hot shower and TV for only 6,50 US$ extra per person. All the others set up their tents in the hotel grounds. It was an early night for everybody.
Friday, 10.05.2002: Huanchaco
We took a small bus at 8-45am and went to the Chan Chan ruins, the oldest adobe city in the world, and the pyramids of the Sun and Moon built between 100AD and 700AD.
Chan Chan ruins in Huanchaco
We got dropped off in Trujillo at 12-30 pm and went for an Almuerzo (set lunch) for only 9 Soles. Trujillo is a beautiful little city with lovely old colonial buildings. It was built by the Spanish in 1535 and named after Francisco Pizarros birthplace in Spain. Trujillo was the first city in Peru, which declared independence in 1820.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the swimming pool of the hotel. We also discovered the yummy cakes (lemon meringue pie) freshly baked in the hotel kitchen!
Saturday, 11.05.2002: Huanchaco - Bush camp 60km north of Piora
We left Huanchaco at 9-30am and went on a long and uneventful truck day along the coastline of Peru. At 5pm Darrell and Prue decided to find a spot for a bush camp even though it would have been only 2 more hours to Punta Sal - our next day destination.
We had a big camp fire and the lasagnes were really delicious. Dave came out with a classic on the subject of drivers and pulling women. We were talking about the Jesus guy from the Oasis truck (very ugly) and Prue said he´d pulled on every trip! Dave´s comment was: "Well it just goes to show that drivers can pull whatever they look like!". Darrell was not amused!
