Today started early...we had to meet in the lobby by 2:45 a.m. to head to the airport. The Lima airport experience was mostly uneventful. However, Phil did experience a thorough pat down. When we landed in Chiclayo, Peru's fourth largest city, we were amazed at how small the airport was. It has only two gates. Jose Luis was waiting for us, while Maria Eugenia was getting things settled at Kullayki Piruw. Kullayki Piruw is the hotel/bed and breakfast that was chosen for us. Kullayki translates to te quiero o te amo in Spanish. In English, I love you. Piruw has three translations from Quechua to Spanish. First, prepárate bien, which means get ready well in English. The second variation is pimienta, or pepper. The last translation simply means Peru. Whatever the intended meaning is, I think our home for the next week will be fantastic. When we arrived, we had a breakfast of chicken sandwiches, papaya juice and coffee. We didn't stay long, it was time to explore. We went to Lambayeque, the city. The region is also named Lambayeque and Chiclayo is the capital city. We started our tour of Lambayeque at the Plaza de Armas of San Pedro Garza Garcia. The park was beautiful. The landscape was manicured, the paths were tiled. It was quite amazing. We were impressed at the dance a group of teenagers were performing on the street. It was great to see them embracing their culture by dancing traditional numbers together. From there, we went on to explore the municipal building and churches. The San Pedro Cathedral was closed, but we were able to see the original church, and another church which people were attending. The inside of the church was intersting and charming. Its beams were curved because of the way the trees grew. Outside the church was a group of elementary-aged boys in military formation. We watched them as we walked by. I smiled at the intensity of the boy in charge, frustrated by the lack of effort from some of the other young boys. Kids are kids-I could imagine those two boys in my own classroom. Kids are kids everywhere.
These pictures cannot truly illuminate the beauty of this cathedral. The details are incredible and everything is in pristine condition. From there, we went to Museo Tumbes Reales de Sipan. I had no expectations as to what we would see. We were disappointed when the security guard made us put our cameras and cell phones in the car. Absolutely NO PHOTOS were allowed! That seemed a bit extreme at the time, but now I can appreciate the fact that there is no way any picture could capture the beauty of these artifacts. The intricate craftmanship is a wonder! The condition of the artifacts are exquisite. What an experience! Next, Maria Eugenia got picked up and Jose Luis, Phil and I took the coastal town/beach tour. Some things we saw on our drive: statues of Jesus, a variety of homes, huge trucks hauling sugar cane, lots of rice mills, rice fields, free range cows and goats, and lots of garbage. Jose Luis mentioned that dumping of garbage is a significant problem. The sides of the roads are filled with litter. There are stray dogs and birds that rummage in the piles. We even witnessed a garbage truck dumping the day's collection on the side of the road rather than the landill. We also experienced the smell of burning garbage, another problem in this area. Our first beach was in the town of San Jose. It was awesome. Jose Luis went into a restaurant and asked if they would cook for us and allow us to dine outside. He and a worker from the restaurant carried tables and chairs out to the beach. I had to explore. I love the ocean so much, but rarely see it. While I do get my fill of freshwater lakes, being Minnesotan, there is something both invigorating and relaxing about ocean waves crashing the sandy beach. I went to explore. Phil followed along too, taking pictures of the deserted boats lined up along the beach. I wanted to dip my toes in. I left my sandals and approached the Pacific. It was perfect, until an enormous wave crashed into me, and I didn't escape quickly enough. My sandals would have gone out to sea if Phil hadn't grabbed them for me. We returned to a meal of Inca Kola and fried fish. It was delicious! Our server chatted with us for a bit. He said that he was from Venezuela and would have to move into the city for work because business was slow. I was surprised to see how vacant the beach and buildings were. I guess it was because it was winter. On the drive to our next stop, we noticed stakes and make-shift buildings. We were told that people are claming their land for when they are able to build a home. Our second beach, Pimentel, was more developed, but still quiet for a weekend. We were hoping to see fishermen bringing in the day's haul on their caballitos de totora, reed boats. We had impeccable timing. The boats were just coming in. Families gathered around in hopes of purchasing fresh fish. I can see why Pimentel is the go-to beach in the summer. It's gorgeous. The third beach was eerily quiet on this Saturday afternoon. Santa Rosa would be holding a festival in just a few days to celebrate the holiday of the feasts of San Pedro y San Pablo. It was a quaint town. We hope to return for the celebration on Friday. Our next stop was in Monsefu. Jose Luis ordered picarones and I walked through the market in search of a bathroom. The first door with a baño sign was locked. I saw a second sign and tried to open it as well, but it was also locked. As I walked away, a woman from the shop across the alley gestured for me to follow her back to that second door. She knocked on a window, and a sweet, young face peeked back at us. The door opened, and I was escorted through the home, past the family eating dinner at their table, to the very back of the house where the toilet was. I knew that this was not advisable, but I had no other choice. I figured this service was available for a fee, so I dug around for some soles, and offered it to the teenager who showed me to the door. That was quite an experience. I was not expecting that. After I bought a few items at the market, we headed back toward Chiclayo. When I got back to my room, I needed to freshen up. It had already been such a full day and we were expecting company (other teachers and administrators from Santa Ana School) for a welcome barbecue dinner at Kullayki Piruw. I couldn't wait to rinse off the salt water in a hot shower. But, that was not to be. There was construction in the area, so the water pressure was minimal and the temperature was cold. It was a quick shower! We had a lovely dinner with delicious food. In addition to Jose Luis and Maria Eugenia, we met Chelita, Super Willy, Edwing, and another friend whose name escapes me, who joined us later. After dinner, we took a taxi to the 40/20 club, which was in walking distance. Apparently, it was not safe to walk there. We had so much fun listening and dancing to the live band. Thinking back to the Skype conversation, "You can sleep when you return to the US," I realized that Jose Luis was serious. There was so much to learn, explore and see in Chiclayo and he was determined for us to experience it all!
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