After selling the horses in Sallique the three caballeros (Gil, Stefano and me) left the highlands and drove together to Chiclayo, situated near the west coast of Peru. As we all had different plans regarding our travel routes we split up and from Chiclayo on everyone went his own way.
Thus I caught the bus to Trujillo on the next morning. After my arrival in Trujillo I went straight to the migration office. The reason for that is when I first arrived in Peru I only asked for an one-month stay. But after that unplanned two-weeks-horse-trip-thing we have done, an one month Visa canīt be sufficient, of course not. Accordingly I asked the migration office to extend my Visa for another 30 days. That whole procedure cost me like one day and about 30 Dollar. The next time I enter a country I apply from the beginning for the maximum stay of ninety days. Apart from all this official and paper work stuff I also visited a few sights in and around Trujillo. An only 20 minutes bus drive away from the city centre there is Chan Chan, once the glorious capital of the Chimu empire. Chan Chan is touted as the largest preserved mud-brick city in the world.
Totally sweated and exhausted from the merciless sun over Trujillo I hopped on an overnight bus to Huaraz, the jumping-off point for the best hiking in Peru. Huaraz is not only famous for its prime location in the valley that is formed by the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca. Unfortunately, the city also tells the story of the catastrophic earthquake that shattered all but one street and killed half the cityīs population in 1970, many people had been killed while watching the Mexico-hosted World Cup. As the weather wasnīt that good to do a more-day hike including sleeping in a tent I only did two single day trips. The first one brought me, accompanied by a dutch couple (greetings to Leon & Miranda!!), to a lake on 4.500m elevation, called Laguna Churup. Trip number two, also in company with the dutch couple, lead us first through a valley, called Pumapampa, as once the Puma lived here, before we got to see the seldom Puya Raymondi plant (grows only at altitudes of 3.800m – 4.200m) and an ice cave. By the end of the trip our guide offered us to walk on the glacier of Mount Pastoruri. After a few steps walking on the white ground we could notice the consequences of the global warming; the ice of the glacier was not really strong and before we would run in trouble we rather decided to bring our adventure to an end at this point. For me it was already highly satisfactory as I have been over 5.000m this day, higher than any point on the European continent.
Since Trujillo I am traveling alone through South America, and this is reflected in my travel route as well. I decide in the evening, or sometimes even in the morning, where I will go and what I will do that day. And so it happened that after Huaraz I did not go the travelers “usual” way down to Lima, but more to the east, approximately heading to Pucallpa. On the way to Pucallpa I made a first stop over in La Union. From here it is just a few hours hike to Huanuco Viejo, “the second-best Inca ruins in the country”, if you want to believe the words of the local tourist office. To be honest I really liked those ruins. May it be because I was the only visitor on this day, may it be because the sun was shining so bright, may it be because I had an original Peruvian meal together with my tour guide or may it be because it didnīt cost me anything to visit these ruins except the effort the way and the time to get here.
From La Union / Huanuco Viejo my trip continued to Junin, a bit south-east of La Union. When I arrived in Junin I took the first hotel I saw. Later on I should experience that this was a big mistake, my room was clean, but the chemical they have cleaned it with was Diesel, and so smelled my room like. Junin is located 4.100m above sea level. Together with the smell of Diesel and the high elevation I could not sleep much this first night in Junin. The next morning I had an appointment with three local people I met the evening before. Together we went by bicycle to the 20km distant Lago de Junin, Perus second biggest lake after Titicaca. The view from the lookout point was not even a little bit spectacular but it was more the talk to the local people that count. Exhausted from the bike tour I did not realize the smelliness this second night anymore and slept quite well. The next morning my new friends brought me to the bus station where I changed my cap with one of theirs, so that I now have my first Peruvian souvenir. Afterwards I jumped, as I did it so many times already within the last 6 weeks, on another bus, pointing Puerto Bermudez, where there is supposed to be the hottest budget jungle lodge in Peru.
And because this report is already much too long and also because I donīt want to betray my next adventures to you at this stage, I gonna finish this chapter here. For those of you who cannot wait for the answer you just have to take a closer look on a Peruvian map and to look for Puerto Bermudez, which is actually on Peruīs exact geographical center. With somewhat general knowledge and just as little imagination you shouldnīt have a problem to guess what will be my next travel report about…