Chiclayo
Trip Start
Sep 06, 2010
1
32
48
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Hostal Victoria
Chiclayo, Peru
Thursday, November 25, 2010
We had opted to stay in Hostal Victoria as it had cable and an ensuite but was still really cheap and only a couple of blocks from the main square. It wasn't a backpackers place and was geared towards Peruvian guests which we liked, the owner was really helpful and it was also opposite a great café where we had breakfast most mornings. We spent the day getting our washing done and booked a tour of the local ruins and the Sipan Museum for the following day. The main reason for visiting Chiclayo was to visit the pyramids at Tucume, The Lord of Sipan's tomb at Museo de Sitio Huaca Rajada and the brilliant Museo Tumbas Reales Sipan. We were at the tour office ready and waiting when the minibus arrived and when we got on we noticed the bus was full of teenagers, they seemed excited we were there and later on wanted their photos taken with us. We had to wait outside a hotel for a Peruvian guy who when he eventually turned up wasn't particularly apologetic which obviously annoyed a guy from Quebec who had a big go at him. The Peruvian replied saying it was his country and he would do as he liked and when the Canadian guy replied the Peruvian stormed out of the minibus and said he was no longer coming! It was an eventful start to what was a really interesting day! There wasn't much left of the ruins we visited but we were really impressed by the museums we went to.
The following day we had a lazy day looking around the shops in Chiclayo and were taken back to see lots of Christmas decorations and a nativity scene being set up in the main square. It doesn't feel like it’s nearly December as the weather is still warm and it seemed even weirder that I was shopping for a new bikini! In the afternoon we went to the massive market where you could buy absolutely everything, randomly a band started marching through the meat market and they seemed to be in support of a man standing for election. There were also lots of juice stands where you can get a freshly made fruit juice but for some reason Marisa got an extra ingredient which showed a body builder on the front of the bottle. We're not quite sure what it was supposed to do but it tasted good!
