The Peruvian Desert

Known as the worst border crossing in South America and having previous experience with it we stayed in the dilapidated border town (a worldwide tradition) of Huaquillas overnight to tackle it early the following morning.  We need not have worried as the immigration offices had been moved 4km from the actual border leaving nobody trying to rip us off and an easy entry into Peru – a pleasant change!  North Western Peru is an arid mix of the Sechura Desert, small fishing villages and ancient ruins stretching down to Lima and sandwiched in by the Andes and the Pacific.  We headed south to the small village of Mancora, built around the Pan American Highway. It is controlled by surfers by day and gangs by night giving it a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere. This was compounded when we checked into LOKI Hostel, a new chain that have turned the previously rewarding journey south into a teenager’s playground, full of strutting peacocks parading around in an enclosure aimed at giving you as little contact with the outside world as possible.  Sat in the corner with a beer berating everyone and thing like a geriatric 80 year old man regaling ‘the god old days’ of travelling in South America my famously long tolerance was finally broken when Justin Bieber starting playing to the joy of those playing beer pong around me.  We quickly headed off the following morning to a very chilled hostel with 6 volunteers ‘working’ and the same number of guests staying, set away from the main town in a small cul-de-sac made of mud brick huts, dusty roads and a small collection of hostels – life was better.

The cul - de - sac

Mancora itself is spread thinly along the Pan-Am Highway and a wide beach that stretches off into the distance at both ends.  It is a Mecca for surfers with its year round waves but unfortunately the beach is not quite as pristine as the Galapagos and the plastic rubbish and half completed concrete building projects detracted a little.  As the sun set crusty hippies seemed to emerge from the sands like Bedouin tribesman in a mirage selling all sorts of handicrafts from protection amulets made of cheap wool to the standard coloured bracelets that indicate your social standing within their herd.    It did at least offer us a nice rest for a few days after our hectic schedule from the start of Japan and we indulged in some fantastic restaurants offering amazing fish set menus for $5.  We left catching an overnight bus through the desert to another beach town, Huanchaco, a good halfway point on our journey to Lima.  Although similar to Mancora the small village is famous for the fisherman’s use of narrow boats made from reeds, a tradition passed on from 2000 year old pottery from the Moche civilisation.  The Caballitos de Tortora (little horses) only last a few months as they become waterlogged and only carry a few fish due to their size but the locals paddle out up to a mile and also use them to give tourists a ride around the bay, unique to this stretch of the Peruvian coast.

The Sechura Desert 

Just outside of the village are the ruins of the Huaca del Sol and Huaca del Luna (Sun and Moon), two temples from the Moche civilisation from between 100 AD – 800 AD.  Moche culture thrived in Northern Peru along the coast and are famous for their ceramics, a lot of which have been preserved amazingly well in the tombs of some of the religious leaders and warriors found around the temples. Most of the gold has been looted and El Nino has worn a lot of the estimated 130 million bricks away from the Huaca del Sol but a restoration project funded by the local brewery means you can now see the outer walls of the fiver ornate levels of the pyramid structure.  The ruins were quite unique and despite the ordeal of the journey (we took three different minivans, each only heading vaguely in the right direction despite the bus boys protestations that it was definitely right) it was well worth the time it took for us to explore.  Another night bus followed that evening to Lima, completing the first leg of our long journey south to Rio.