Huanchaco

Friday was another long drive day. The issue with where we are at the moment is that Lima is a 1200km drive approximately from the border along the coast, and there's not much inbetween as the terrain is arid and effectively desert. Due to this we left our campsite at 6am and had breakfast on the truck. The good thing however was that the roads were both smooth and flat which meant we could cover a lot of ground in a lot less time compared to the mountain passes we've done prior.

En route we stopped at the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, a world-class museum that showcases the finest artefacts from the archaeological finds at nearby Sipán. The ancient city of Sipán was a settlement of the Moche civilisation that thrived in the area between 50-700 CE. The ruins were discovered in 1987, and when excavated revealed a set of fantastic and well-preserved royal tombs. Although some tombs had been plundered, many were found intact and full of some of the most extraordinary historical treasures ever discovered in the world! Amongst the most impressive discoveries made here is the tomb of the famous ‘Lord of the Sipán’, a Moche priest found buried amidst an array of gold, jewels and fabrics - some phenomenal gold and silver ornamental and ceremonial artifacts were recovered, which demonstrate the outstanding craftsmanship of the Moche metalworkers. It was very interesting looking at artefacts on show, although use of cameras were forbidden.

After the museum we had lunch at this restaurant where I had the fish, although it was full of small bones. We then continued our drive south along the coast, arriving in Huanchaco at about 7, so it was a very long day. We had an amazing sunset from the truck though and the sky just turned red. We also had another music quiz on the journey this time with a Disney and musicals theme and I was surprisingly good at it. We also unleashed our new play list where we pick 5 songs each and play them. They didn't shuffle them this time though and my 5 songs were the last 5 songs played. We once again had option to upgrade in Huanchaco,  although I camped. I think I'm the only person not to upgrade so far. After the tents were put up we went out for dinner, where I went to this beach bar with live music. I had the beef and onions with chips.

Huanchaco is a small town on the Peruvian coast that is rapidly acquiring a reputation for the quality of the surfing off its relaxed beaches. Wandering along the sea front you come across the local fishermen's "caballitos de tortora" - curved reed boats left propped up in groups together on the sand. Huanchaco is an ideal location from which to explore the numerous archaeological ruins that surround the nearby city of Trujillo. The town itself felt very British as it had a pier and lots of seaside bars and restaurants. After going for a run along the seafront in the morning, and having breakfast which was surprisingly egg based, we left around 9 for a morning to explore the nearby ruins.

First stop was the pyramid-shaped Huaca de la Luna, the impressive remains of the capital of the Moche civilsation that flourished between 100-800 CE. The site contains some phenomenal abode structures and well-preserved painted murals of the Moche deity Ai Apaec. The structure itself has never been restored after being discovered deep under desert sand, and is simply maintained. Much of the structure was sandstone although it doesn't erode as it simply just never really rains. The artwork was amazing. I did somehow prove a hit with these Peruvian a school kids here though and they thought I was really hot. I literally got surrounded and they all wanted pictures with me, while the rest of my group continued the tour.

We then went to the ruins of Chan Chan, a vast adobe city constructed as the capital of the Chimú civilisation which thrived in the area between 900-1470 CE, when they were finally invaded by the Incas. This area was vast and just surrounded by desert for miles in all directions. We had another guided tour here which was very interesting. Apparently they're even expecting rain within the next year due to the el nino effect, something I studied in geography. After the tour we had a truck lunch which was basically fruits and sandwiches, before heading back to the campsite early afternoon.

The afternoon was free time where I relaxed, before going to the beach to look rounds the shops and walk on the pier. I then watched the sunset which was pretty impressive before heading back to the campsite before dinner. For dinner I had this Peruvian seafood paella which was really nice. I then headed  back to the campsite and sat outside for a while. I even had wifi inside my tent.