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Sustainable agriculture and internal plumbing

Got in at some stupid hour in the morning and went to a hostel that had been recommended for it's tours. Fortunately the owner was awake and said I could join a tour, but he didn't have any beds available. Well, I didn't want to spend the day on tour then get a night bus without any sleep, so the owner was kind enough to let me stay at his sister in laws! A few much needed hours of sleep later (in a wierdly decorated bedroom, but anyway), I was prepared to conquer the world :P Or at least explore Chan Chan and the Temples of the Sun and Moon!

They were pretty cool :P Any prehistoric adobe (mudbrick for the layman) settlement that covers 10ish square kilometres has got to be cool! Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu Empire, a bunch of dudes that ruled from around 1000AD to 1470AD when the blood thirsty Incas butchered them. They achieved a lot with regard to agriculture - the area of land they were able to cultivate (sustainably, so even more impressive), thanks to their extensive irrigation systems and sensible practices, exceeds that of today.

Before my bus to Ecuador (or as close as I could get) I had dinner down on the water with some backpackers I met on the tour - Spain, Germany and Estados Unidos... and the default language was Spanish... which meant I did a lot of listening <grin>. Hot and dusty Trujillo is completely different down at the coast. It's clean (both the air quality and the noises, or lack of), picturesque and quite beautiful! The waves crashing on the beach, the colorful colonial architecture, the 'caballitos'* leaning against the light posts - very romantic!

The restaurant we ate at was recommended by a local for it's seafood and it didn't dissapoint. We had ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lemon juice) of every description - fish, calamari, scallops, prawns, octopus, etc! It was divine... ceviche is definitely one of my favourite South American dishes.

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But raw seafood is a risk, and I think I might be going to pay for it... I'm boarding my bus to Tumbes and there are some rumblings and gurglings coming from down below that don't inspire much confidence!

* Caballito means little horse and refers to the handmade totora reed boats the fisherman ride... ride as they straddle them and don't sit in them! If you visit Trujillo, spend more time than I did - you can get a ride with a fisherman through the waves for a few dollars :) Would be amazing!

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