A Quick Trip before Heading Back to Work
Hello again everyone,
By now, you're probably wondering if I'm going to ever stop with these blogs-you don't hear anything from me for a couple months and now it's been about three updates in the last two weeks. Rest assured, the blogging will slow down quite a bit, as Marianella and I began work last week which obviously will slow down our travel schedule.
I was a bit reluctant to add this blog, fearing what my sister Carol alluded to in the comment section from the last blog, that I might stir a revolt among those stuck in late February winter. However, Marianella encouraged me to send an update of our last trip, since it'll be awhile before we head anywhere else. So, blame her if you're sick of the warm weather updates :).
This trip took us to Chiclayo, a city in Peru's northern region that is a major business hub and also home to one of the world's coolest museums. We had actually been in Chiclayo within the last year to visit that museum and some other historic sites, but we had traveled through the museum so rapidly that we decided if we had the chance to get back on the cheap we would. Lo and behold, bargain plane tickets came available so we fit one last weekend getaway into the schedule before work began consuming our lives again.
In addition to visiting the museum, we also hit the beach, and visited a ghost town that was positioned to be the capital for Spain in Peru until natural disaster hit. Read on for the details. . .
Tombs of Sipan Museum
This was the museum I spoke of earlier as one of the most interesting we have ever visited. Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed within the museum, so you'll be left with my commentary to describe it. In the late '80s, a Japanese archeologist discovered the Tombs of Sipan after spending nearly fifteen years searching the pyramids left over from the Moche culture in Peru (around the same time as Jesus Christ walked the Earth). As they unearthed these ancient tombs, they found the honored kings buried with gold, other humans (wives and soldiers would be killed so they could be buried with the king and lowered into the tombs to serve as company and protection), pottery, animals, and all sorts of other interesting artifacts. This museum grew from the discovery of these tombs, and as you walk through the museum you see how the archeologists went about the process of discovering the tombs and the restoration of the materials such as the gold, beads, and clothing to as close as possible to their original condition. As stated, an incredibly interesting museum and I wish I could share some photos with you, but I guess if you're anxious to see it, you'll just need to schedule a trip to Peru to see it.
Zana
As stated, this was our second trip to the Chiclayo area and outside of the Tombs of Sipan we weren't really interested in seeing places we had been previously, so we went looking for other interesting places to visit, which brought us to Zana. Zana is a ghost town, but at one time it was a major city potentially on its way to serving as the capital for Spain in South America rather than Lima. Unfortunately, the city was seemingly cursed. During its prime years it had to contend with raids from pirates, but the death knell for the thriving city was a massive flood which washed away the whole city and only left the brick skeleton remains of a couple churches and a convent. Legend has it that a large hill that rests on the backside of the town contained bad spirits, and when the Cathedral in town was built with its back facing the hill, well that just sealed its fate. Some people came back about 100 years after the floods to inhabit the town, but it remains a shell of its former glory. The remains of the old city do make for an interesting little trip with some unique photo opportunities.
Inside the Convent:
The hill of bad spirits is in the background:
The front and one wall of a church:
The framework of another:
Pimental
I know you probably don't want to hear it, but Chiclayo, located on the northern coast of Peru within a few hours drive to Ecuador and the equator is pretty damn hot, all the time, but particularly so in the summer. After spending a couple uncomfortable days in the heat, we escaped to Pimental, a beach only about 15 minutes from Chiclayo.
While it could not match the postcard beauty of Cartagena, we loved our day at Pimental. One of the longest piers you could imagine is located on this beach and it seems that you can walk for miles along the wide expanse of sand. The surfers and fisherman in their reed boats add some entertainment to the experience also. Marianella had never traveled to the northern beaches of Peru, due to the fact that some pretty nice beaches are located within a couple hours' drive of Lima; however, the northern beaches of Peru are the ones internationally known and it speaks to the impressive collection when the tour books and websites barely mention Pimental, if they do so at all. Personally we loved it and are thinking about a trip that way next February, so if you're looking for a winter getaway. . .
A pier longer than the eye can see (almost):
Searching for seashells:
Bringing in the morning catch:
Okay, that covers the summer vacations for us, and it'll probably be awhile before the blog is updated again. The mundane world of work calls :). Here's my legitimate wish to you all for a March with little snow, and a nice, long, beautiful spring, you guys deserve it. Take care~Tim & Marianella
By now, you're probably wondering if I'm going to ever stop with these blogs-you don't hear anything from me for a couple months and now it's been about three updates in the last two weeks. Rest assured, the blogging will slow down quite a bit, as Marianella and I began work last week which obviously will slow down our travel schedule.
I was a bit reluctant to add this blog, fearing what my sister Carol alluded to in the comment section from the last blog, that I might stir a revolt among those stuck in late February winter. However, Marianella encouraged me to send an update of our last trip, since it'll be awhile before we head anywhere else. So, blame her if you're sick of the warm weather updates :).
This trip took us to Chiclayo, a city in Peru's northern region that is a major business hub and also home to one of the world's coolest museums. We had actually been in Chiclayo within the last year to visit that museum and some other historic sites, but we had traveled through the museum so rapidly that we decided if we had the chance to get back on the cheap we would. Lo and behold, bargain plane tickets came available so we fit one last weekend getaway into the schedule before work began consuming our lives again.
In addition to visiting the museum, we also hit the beach, and visited a ghost town that was positioned to be the capital for Spain in Peru until natural disaster hit. Read on for the details. . .
Tombs of Sipan Museum
This was the museum I spoke of earlier as one of the most interesting we have ever visited. Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed within the museum, so you'll be left with my commentary to describe it. In the late '80s, a Japanese archeologist discovered the Tombs of Sipan after spending nearly fifteen years searching the pyramids left over from the Moche culture in Peru (around the same time as Jesus Christ walked the Earth). As they unearthed these ancient tombs, they found the honored kings buried with gold, other humans (wives and soldiers would be killed so they could be buried with the king and lowered into the tombs to serve as company and protection), pottery, animals, and all sorts of other interesting artifacts. This museum grew from the discovery of these tombs, and as you walk through the museum you see how the archeologists went about the process of discovering the tombs and the restoration of the materials such as the gold, beads, and clothing to as close as possible to their original condition. As stated, an incredibly interesting museum and I wish I could share some photos with you, but I guess if you're anxious to see it, you'll just need to schedule a trip to Peru to see it.
Zana
As stated, this was our second trip to the Chiclayo area and outside of the Tombs of Sipan we weren't really interested in seeing places we had been previously, so we went looking for other interesting places to visit, which brought us to Zana. Zana is a ghost town, but at one time it was a major city potentially on its way to serving as the capital for Spain in South America rather than Lima. Unfortunately, the city was seemingly cursed. During its prime years it had to contend with raids from pirates, but the death knell for the thriving city was a massive flood which washed away the whole city and only left the brick skeleton remains of a couple churches and a convent. Legend has it that a large hill that rests on the backside of the town contained bad spirits, and when the Cathedral in town was built with its back facing the hill, well that just sealed its fate. Some people came back about 100 years after the floods to inhabit the town, but it remains a shell of its former glory. The remains of the old city do make for an interesting little trip with some unique photo opportunities.
Inside the Convent:
The hill of bad spirits is in the background:
The front and one wall of a church:
The framework of another:
Pimental
I know you probably don't want to hear it, but Chiclayo, located on the northern coast of Peru within a few hours drive to Ecuador and the equator is pretty damn hot, all the time, but particularly so in the summer. After spending a couple uncomfortable days in the heat, we escaped to Pimental, a beach only about 15 minutes from Chiclayo.While it could not match the postcard beauty of Cartagena, we loved our day at Pimental. One of the longest piers you could imagine is located on this beach and it seems that you can walk for miles along the wide expanse of sand. The surfers and fisherman in their reed boats add some entertainment to the experience also. Marianella had never traveled to the northern beaches of Peru, due to the fact that some pretty nice beaches are located within a couple hours' drive of Lima; however, the northern beaches of Peru are the ones internationally known and it speaks to the impressive collection when the tour books and websites barely mention Pimental, if they do so at all. Personally we loved it and are thinking about a trip that way next February, so if you're looking for a winter getaway. . .
A pier longer than the eye can see (almost):
Searching for seashells:
Bringing in the morning catch:
Okay, that covers the summer vacations for us, and it'll probably be awhile before the blog is updated again. The mundane world of work calls :). Here's my legitimate wish to you all for a March with little snow, and a nice, long, beautiful spring, you guys deserve it. Take care~Tim & Marianella
Comments
Take Care,
Schad-Rap