I woke up today in a pretty good mood. The three of us had our usual breakfast of scrambled eggs, pineapple juice, rolls with butter and marmelade and coffee.
After breakfast, Allen went back to the doctor whilc Beth and I walked to the Archeological Museum. A young man at the museum entrance asked if we wanted a guide, but Beth's Spanish, with a bit of help from my dictionary got us through very nicely.
We learned about a number of cultures, the most important being the Mochi, the Chimu and the Inca. The Mochi ceramics were as fine as any produced today by accomplished artists. We also saw some dioramas and models of Chan Chan, the largest prehispanic city in the new world.
Afterwards we picked up Allen aand went to lunch. We all ordered an exquisite soup of creamed flounder, and I got an avocado salad with an entire huge avocado which we shared while they ordered some chicken which we also shared. We split a pitcher of a drink called chicha morada which seemed to taste a bit like plums but with other freuity tastes also. It was quite yummy. My entire cost for the lunch with tip wa about $7.00
After lunch we were picked up by a guide from Trujillo Tours and first taken to the Rainbow Temple. The drive through the city was difficult for me because of the excessive pollution to the point I had to wear my charcoal mask the entire time and still by the end of the day my chest was sore from breathing the filth in the air, primarily ozone. The Temple which covered at least a city block was quite impresive with its several levels, and wall decorations of sea otters, and other creatures in relief. We reached the top level by a combination of steps and ramps, where we saw a sacrifical alter.
Next we went to Chan Chan. This city, built around the year 1400 by the Chimu, and consisting of 140 million bricks, was awe inspiring in its gegraphic scope and complexity. The small part we saw had nine palaces, storage rooms, wells, burial places and much more. Although a great deal of the structures have been worn away by periodic floods and rains resulting from the periodic El Ninos, the remains still inspire awe, with some walls 30 feet high and 8 feet thick and decorated with friezes in relief. We probably walked about a mile through some of the city, but I think the guide said that the ciy covered an area of 20 square kilometers in its heyday so there was much more to it, and much of it has yeat to be excavated.
After Chan Chan we drove to an ocean vilage where we saw several dozen reed fishing boats standing on end in the sand next to the street. These boats which are the size of a kayak can be built in a couple of hours and last about a month before they become too waterlogged and are discarded. Fishermen often go out a couple of miles into the ocean on these boats which to me seems quite dangerous, but I guess they have been doing it this way for a thousand years or maybe much longer. I was not sure of the time they were first used.
After this tour we returned to the Karianka Hotel for a bit of a rest and then went out for a simple dinner. It turned out that the hamburgers we ordered were immense, and along with that Beth ordered some fruit salad in yogurt which we shared. Then we returned to the hotel to await the morrow when we will take another tour, this time to the Temples of the Sun and Moon.
After breakfast, Allen went back to the doctor whilc Beth and I walked to the Archeological Museum. A young man at the museum entrance asked if we wanted a guide, but Beth's Spanish, with a bit of help from my dictionary got us through very nicely.
We learned about a number of cultures, the most important being the Mochi, the Chimu and the Inca. The Mochi ceramics were as fine as any produced today by accomplished artists. We also saw some dioramas and models of Chan Chan, the largest prehispanic city in the new world.
Afterwards we picked up Allen aand went to lunch. We all ordered an exquisite soup of creamed flounder, and I got an avocado salad with an entire huge avocado which we shared while they ordered some chicken which we also shared. We split a pitcher of a drink called chicha morada which seemed to taste a bit like plums but with other freuity tastes also. It was quite yummy. My entire cost for the lunch with tip wa about $7.00
After lunch we were picked up by a guide from Trujillo Tours and first taken to the Rainbow Temple. The drive through the city was difficult for me because of the excessive pollution to the point I had to wear my charcoal mask the entire time and still by the end of the day my chest was sore from breathing the filth in the air, primarily ozone. The Temple which covered at least a city block was quite impresive with its several levels, and wall decorations of sea otters, and other creatures in relief. We reached the top level by a combination of steps and ramps, where we saw a sacrifical alter.
Next we went to Chan Chan. This city, built around the year 1400 by the Chimu, and consisting of 140 million bricks, was awe inspiring in its gegraphic scope and complexity. The small part we saw had nine palaces, storage rooms, wells, burial places and much more. Although a great deal of the structures have been worn away by periodic floods and rains resulting from the periodic El Ninos, the remains still inspire awe, with some walls 30 feet high and 8 feet thick and decorated with friezes in relief. We probably walked about a mile through some of the city, but I think the guide said that the ciy covered an area of 20 square kilometers in its heyday so there was much more to it, and much of it has yeat to be excavated.
After Chan Chan we drove to an ocean vilage where we saw several dozen reed fishing boats standing on end in the sand next to the street. These boats which are the size of a kayak can be built in a couple of hours and last about a month before they become too waterlogged and are discarded. Fishermen often go out a couple of miles into the ocean on these boats which to me seems quite dangerous, but I guess they have been doing it this way for a thousand years or maybe much longer. I was not sure of the time they were first used.
After this tour we returned to the Karianka Hotel for a bit of a rest and then went out for a simple dinner. It turned out that the hamburgers we ordered were immense, and along with that Beth ordered some fruit salad in yogurt which we shared. Then we returned to the hotel to await the morrow when we will take another tour, this time to the Temples of the Sun and Moon.
What fun! Wish we were there.
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