Today was another travel day. We had our breakfast and prepared to go to the bus station. This time the bus was not as well appointed, but since the ride was to be only three hours we were not concerned.
We boarded shortly before leaving at 11:30 a.m and this time we went upstairs to the front seats. This gave us a panoramic view of the countryside.
Once again we passed much desert and some sad little towns made of a mixture of adobe and regular bricks, but after about an hour it began to green up which made for much more pleasant viewing. We passed fields of corn and sugar cane, and palm trees as well as other trees and bushes. Still the small towns did not appear very prosperous. They were just dusty pueblos that one might see in a western movie taking place in northern Mexico.
Then we arrived in Chiclayo, and suddenly we were in a city that could have been in southern California. The hotel was definitely one of a better class. Beth and Allen have a jacuzzi in their room, and we both have air conditioning which is welcome as the afternoon temperature climbed to about 80 degrees.
After settling in we walked about a mile to the bus station to purchase our tickets for the return to Lima on Tuesday morning. This will give us three full days in the Chiclayo area. We plan to look at more spectacular ruins and museums full of artifacts from the early civilizations in the area. Many of the treasures in the museums are the direct result of the actions of a famous archeologist, Walter Alva, who, according to Allen, personally went to the local sites with a gun to stop the looting of the tombs in the area.
On Monday we will go to an ecological reserve, where we are assured that we will see spectacled bears, the smallest of the bear family and found only in the Andes region. we should have a good chance of spotting an Andean Condor or two and many other of the 143 bird species that have been seen in the area. Althuhg there are pumas (cougars) in the reserve, they are secretive and we most likely will not catch a glimpse of them.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a tour agency to get information about the next three days and at the main plaza to study the city map. Then it was off to a nearby restaurant where again we feasted for the total price for the three of us of $16.00 including a generous tip.
I had spaghetti alfredo while Beth and Allen split a mixed grill of chicken, beef and chorizo with fries as well as a salad containing lettuce, tomato, cucumber and about half a large avocado. We shared our dishes so I got to taste some of their food and they had some of the spaghetti. They drank water and coke and I had my Cusceño beer, this time a "rubio" color. Rubio means blonde, but I would call it an amber ale.
Then it was back to the hotel to get set up for tomorrow. We will take a bus to two of the mussums that Allen wants to visit and will require our getting an early start.
Allen's cough is mucho mejor, that is, much better, but the antibiotics have taken another toll on his system. Hopefully a good night´s rest will help.
Now I am off to watch a bit of TV or read. Sorry, that there are no photos. Maybe Beth can show me how to upload a couple mañana.
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