Julies trip to Peru - Continued.

Julie, our editor in Chief of Latter-day Woman magazine had a wonderful and exciting trip in Peru and we now continue to bring some of her photographs and an overview of her trip.  Unfortunately we lost contact with Julie while she was away so our original blog following her travels was cut short. 

Thanks to all of you who have made comments or have emailed letting us know how much you have enjoyed reading about this experience and adventure Julie experienced on behalf of LDSWA.

Wednesday, 10-8-08

Chiclayo, Peru

We are now in Chiclayo--the capital of the department of Lambayeque—and 4th largest city in Peru. Chiclayo is known as the “City of Friendship” and is named after a fruit grown in the mountains.

I’ve been having trouble with my computer, so blogging is behind and I am playing “catch-up.” These last few blogs are a bit long, but we are in the sight-seeing part of the tour and there were tons to see and many photo opportunities.

Last night, we stayed at the Gran Hotel Chiclayo. It is probably the best hotel in the City, but the rooms were “old” and left a lot to be desired. We made suggestions for improvement to our Peruvian government tour representative, Karina, who was eager to share them with the Hotel.

First on our agenda was a visit to the Healer’s Market, where the local shamans shop for their paraphernalia. Karina “rescued” me from a shop owner, who was about to put some kind of a “love potion” together and had two dolls ready to use with the concoction. Too funny! There was every kind of natural healing herb available that one could possibly want.

  

The rest of the market had awesome fresh fruit— even some delicious native fruits that we don’t have in the United States—and the powerful “gift from God” noni fruit—which I wished I could have brought home with me!

 WORD OF ADVICE—Peruvians DO NOT like American money that is not in perfect condition and probably will not accept it – no matter how large the denomination. If there is one little tear or hole in it, or if it is too worn, they will not accept it. I had someone from a restaurant knock on my hotel room door, tracking me down, to bring me back a $10 bill used towards a meal purchase, because it had a tiny tear below one corner. This was not an isolated case; all of us experienced similar rejections throughout our trip. They don’t mind passing along worn or torn bills to you as change, though.

After the market, we boarded our tour bus, with guide Jose’, to visit museums filled with items from local archaeological digs and excavations of the region’s pre-Columbian Chimu and Mochica cultures.

On the way, we stopped at the Port of Pimentel, on the Pacific coast, where we delighted in watching fishermen fight the wind and the waves in the infamous “reed boats,” otherwise known as “caballitos de totora” (little reed horses).

The vessels were handmade from reeds, grown in an area south of Chiclayo, near Trujillo. When wet, they weighed about 80-90 kilos and only lasted 30 days. Then, the fishermen must make new ones. They are about 4-5 meters long and 1 meter wide, tapered on each end, with a space towards one end for the fishnets.

 Using a paddle of wide bamboo, sawed in half lengthwise, the fishermen ventured only 3 kilometers out in the Ocean, dropped their nets, then paddled back to the shore, where they anchored them and waited to retrieve their catch.

We enjoyed watching the fishermen battle the tough winds and surfs in those lightweight vessels! 

Alan yearned to take one of the boats out, but it wasn’t in the tour plan and he would have gotten toppled and drenched—I am sure of that! (He would argue that point.).

Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan (Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum)   

Next stop was an area rich in Mochica culture, dating back to 100-600 years A.D. Archaeologist Walter Alva found a tomb, in April, 1987, of Senor de Sipan, a Mochica King, noted as “the most grandiose tomb in the Americas”--with enough ceramics and jewelry buried in it to fill the museum.

In his tomb were bones of animals, two of his many wives, several guards and a on the right showing how everything was laid out in the tomb, when it was discovered.

The main wife was at his feet, the other above his head, and various other servants/guards on each side and in a wall cavern, near his body. Warriors buried alive even cut off their feet, once inside the tomb, to assert their loyalty to the King and to assure they would not be tempted to leave him. Yes, you could see that! 

The burial site was “recreated” in the magnificent museum tomb; however, the original bones, remains, and artifacts were really in the museum (not in the original site) for public viewing, for preservation and security sakes. The actual tomb site can be visited, but this served more of our purpose. Jose’ was like a walking encyclopedia, very knowledgeable on all of the artifacts and related superstitions, some of which I will share with you next.

Many of the gold necklaces and adornments featured owls, which Jose’ said was because the owl can turn its head 180 degrees—symbolizing a great knowledge of the past, present, and future. If an owl landed on someone’s roof, it meant that a person would die.

There were huge 4-inch, oval earrings of heavy gold, 1,700 years old, with 1/2-inch diameter posts (bars) that the King (and some of his high priests) wore. A drawing showed their ear lobes, or a piece of their ears, slit lengthwise and stretched to accommodate the posts, holding the heavy earrings in place. Looked painful to me. 

There was so much symbolism in the jewelry and artifacts. A lot of it had the sun on one end, the moon on the other, with gold for the sun and silver for the moon. There were rainbows (this was in a lot of the other sites, as well). Jose’ said that whenever a rainbow appeared in the sky, people did not cross under it.

Women don’t drink water, when a rainbow is out, or they will have “monster” children! Really?! Hmmmm…Another icon seen in this and other sites was the octopus. Men who wore the image were said to have changing auras/personalities/moods, in similitude of the way an octopus changes its color in various seasons or when someone tries to trap one.

There were authentic wax figures of the King and his entire entourage, playing music and in a typical setting, that were so realistic it was somewhat freaky—but awesome!

Lunch at the Fiesta Restaurant

Local cuisine is exquisite! My daughter asked if there was a Taco Bell! Some folks think, since South America is near Mexico, that the food is probably similar. That is a HUGE misconception! South American cuisine is its own specialty, rich in potatoes, rice, lima beans, local fish, goat, chicken and guinea pig (“Cuy”). The country exports a lot of asparagus, too. 


Many American fast food chains are beginning to dot the cities, such McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Papa John’s Pizza. But, I did not see one Taco Bell! And, none of the restaurants I saw served tacos. You might find the occasional homemade chicken-filled tamale, but that was about the extent of it.

We were treated to lunch at the Fiesta Restaurant Gourmet, in Chiclayo, near Pimentel. It was fine dining, consisting of several courses of their finest local cuisine. In an effort to give us a taste of Peru, in one sitting, we were a bit overwhelmed by the grandeur at such an early stage of our tour. In other words, you’ve got a hungry group of people from Utah, including one who is Southern-born and raised, who had foods placed before them that were appealing to the eye, yet mostly strange to the palate. It takes the tummy some time to adjust to the differences, as well. Jamie can attest to that!

The first course was a white native corn, tiradito (raw marinated fish), chicken tamales, papa a la huancaina (potato specialty), sweet potato, seafood pesto in a large-welled spoon (like a Chinese soup spoon), and dried stingray.

The second course was goat marinated in “chichi” (a drink made from native corn) with yucca (yes, the plant); green rice (lots of fresh cilantro) with roasted duck; and bean soup. The last course was dessert—a very thick, gelled, sweet fruit jam; a sesame toffee stick (Alan said it tasted like burnt popcorn); and crepes in a sweet sauce.

A funny sight in the tiny bathrooms was a huge, 3-liter bottle of Listerine mouthwash, with tiny cups stacked nearby!

Local Textile Industry

I found the next item on our agenda to be a very humbling, memorable experience. We traveled through a rural area of dirt roads and adobe dwellings, where we picked up passengers–two sweet ladies and a small child, boxes and bags in-hand. Our sense of wonder escalated, as these passengers smiled “knowing” smiles at us. We were completely without a clue as to their roles in our adventure, or as to where we were headed.

There were miles and miles of these adobe dwellings. All of appeared to have dirt floors. Many were without electricity, indoor plumbing, or indoor bathroom facilities. Yet, the people we saw were working, playing and seeming happy!

The tour bus pulled off the road, and we were told to get out – that we would have to go the rest of the way on foot. We were led to a rather dry area the natives were calling “the farm,” where carob trees (considered sacred in ancient times) dotted the landscape. Being born and raised in the Southern United States, I have seen my share of cotton fields and plants, but these ladies showed me the most HUGE cotton plants I’ve ever seen!

 Some were as tall as the ladies! In Peru, there are eight varieties of cotton grown: 2 types of brown and 6 of white.

  

Many other things were shown us, but the most fascinating and touching were in a small hut, where other ladies joined in.

With Jose’ to translate and explain, we were literally shown their textile processes. From cleaning, threshing and spinning the cotton, to weaving it into fabric and making coin purses, shawls, tablecloths, etc., we gained a new respect for things not mechanized. Jose’ played music for the women to work to – everyone keeping the beat at their respective stations. “Everyone needs to work,” Jose’ explained. “Music makes it [pleasant.]” Touching thought.

 26 Pyramids at Tucume
We ended the day at a park built to protect a 26-pyramid complex in Tucume. Since there were actual excavations in progress, we were able to sneak a peak inside one of the areas being worked on and got to climb steps for a wonderful view of many of the pyramids.

 All of these pyramids featured a blend of Lambayeque, Chimo and Inca civilizations and cultures.

There were so many pyramids everywhere that some of the people had one in their backyards! They look like mountains, because the outsides are worn and eroded. However, once careful excavation had begun, it was remarkable what was revealed inside.

We had to head for the entrance to leave the Park, as it neared 5:00 p.m. In all seriousness, Jose’ explained that it was only open from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., because every six hours (like Noon and 6:00 p.m.) people reported hearing strange noises and some saw images of the ancient people. We stalled as long as we could, to try to experience some of that, but the guards politely escorted us back to the entrance.

As we drove back, Jose’ explained that it only rained every four years! I asked him how they got water for themselves and for their crops! He said they dug two meters deep, to hit natural wells, and irrigated. He explained that the “big” rains came with El Nino, every 100 years. The last one was in 1925, so they were expecting the next one in 2025, if all goes according to legend and predictions.  It is important to remember these facts, for my next blog release. You’ll understand why, when you read it!

JULIE