Chiclayo, the city of friendship

I had no intention whatsoever of going to Chiclayo. Firstly, because it´s close to the coast and I wanted to stay in the mountains, and secondly because I had heard that it wasn´t particularly interesting and not the safest of towns. But my rerouted border crossing and the fact that I didn´t want to spend another ten hours on the bus straightaway meant that I didn´t have too much choice. So I hit Chiclayo with my two new travel mates and I threatened to leave within a few hours on the next night bus. The constant sound of horns beeping was driving me insane and I was desperate to get to the quiet town of Chachapoyas which would have been my end destination had I been able to cross the border the other way. But one of the best things about travelling alone is the people you meet - I had found two great travel companions in Rita and Max and I was inclined to just go with the flow. I decided to give Chiclayo the benefit of the doubt. We ate ceviche, wandered the streets and explored the market, which apparently is one of the most spectacular markets in Peru and even contains a witchcraft section. And I ended up growing quite fond of this town in 24 hours. We didn´t see a single other tourist there, people were friendly, the food was good, and we had a great night out on a Monday evening! "La ciudad de la amistad" (the city of friendship) as I ironically found out it is called despite my misgivings, has grown from a small rural community founded by Spanish missionaries in the 16th century into a flourishing town, and the surrounding area has some fascinating history.

 

eating ceviche

La Plaza de Armas

entrance to witchcraft section

Premium, the best club in town

Hasta la próxima Ecuador...

I left Ecuador in the middle of the night with new friends, some interesting experiences and memories that I will have for life. We arrived back in Loja just in time to get the last three seats on the bus. The bus left at 11 pm and we got to the border at Macará around 3 am. It dropped us off on the Ecuadorian side where we were stamped out. We crossed the bridge on foot, were stamped into Peru on the other side and got back on the bus again. And that was it. Ours was the only bus there. Three hours later we arrived in the town of Piura in Peru and my first impressions were not what I expected. Although I'm not sure now what I expected. Or even whether I had thought about it. But two things struck me instantly: the dust, the Peruvian equivalent of tuk-tuks and the crazy hustle and bustle and beeping from all sides made Peru seem far less developed than Ecuador, and yet the Peruvian bus system seemed to be streets ahead of the Ecuadorian one in terms of organisation and security. We stayed in Piura as long as it took to cross the road and get tickets for the next bus that left in 40 minutes.

Loja bus station



If you have a sweet tooth you're in luck. You can buy all sorts of sweet things for the bus ride in Ecuadorian bus stations.

 

the last seats on the bus



bridge across the border





Piura


The following photos were all taken from the bus from Piura to the next town of note down the coast, Chiclayo.

Chakras and the secret to long life

I got up early on Sunday and went for a run. Which was idyllic until the crazy dogs started barking again. If you're not a big fan of dogs bearing their teeth and growling, it's very difficult to go running in Ecuador  because there are so many dogs protecting their owners' property or just wanting to scare the wits out of you. After my run, I had my reiki session. I was really looking forward to this. One of the girls yesterday had said it was so powerful it had made her cry. So I went with a huge amount of anticipation. I lay on the table and waited for something miraculous to happen. And I felt... nothing. Zero. The only reason I might have started crying would have been because I had just wasted 16 dollars on this. But I wasn't about to give up yet on my mission. I had a few hours left between now and my departure.

It seems though, that I had set myself an impossible task. I have met some lovely people here, been totally enraptured with my surroundings, tried reiki, fought off angry dogs, was even invited to a children's party. But that was at the opposite end of the spectrum. I haven't seen that many old people to be honest, and even if I had, feeling sensitive about age myself at the moment as I frequent all these 20-something's backpacking around South America, it somehow didn't feel entirely appropriate to approach people and ask them how they got so old. Maybe it just wasn't the right moment, the roads were blocked, my chakras were apparently non-existent, and the dogs were snappy. I guess everything isn't always perfect even in paradise. I decided to leave the secret to growing old with the people of Vilcabamba. So I left, having failed to unlock the secret of longevity, but perhaps I took with me a little bit of the magic of the place. And maybe that's what counts after all.

Hosteria la Izhcayluma and ridge hike

Not everything was lost though. If it hadn't been for the idea of the border crossing, I wouldn't have been where I am now. I booked to stay in this hostel because the bus towards the alternative border stops just outside at 6 in the morning. And it is a hostel and a half. Set in breathtaking surroundings, it really feels like the best place on earth to relax and forget about all the day-to-day nitty-gritty of life. The owners have also devised their own hiking routes to follow and on Saturday I set off on one of them with some of the people I met there. We had a quick stop at the village where I had a look-out for any likely interviewees, but I didn't see anyone who looked older than about sixty. Maybe they were all out climbing mountains or something. So we went off up our own mountain. And the views just got better and better. I'm not sure the photos even do it justice. I almost feel like this place is a little oasis in my mind and will disappear again when I leave - and perhaps that is a clue to the secret of longevity.

In the evening though, I started to feel a bit frustrated with my quest. About from the obvious clean air and other-worldly surroundings, I had got nowhere in my mission to finding the key to long life. So I booked an aura cleansing and chakra balancing with reiki session at the hostel for the following day. I had never done anything like this in my life but I felt if it was going to work anywhere it would be here.

outside my room

view at breakfast

very cold pool

beginning of hike