Our adventures in Peru after disembarking from the Silver Ray
We went straight to somewhere called Caral. It had a lot of mud bricks. But it did have a bright yellow tuk tuk
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
| We did get to ride on this yellow Tuk tuk ... | ..it took us down a wild "road" to get to Caral | Somebody had invested in some glitzy signs |
 |
 |
 |
| ..but at heart, this was just millions more mud bricks | We posed for a photo op on the iconic circular plaza | ..then had a photo taken with the padres |
The on to a dinky little hotel in Huaraz, 3000 metres up in the Andes, which did not have any heating.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
| Looks innocuous, but this place was seriously cold | ..but we were able to enjoy breakfast in the sunshine |
Next day we had a day trip over the mountains to Chavin, another archeological site and saw a lot more mud bricks. Seemed like a long way to go to see more mud bricks
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
| They grow cactus here .. | ..and the road was somewhat challenging | The local populace seemed to indulge in political graffiti |
 |
 |
 |
| Then we got to the mud bricks | ..with the odd scary sculpture ..reminds us of someone | ..and equally scary underground passages |
Next day we drove on to Trujillo, over more high mountains
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The mountains still had the old Inca roads, on which the Incas .. | ..would run for miles between cities. They did not have horses | The carvings at Sechin were very graphic. | We arrived at our hotel in Trujillo. Right on the main square |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| The square was full of revelers for 12th night. Candy floss sellers | Next morning the riot police were waiting for us in the square | But we just carried on sliding down the central monument | This fellow was in a Trujillo museum |
At El Brujo we were told the it was essential to see the Lady of Cao, but she turned out to be just another old mummy.
They had a good life in those days. Teams of servants to carry you everywhere "take us to the bun shop, my man"
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This is where the Lady of Cao was buried | The temple wall paintings are still there.. | and are really very graphic. | And this is the spot that they found her mummy |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| And this is her mummy in all its splendour. Nasty .We hope that they do not put us on display like this in the future | Apparently this is what they reckon that she would have . | ..looked like. And all that is gold | We posed with the madre, but without the gold |
The canals of Cumbe Mayo
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Odd thing about Peru is you have to walk miles to see things. | Here again , the action was all uphill | We pause for a rest beside the track | This lady appeared from nowhere and walked in front of us |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Family photo for their album | The madre found the going a bit heavy. Well it was at altitude. | For us it was easy, but we did try not to get too far ahead | Then back in the car on Peru dirt roads - they all seem to be dirt |
And our hotel at Trujillo, a base for a few days
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
| A comfortable lodging, overlooking the main square .. | ..with a decent bed and even its own sauna |
On to Cajamarca with cliff tombs and Inca baths. Don't mention baths, she will make us have one.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
| Don't think we would like to be walled up in there ... | ..best to hurry on | ..but we then met this fierce man at the Inca Baths |
 |
 |
 |
| And had several photo ops with the madre | ....and the padre | Snacks and drinks at the end of a long day |
The road from Cajamarca to Laymebamba is billed as the "most dangerous road in all on America" and it lived up to its billing. Its a couple of hundred kilometres long and you really do not want to meet anything coming the other way during that time
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| At the start it was narrow, but with tarmac | then it got narrow without tarmac | but there was somewhere to stop for lunch | after that the road got worse and we just closed our eyes |
Eventually we arrived at Laymebamba safely. We had another funny little hotel run by an odd Peruvian lady, who wanted to get us through our dinner a quickly as possible and used every trick in the book to achieve her goal. Possiblely the most inhospitable person we have ever met..
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
| A nice, but cold bedroom without heating | A fire in the dining room did not particularly help to break the ice | ..........But the dinner was well cooked |
 |
 |
 |
| Laymebamba museum had the contents of unique sarcophagi | 200 mummies in this room behind us. That's a lot of mummies. We usually only see the one mummy at home | The lady Director of the museum wanted to talk to us about the finer points of mummies as we were well known world experts |
Kuelap is the next big thing in Peru, at least it will be if they can stop it falling apart. We got there by, would you believe it, cable car
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Taking the cable car certainly beats walking | That is us enjoying the cable car ride | ..but you do not beat the whole walk, it is then 2 km up to .. | ..the mysterious city of Kuelap |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Somewhat out of breath because of the altitude , we did manage | ..to stagger up to the top of Kuelap. | There was just time for a photo op, before taking the.. | ..cable car back down the mountain. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| There, at a very agreeable restaurant by the river .. | ..we enjoyed lunch and a glass of passion fruit juice | More sarcophagi were spotted on the cliffs, as we wended | .our way to our next stop |
Chachapoyas was our next hotel.
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Up early in Chachapoyas with a full day's exploring to do. | This canyon was very impressive. They claimed it was the .. | ..n th biggest canyon in the world. A fact that we were very | skeptical about. Anyway it was big and deep |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Next stop was a sarcophagi site at Karaija. | Back to walking now, no cable cars. A long way down | Eventually we saw the sarcophagi high up on the cliff | We have no idea how they got them up there. They are behind us |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| ..but they were very impressive, | ..and not just the one group. If you knew where to look ... | ..the whole cliff was dotted with the little fellows | If it was a long way down, we can tell you it was a lot further going back up the hill |
At Gocta we had a really very nice, hotel. Very civilised, with stellar views of the Gocta Falls
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Perhaps the best view of the falls was from our bedroom | Mind you, the view from the restaurant was pretty good too | That is us enjoying breakfast, before we set off on another walk | towards the falls. It was tough going, but without the altitude |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| About half way to the falls we stopped for a juice, then turned .. | .and walked back to the hotel. | Next day it was into the car and en route to Chiclayo. The road | ..was now much better, and we did not have to shut our eyes |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| But there were traffic jams in to Chiclayo. | With a stop for a late lunch close to Chiclayo at a good place | We ordered some food for the padres, before we .. | ..got stuck into our own lunch |
From Chiclayo we visited the Lord of Sipan site
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Incas like the Lord of Sipan, apparently looked like this | He didn't frighten us though, we are brave bears | A reconstruction of his tomb with all the gold bits | and the mummy had been flattened and had to be restored |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| We visited to the local museum | The scary sort of stuff they found with the mummy | ..then an hour in the car behind sugar cane lorries to .. | ..a much better museum about the Lord of Sipan |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| They found a lot of gold in his grave.But we never could work out | ..why people were keen on gold - you cannot eat gold | ..but you can eat lunch in a restaurant ! | We stayed at a poncy hotel in Chiclayo |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Next day a drive over what were rough roads, even by Peruvian standards, to the Chaparri Bear Sanctuary | This was a great disappointment to us. It was an open air zoo. | Visitors brought fruit to feed the bears, who were behind an | .electric fence. The madre kept well back. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pembroke was a little braver, but was really very glad .. | ..that he was with the padres and not behind the electric fence | Still we cheered up when we had a break for lunch .. | ..where there was more food than even we could eat |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| And a final visit to some more mud bricks.. | ..one last mud brick for the road as it were | We think that we are mud bricked out as we finish .. | ..our final mud brick pyramid |
With that it was goodbye North Peru, and a flight to Lima
Click on a thumbnail to get larger photo
 |
 |
 |
 |
| with an overnight in not a poncy hotel, a seriously poncy hotel | ..with extravagant rooms and porters fighting to grab our luggage | Then an Iberia flight to Madrid .. | ..happily business class |
We have a few weeks to recuperate in Moraira, before flying off to the far east with southern India and Vietnam on the itinerary