Mon 29th Dec: Trujillo

I have a good room in this hostel with an ensuite and a TV. Its the most expensive place so far in Peru at 45 soles (eu 11). This morning I end up watching the Full Monty before going out for a look at Trujillo. This place has an interesting history. Its an old colonial town, founded by Francisco Pizarro, leader of the conquistadores. Its named after his home town in Spain, a home from home as it were. It also happens to have been built close to a very wealthy native city called Chan Chan which he looted of all its gold.

Trujillo has a pretty central Plaza which, last night, was closed to traffic when I arrived. A selection of musicians and groups were playing in various corners of the plaza for the crowds of people who were congregated there. A preacher occupied onlookers in the centre of the plaza, a had a long beard and was dressed like Jesus. He had a small following similarly dressed reading the bible while he preached. He seemed to be talking about the rnd of the world or something. I left him to it. There was a very pretty crib close to where the preaching was taking place. A larger crowd queued up here to have there pictures taken beside the baby Jesus. The nativity scene was obviously a lot more appealing than images of impending doom.

This morning the Plaza was a lot quieter though there were plenty of people about. I needed to sort out a ticket for the journey tomorrow up to Chachapoyas in the north so I found out which bus company served that route. I had to take a taxi out to the offices of Movil tours but paying for the ticket became a hassle. I didn´t have enough cash on me so I paid by credit card. After 30 mins of waiting for the transaction to go through I was told there was a problem with the line. It would take another 30 mins to fix. I didn´t fancy hanging around so I asked if they could hold the seat until tomorrow and they said they would.

I wanted to visit Chan Chan. It was the largest adobe city in South America and the ruins are supposed to be impressive so it looked worth a visit. Collectivos run out to the site so I went looking for where they depart from. Walking up one street a guy came up to me and indicated my rucksack was open. I immesiately thought someone had managed to open the bag but one of the smaller zips was only partially open which was a relief. (Thieves tend to target you in busy streets and at street crossings where you are less likely to notice them opening the rucksack. In cities I mostly hold my rucksack to my front but the odd time I forget.) I thanked the lad and kept walking but he stayed with me, all friendly, asking me where I was from, did I like Peru etc. By now I was very wary. You never know if its a scam artist or if the person is genuinely friendly in these situations. Apparently he was in Trujillo with a salsa group for the past couple of days. We came to a small plaza at the end of this busy street. By now he knew I was going to visit Chan Chan and indicated I could get a collectivo on the far side of the plaza. This wasn´t where I was told I could get them so I said thanks but I had other things to do first and backed away. He said he was keen to practise his English and asked if we could meet later. to be polite I said ok and suggested 6pm. He said fine, he´d be outside the cathedral in the main PLaza. We shook hands and parted.

As I walked back down the street I began to feel a wave of tiredness hit me. My energy just disappeared. I decided to head back to the hostel and lie down for a bit. The rest of the day was spent in bed. I felt as though my stomach was about to start acting up again. I was conscious of having arranged to meet that lad. When 6pm came I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I got up and walked into the main Plaza. At the cathedral there was no sign of yer man. I was relieved and didn´t hang about for long but at least I felt I´d made the effort. I warnt looking for a place to eat. I hadn´t eaten since morning and while my stomach didn´t feel great I needed to eat something. In one of the side streets I found a nice small restaurant with a good priced menu posted up.

Inside I asked for the menu del Dia. The waitress brought me a bowl of soup that was the best I´ve had since leaving home. It went down great. You could feel the goodness in it as it hit the stomach. This was followed by steak, chips, and a salad. I even had a dessert afterwards. It felt great. Afterwards I went to an internet cafe for a short while. No sooner was I typing out an email than my stomach began to rumble ominously. My heart sank. Here we go again, I knew what was coming. I rushed back through the streets, into the room and literally jumped onto the toilet. This set the tone for the rest of the evening. I watched tv for a few hours and then tried to sleep in between trips to the bathroom. Thanks to the tum tum there would be no visit to Chan Chan.