Greetings from Huanchaco! We left Lima for several days of intense travel and since arrived
at our destination for the next three months, a fishing village and beach town, Huanchaco.
After Lima, we arrived in Barraanco, a small beach side town. There, Sean and I had our first
experience playing basketball against Peruvians. We pretty much dominate, each ending the
game with a few blocks and points each. Of course we were playing against children no older
than 12. But it felt good to get back into the game again. Barranco as a whole reminded me of
Bo in Sierra Leone. Dirt roads, run-down and unfinished buildings…apparently if a building is
not finished, then taxes on it are less. Thus, one will often see houses with second or third stories
uncompleted, rebar sticking out of bricks and mortar.
On the way from Barranco to Casma, we stopped at Caral, a site featuring several temples.
Primarily Pyramid Mayor stands out, towering above the other smaller ones. Some of the
smaller buildings are limited as to who could enter them. Private alcoves litter the insides of
some such as the Temple of the Sacred Fire. The entire complex was impressive, featuring well-
restored brick buildings and temples, with very accurate stonework. The next site was Sechin
Alto, a smaller temple, very well preserved. On the structure were designs of men with different
weapons and accompanying scenes of death. A head with blood coming out of the eyes and
mouth, brains being expelled from craniums, a bag of heads, and other such pictures brightened
our day that sunny, 90 degree morning. The commonly held theory is that it may have been a
place of sacrifice, although no graves have been found nearby. It could also be telling the story
of a war. I on the other hand believe that it depicts what happens if you piss off your host family
during your homestay. I don’t think I will try and find out though…Of all the sites we have
been to so far, my favorite is Moxeke. The ruins consisted of two massive structures thought to
have been used for ceremonial, religious, and social purposes. Nearby are about 170 u-shaped
structures which were residential areas. What most intrigues me is that the site was abandoned
and almost nothing save a few seeds and reed mats were left behind.
The next few days were spent at about 12,000 feet in elevation, at Huaraz and Chavin. The small mountain town of Huaraz was beautiful, quiet, and cool. Well, it was at least relatively cooler than the coastal areas. Here we had a series of free days to explore the town and get to know each other a little better. Chavin was even smaller, making Chavin look like a bustling metropolis. At Chavin, we saw another temple with an idol inside. According to Brian and his faithful companion Julio, people would venture to Chavin and take the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus and have religious experiences while talking to the idols in labyrinths beneath the temple. Meanwhile I was thinking, hey and when I was a kid I thought it was fun getting wine at mass. Talk about an incentive to rejoin an organized religion.
After the mountains, we began the 9 hour bus ride down to the coast, to our final destination for the next 4 months, Huanchaco. To get to the wonderful fishing village/beach resort, we rode through a canyon. I am not quite sure how we made it without falling off the side of the maybe 12 foot wide road, but we did. I think it provided moral support when Maggie, Kristen and I began to watch Magic School Bus on the back of the bus. Believe me, if you want a normal field trip with Brian (our professor)...NO WAY!
When we first arrived in Huanchaco, there was a surfing competition going on, creating a lot of hype. Lindsay and Jenny ran into a few of the surfers at our hotel and befriended them, boldly attempting to overcome the language barrier. Being college students, we quickly found the best hangouts in the town. Notably, Sunkella has live reggae music every Friday night, a popular choice for a chill evening replete with Bob Marley cover bands, dreds, and sketchy characters lingering in the shadows of the patio overhang. The other hotspot is Sabes, a stereotypical gringo bar. Despite being where the gringos congregate, they have cheap drinks during happy hour and a really nice pool table. Sean and I are currently working on our pool, or "tacu" game at the moment. Somehow we keep losing, like last week to Brian and Julio, our professor and TA. However, when we play each other, one of us is bound to win. Maybe we'll practice tonight...
We began our homestay about a week ago. Sean and I are currently housed with Cokie in a nice cozy house. The only problem is that it is a whole 4 blocks from the beach. Motivating myself to walk so far to get to the relaxing sand and sun can often be a challenge. Luckily though it is near the best basketball court in Huanchaco, where Sean, Patrick and I (the Brozone Lair as we like to be called) like to go play with our balls- it doubles as a soccer field. Cokie is very nice, and we are both always well fed. However, somehow she and her sister came under the impression that we like to sing Madonna songs, which although true does not mean that we want to sing them in front of all of Huanchaco at a luau this Saturday. Oh boy, guess Sean and I will have to pray to our luck star about that one...
On that note, I think it is time to go work on my tan. Hasta luego...
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