Trujillo and the case of a most worthy desert sandwich

Days: 285-286

Total distance travelled: 54,631.7 kilometres (33,932.73 miles)

In case there was any confusion as to what type of terrain surrounded Chiclayo, a little further down the coast, and also under siege from the desert, sits Trujillo, our next Peruvian destination from which we planned to visit one of the most famous archaeological sites in the country (probably third only to Machu Picchu and the Nasca Lines), Chan Chan.

We had to pass through these arid lands to get there.

The empty vastness, or perhaps not so empty, that surrounds Trujillo and Chiclayo

Arid lands that incredibly seem to house many new inhabitants, if the number of fresh brick walls and pieces of trash are a good enough basis for that assumption…

The unfortunately common Peruvian trend of bus services running to their own offices rather than a central terminal continued, so it was a pretty hot walk of over three kilometres that lay ahead of us, just to reach the heart of the city which hugs the Plaza de Armas.

With nothing booked, we were appreciative of the fact that many of the accommodation options in fact listed their rates near their main entrances.

What we weren’t all that appreciative of, was the fact that all of their rates were well beyond our desired budget.

The closer to the main plaza we got, the better this city looked and it was travelling towards a hostel we’d found online but not booked, that we passed the classic looking Hotel Colonial and noticed a small sign attached to their wall for Hostelling International.

With its grand entrance, it looked a place a little out of our dust covered, flip-flop budget, but we wandered in regardless.

Their rates on the counter of over 100 soles for a matrimonial seemed to confirm this, however the friendly lady at the front desk quickly advised they did have rooms for 50 soles, very much in our budget.

At first we wondered if she meant per person, but no, this was indeed for a matrimonial, so this is how we found ourselves, for the first time I can recall, dumping our bags at the ‘Top Choice’ in our Lonely Planet guidebook, thankfully for a fraction of the normal price.

Admittedly, we were by no means in one of their more stately rooms, but the building was lovely, so we didn’t really care!

The beautiful courtyards of the Hotel Colonial (left) & exploring Trujillo, what lies behind door number two? (right)

We had a good first impression of Trujillo, and quickly took up the task of exploring with some relish.

Fronting the main plaza sat the central cathedral, and like so many other cities, it was here that our sightseeing began.

The impressive 18th century cathedral

A perhaps even more impressive painted ceiling lies within

We didn’t wander too far and wide on this particular day, instead walking ourselves to a main road where we hoped to grab ourselves a ride out to the ancient ruins of Chan Chan (which we ultimately did).

It was lovely to be back in such an attractive colonial city, so in between stuffing our faces with the most delicious sandwiches we’d had in months, we reveled in the chance to simply wander and just enjoy the many wonderful facades, and check out a few more church domes as well!

The most delicious sandwiches… so good we ate them for lunch and dinner!

More ruins beckoned, so we used it as a base for further explorations as well, but by the night of that second day, it was time to hop again on board a lengthy bus, our time in Trujillo having been thoroughly enjoyed!

Beautiful Trujillo’s lovely Plaza de Armas

 

Notes:

* Our bus from Chiclayo to Trujillo cost us $15.00 Soles per person.