Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Salaverry, Peru... Part 1 of 2

I got up at 6:00, got ready to go out and take photos to sail into Salaverry and much to my surprise, we were already there…  Ann, Cathy and I got the first shuttle to the port gate. We hired a taxi driver, who took us on an adventure. In our last trip to Salaverry, we were on an archaeological adventure and this stop it became more of a street art tour with a blend of archeology... Our first stop was Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna, the Temples of the Sun and Moon at the Moche archaeological site located on the northern coast of Peru…We purchased our senior tickets and that was as far as we got!  We were not allowed to enter the compound without a guide so we moved on. From there we headed to Trujillo with a quick stop at a park with a number of statues depicting the erotic art of the Moche civilization. I decided that most weren’t blog worthy, don’t want an X rated blog.  Arriving in downtown Trujillo, we walked around the Plaza del Armas. Beautiful colonial buildings found here included the cathedral, City Hall, the offices of Trujillo University, McDonald’s, homes, as well as the Hotel El Libertador. We visited inside the beautiful Saint Augustine Cathedral that dates back to the 16th century. Then it was off to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Chan Chan Complex, the capital of the Chimu civilization. The complex was built around AD 1300 and covers approximately 20 square kilometers Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Next, we went to the picturesque fishing village of Huanchaco where we saw the famous “little reed horses”, small boats made of reed that the local fishermen essentially ride like horses over the waves. They have been used by Peruvian fishermen for centuries and seem to work quite well despite their appearance. We walked along the Huanchaco waterfront before starting our journey back to the ship. Our last stop was the Trujillo suburb of Moche. The driver took us to the areas main square, a vibrant bustling area. Everywhere you turned there were beautiful wall murals…a great stop! The wall art depicting the Moche people is outstanding and really something to see. Our driver was a master at short cuts, not always the best roads but this really made our tour today because we were able to capture some of the off beaten path places and glimpses of everyday life. It was such a great day, I took way too many photos, again...  Just another great day in Peru!