Salaverry & Trujillo, Peru

Talk about the difference between night and day and that's what these two places bring to mind. Salaverry is the port town where we arrived at 6:00am. Well, it was supposed to be 6:00am, but rumor has it that our pilot wasn't on time to meet us to bring us into the harbor. So, we awakened to the ship rolling heavily from side to side as the ship waited in the swell. The stabilizers couldn't be used as they might have hit bottom. Apparently tray after tray of glassware went crashing to the floor in the Lido and I stopped just short of going head first into the cabin door as I got up to visit the bathroom. 

Once into the harbor the scene that greeted up was otherworldly. Everything was gray as if it were being filmed in black and white. Having just finished a Clive Cussler novel my mind went into overdrive that this was a "ghost city" which had been abandoned.

Driving through Salaverry on a shuttle bus on our way to Trujillo, about 30 minutes away, the impression wasn't really lifted. There were very few signs of life, just a few guys meticulously sweeping the sidewalks spotless. On one side of the street were brick houses, with or without roofs, which could easily have been considered abandoned. On the other side of the street were shanties, or tar paper shacks that we thought couldn't possibly house people. Except, occasionally there was laundry flapping from a clothesline, so we couldn't be sure.

As the entire place appears to rest on hills of gray sand or clay, or is covered with gray sand, you can surmise that concrete and bricks are likely to be plentiful--and that is evident by the never-ending walls. Apart from the shanties every structure had some sort of wall surrounding it. Many with what looked like corner gun turrets. Some of the walls were 16 or 18 feet tall. 

After passing through a small area of farm land we came to the suburbs and then the city of Trujillo. It is the 3rd largest city in Peru and is as quaint a colonial city as you would ever want to see. Beautiful buildings surround the main square, sporting vibrant colors and elaborately carved Andalusian-style balconies, or intricately detailed metal work. 

The church, Basilica Menor, on the square is beautiful inside and out.

But, my favorite part of town was the pedestrian walkway line with shops, including this wonderful travel agency 

which offered me the use of their wifi when I inquired where I might find an Internet cafe. (Everyone and their brother had been directed to McDonalds whose network was taxed beyond its capacity and wasn't functioning--at least for me).