Piura, a hot and dusty city in Northern Peru, was founded in 1532, three years before Lima. I was out developing mild heat stroke today, whilst wandering around some of the back streets, and came across a set of interesting murals – including the one pictured below of Jesus.
The Lonely Planet says the following about Piura:
After several hours of crossing the vast emptiness of the Sechura Desert, Piura materializes like a mirage on the horizon, enveloped in quivering waves of heat. It’s hard to ignore the sense of physical isolation forced on you by this unforgiving environment…the scorching Summer months (now) will have you honing your radar for air conditioning as you seek out chilled venues in which to soothe your sweltering skin.
That just about sums it up, although my radar and my bank balance failed me on the air conditioning front, and I’m currently sitting here with a head like a tomato and a high velocity fan blowing a tornado over me.
I need sea!