Peru | Earthoria

Piura, Northern Peru

March 15, 2009 by Thomas

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!

Finally in Peru

March 14, 2009March 14, 2009 by Thomas

Yesterday I finally entered Peru at the inland La Tina – MacarÃ¡ border crossing. The drive took 9 hours from Loja in Ecuador to Piura in Peru, and passed through some stunning Andean scenery, before descending into the hot and dusty lowlands of Northern Peru. The temperature difference was quite a shock after a month at 2,000 metres or more in the mountains.

This photo shows me in ‘no man’s land’, on the bridge entering Peru with La Tina in the background.

I’ve crossed a lot of land borders before in Asia and out here, but this was easily the most relaxed out of all of them. A gentle stroll across the river, no queues to get the entry stamps, and the solitary Ecuadorian border guard even shared some of his sugar cane with me to chew on as I walked across into Peru.

I’ll be visiting some of the less famous but equally important archaeological sites in Northern Peru over the next couple of weeks, before making my way to Lima and onto the main Gringo trail towards Macchu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.

Video: Hervideros organic mud-baths outside Tumbes, Peru (Spanish/English)

March 27, 2010March 3, 2009 by Tina

When crossing the border from Ecuador to Peru I lost my bus onwards to the Hare Krishna village north of Lima. This meant I had to spend the night and the whole next day in Tumbes. At first I was a bit annoyed because I really wanted to move downwards towards the Hare Krishna sanctuary.

However, I met a young guy named Mauro Alexander, who was my taxi driver when I arrived in Tumbes, and he changed my point of view. He suggested that he would come and pick me up at my hotel the next morning at 10 and take me to Zorritos beach and Hervideros mud baths.

Having left Thomas in Ecuador (he had to work) I was now a woman travelling alone. This made me feel a bit vulnerable. I considered several times whether to accept Mauro’s offer and decided to say yes eventually. Why? Because I remembered when I visited Nepal back in 2006. I met a guy called Shiva in a wool shop. We talked a few times and he invited he to come and stay with him and his brother two hours outside of Kathmandu in their small village for the night. My intuition told me that I could trust Shiva and I decided to say yes. That visit is one of the most memorable 24 hours in my life. Shiva and his brother took care of me like a beloved sister and at night he gave me his bed and cover and slept himself with his brother. Shiva is one of the kindest people I have ever met in my life – he has such a good heart and always thinks about other people. Still to this day, when the world is against me, I think about Shiva – to remind myself that there are many wonderful and loving people. That’s why I said yes to the invitation from Mauro – because sometimes we have to take chances in life to fully enjoy the beauty of it.

So Mauro picked me up at 10 and we drove to Hervideros. Hervideros is placed in the south of Zorritos, in Monte Guacura (Guacura Mountain), in the department of Tumbes. Hervideros has several natural pools with medicinal high-temperature waters that contain iodised salts, minerals and special properties for skin and for health. The surrounding area is the most beautiful area I have seen in Peru. We spent a few hours at the mud-baths and afterwards we went to Zorritos beach before Mauro took me to my bus bound for Lima.

The mud baths were not in my guidebook (it had free entrance), but you can contact “Mauro Alexander” through facebook and pay him to drive you there. It is very beautiful and well worth a visit. The video above shows you me covered in mud and Mauro who also explains (in Spanish) about Hervideros.

Podcast: Amazon River boat trip, Brazil

September 7, 2019February 15, 2009 by Thomas

[Download MP3 | Add to iTunes | Subscribe to Podcasts]

We made this podcast on a 6 day boat trip upriver (East to West) from Manaus in the Amazonas region of Brazil, to Tabatinga, on the Peruvian / Brazilian border.

In the podcast we discuss how to find a boat in Manaus (Brazil), the costs of river boat travel, hammocks Vs. cabins, being a vegetarian on board (and general food options), and the risk of malaria and using anti-malarials like Larium. We also report live after our boat suffered a break down and started drifting helplessly back downstream!

Links

More photos of Manaus and our Amazon river boat trip

A week on the Amazon

37 photos

COMING SOON – Video of our Amazon river boat trip

Video: Boat trip up Rio Amazonas in Brazil

May 26, 2010February 14, 2009 by Tina

Sailing up the Rio Amazonas in Brazil was a dream come true. When you board in Manaus and head for Tabatinga (on the border with Peru) you are sailing up river and the trip is longer than vice-verse. We spent 7 days on the boat.

Make sure to see the boats in Tabatinga before you buy a ticket. There are big quality differences. I would highly recommend “Fenix” which is the boat we took. The food was good (if you eat meat…which I don’t) and the captain and crew very organised.

It is not that you see a lot of the Amazonas when you sail on the river, but the fact that you are on a slow boat and can do absolutely nothing except sleeping, reading, writing articles, making love (if you are a couple…which we were not) etc. makes it extremely relaxing to be on-board. And you also get an insight into life in the small towns along the river where the boat load and unload goods.

We paid to have a cabin for 7 days. This cost us 300$ for two – so 150$ each. The cabin was small, but cosy with wooden walls, air conditioner and bathroom inside (with brown river-water…but it was a bathroom :-))

To string up your hammock on the deck for 7 days would cost around 100$, so if you are two people it is well-worth your money to pay the extra 50$ each and have the luxury and security (for your things) of a cabin.

I absolutely loved the Rio Amazonas boat trip and highly recommend it.

The video above gives you an idea what a cargo boat trip on the Rio Amazonas entails.