First Impressions of Peru

I hadn't expected to fall so in love with Ecuador, but after just ten days I'd become pretty attached to it as a country. I think for the most part, it was the people who charmed me with their huge, toothless smiles beneath trusty panama hats and long dark plaits which were always weaved with tatty yet colourful threads. But as sad as I was to be leaving Ecuador, I couldn't wait to get to Peru. Ever since arriving in South America back in April, it's been the country I've been most looking forward to. In particular, I was excited to try out all the new foods as my favourite restaurant back in London is Peruvian.

My body, however, had other ideas. The minute we crossed the border, I was smacked in the face (and stomach) with a wave of sickness. Therefore, the most I saw of our first stop, Piura, was the inside of our hotel room and a toilet bowl. Far from my daydreams of tasting exotic flavoured quinoas, I was on a strict diet of water and Ritz crackers for almost forty eight hours. 

Thankfully by the time we caught our next overnight bus, I felt considerably better but the opposite was true for Hana who was slowly turning an unhealthy shade of green. We arrived in Chachapoyas hideously early the next morning and it seemed that unless we all took a day to relax, it would be Erica next and we'd just keep circulating sickness. 

For the sake of some fresh air I took a stroll around town but it was so small that it took me all of about ten minutes. Had it been any larger though, I'm sure I'd have got lost because each block is identical to the next with white painted buildings and black lettered shop signs scrolled across the doorways. Though a very pretty little town, the extent of my discoveries was a local market selling not so fresh fruit, a 'supermarket' that was little more than a higgledy piggledy corner shop and a bakery which sold cake pops (day saved!) Nevertheless, it was enough to allow me to form my first impressions of Peru: tuk tuks, sunshine and super cheap price tags. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought we were in Asia! 

The reason people visit Chachapoyas is to see the Kuelap ruins a couple of hours outside of town so we booked a bus for the following day. The journey through the mountains was beautiful but slightly terrifying as we wound our way between boulders and potholes with not a curb, but a cliff edge to our side.

The ancient village of Kualep is built at the very top of a mountain with walls which quite remarkably follow the irregularity of the peak. It was once inhabited by Chachapoyans but shows strong evidence of an Incan invasion and influence. Now, thousands of years later, the only life there is llamas. Only the foundations of buildings have survived but historians have studied the area and with a little imagination, our guide helped us to rebuild a mental image of what they might have looked like. The circular homes were relatively large but would house up to seven family members and a whole load of guinea pigs (which is served as a traditional dish in Peru even to this day.) Rather spookily, the houses also acted as cemeteries as families would bury their dead within the grounds of their homes to feel close to them even once they'd passed. The interesting village of Kualep holds a real air of mystery about it as nobody knows for sure the reason why it was deserted all those years ago.

So far Peru has been wonderful but very different to how I expected. However, we're heading to the capital next which is likely to give a more wholesome view of the country than the tiny town of Chachapoyas.