3 months in ... 2 more to go.

 It is hard to believe I am almost 3 months in to my travels. The last 48 hours were the closest I have ever felt to saying, I could be done with this traveling stuff.  Spending 2 consecutive nights on a bus sounded like a good idea at the time (done so to hurry up my travels).

I took the 10:20 night bus from Huaraz to Trujillo (which by the way is the 3rd largest city in Peru and I didnt realize this until I arrived there.) I arrived at 5:00 a.m. not really sure where to go or what to do in such a large city. I met a couple from Holland on the bus and we ended up passing about 2 hours in the bus station until it finally got light out.

some nice churches in La Plaza de Armas in Trujillo

The nice side of it, I got to have the full day in Trujillo where there are Huaca del Sol y de Luna (ruins from the pre-Incan times)

paintings from the Moche Pyramids

 

 I also had time to visit Chan Chan, which is an impressive set of ruins of ancient Chimor mud city, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The night bus from Trujillo to Mancora wasn't too bad. It was 9 hours, which allowed me  to get a decent night sleep. I also opted for the "cama" - the VIP/Bed spots downstairs. It was only 10 soles (~4 dollars) more. I figured my back would thank me later.  Unfortunately, 5 out of the 9 people in this section had children under the age of 16 months (2 of which were on either side of me).  I lost count how many times I woke up during the night to a baby crying.

Now, I'm at the beach in Mancora  for a few days ready to relax before moving on to Ecuador and all the adventures that await me there.  Here I'm not staying at the nicest hostel (holes in the mosquito net, sand all over the bed, no hot water), but it is only 20 soles (~7 dollars), it's right along the beach, and I have a private room.  I'm fine with the poor living conditions mainly because I have my own room. I'm avoiding being social mainly because I can't hear! Coming from over 10,000 feet to sea level created some issues and major pressure within my ear. I hope it gets better soon :(

Happy 4th of July!! Unfortunately, I won't be seeing any fireworks on this beautiful beach

Mancora Beach, aka gringo central 

NEXT STOP: Vilcabamba, Ecuador (a bit sad to leave Peru behind- my favorite country by far!)