Peru and Bolivia 2005, part 22 (Chan Chan, Huanchaco, Lima)
Chan Chan is a very exciting complex and its name means “Sun Sun” on account of the bountiful quantity of light this whole region gets. I think this is a splendid name for anything whatsoever!
The site is situated in the valley of Moche. However, it did not belong to the Moche civilization, but rather to the Empire Chimu that appeared here around 12th century AD, only to vanish slowly in the course of 15th century by being conquered and taken over by the Incas. This is the site where the capital of this empire used to be and it was, in fact, the biggest city in the pre-Columbian South America. Today, it is in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. When one approaches the complex, other than the road there is nothing else in sight. Everything else is a desert plane that spreads towards the nearby Pacific. The colours of the site fully fit into the setting, while the time and the weather have lowered the original edifices down. Still, after entering the complex and starting with the sightseeing, one cannot help admire the whole place and wonder how beautiful it all must have been at the time it was built.
The main construction is the Tschudi temple-citadel, thus named after an explorer who used to work there. It was built around 1100 AD and the chronicles say that at the time when the Spaniards came here in the 16th century, this was already a completely deserted city. Although the splendid edifices built in Europe at around the same time often managed to survive in a much better shape primarily thanks to a more durable building material, this is nonetheless an impressive construction. It was built by using adobe. On top of the adobe bricks, there was a smooth layer of mud and then it was adorned. Most of the walls that exist today are predominantly low remains of the original ones, but it may still be seen nicely that they used to be decorated in reliefs that were either geometrical in their shape or they showed fish, pelicans, etc. Now, it is all the colour of the surrounding sand, but it is believed that the constructions were originally painted and there are even indications that the masons from the Chimu empire used gold and precious stones for the ornamentation of the buildings, which, of course, does not exist today.
I found the walk around the site very pleasant and it was also nice that there were almost no other people, so I could fully immerse myself into the watching of my surroundings. Although this is a desert part of the coast, the waves of the nearby ocean were quite audible. This position constitutes quite a big problem as far as Chan Chan itself is concerned. Every now and then some El Niño creates a havoc, which also includes a lot of rain. It is precisely these rains that cause erosion to the buildings made of mud and covered in mud. For this reason, most of the remains seem like a melting mass.
All the constructions existing nowadays at the Tschudi consist of the ground floor alone. It is possible to see remains of palaces, residential quarters, temples, a large number of hallways, as well as big and small courtyards.
There is also a large rectangular tank for collecting water, which was essential for the existence of the city and the civilization, bearing in mind that they had decided to found them in the middle of a desert. Even nowadays there is water in it, but it is more like a pond.
There are also royal tombs at the Tschudi. One of the lords of Chimu was buried here and there are also 44 other tombs, including those where concubines and high officials were laid to rest, not to mention that they had food “to go” packed up for them as well.
In a large number of walls within the citadel it is possible to see niches in which the residents used to keep their idols. In one part, it is at present possible to see some dolls which the management placed there so that one can get a better impression as to what it all may have looked like in the past. Originally, Chan Chan used to cover the area of 5 km x 4 km, but because of the new houses that are being built in its vicinity, its surface has been cut down to 14 square kilometres. The Tschudi palace is certainly the most impressive and the best preserved structure within this archaeological site.
Having finished with my sightseeing here, I went back to the main road and caught the first bus that came along. The bus was truly amazing, unique and worth the experience. Namely, the gear stick was to the driver’s right, as expected, but also it was BEHIND the driver, not beside. In other words, to the back and to the right of the driver, so that his right arm was constantly going backwards from his shoulder and he kept changing the gears “somewhere in the back.” The whole scene took me by surprise and the journey was short, so I didn’t manage to take a photo or a video, but the image has remained very clear in my memory to this very day.
Thus I came to Huanchaco, took a short stroll and then went to a nice lunch at a fine restaurant. As my journey was getting close to its end, I decided to give myself a treat. It was also here that I started a new habit and this is to take photos of the food I eat during my travelling. This is not necessarily food in fine restaurants. No. Wherever I eat and whatever I eat, I take photos of the food. It was only a coincidence that it was here that this occurred to me for the first time.
Afterwards I walked a little and enjoyed the idea that I was at the shore of the Pacific ocean. Although Huanchaco has a sand beach, I did not find it attractive as a place where I would like to have a swim. First of all, the sand was dark grey. Second, the Humboldt current which originates around Antarctica passes by the coast and thus the ocean water was certainly fresh if not properly cold for my liking. And third, although this is a desert area, the zone of the tropics and there was a site nearby called Sun Sun, while I was there, no sun did I see! It was cloudy all the time, the skies were grey and as such they reflected in the ocean making the colour of the water blend perfectly with the colour of the sand on the beach. Or perhaps it was only that I’m whimsical and choosy, because there were a lot of young men who didn’t mind any of my unspoken remarks and kept practicing surfing on smallish waves and it was obvious that they enjoyed the experience immensely.
Huanchaco is famous for its typical boats called “small sea horses” (caballitos del mar) made of tortora reed. The boats have a design that has survived since the ancient times and ancient civilizations. A few thick bunches of the reed are tied together, thus making something between a boat and a raft. They seem as if missing the back part, but this is how they are steered. One approaches them from that back side, kneels on them and then paddles by hands. The surfers must have copied the technique which they use when they go out to the open sea.
The visit to Huanchaco marked the end of my sightseeing in the north of Peru and that evening I caught a coach to Lima where I arrived the next morning. During the day I went to some tourist bazaar to buy some gifts and in the afternoon, when Virginia returned from her work, we went together to a restaurant of her choice because I wanted to give her a treat and thank her for her hospitality and all the wonderful contacts and advice she had given me.
My last day in Lima was also spent with Virginia. First we did some shopping for her restaurant and then we went downtown. The centre of Lima is truly beautiful and impressive, and it is also in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. There is a very pretty Plaza San Martin, walking street, magnificent facades... in other words, I really enjoyed the stroll. Then we came to the main square, Plaza Mayor, with Cathedral and Palazo de Gobierno, and there (again!) we came across a street parade. According to what Virginia explained to me, this was all about the World Folklore Day which the Peruvians took as an excellent pretext to throw a grand, motley fiesta in the centre of the city and around the main square.
Afterwards we went for lunch at a fish restaurant in the Barranco quarter, where I really enjoyed the meal, and then we walked to an elevation above the ocean. The stroll was extremely nice, primarily because of the fantastic view at the Pacific, the exciting sound of the waves and the wind that was blowing. Somewhere there I way silently saying goodbye to this picturesque and beautiful country.
But, the party was not over yet and in the evening we had home karaoke. Virginia had the whole installation and these were predominantly songs in Spanish, most of which I was not familiar with. Still, it was crazy and loads of fun, especially when Virginia tried to encourage me to sing the back-up vocals of some song I didn’t know. Oh, was that good!
It was in this joyful mood that my journey around Peru and Bolivia that lasted for six weeks came to its end.
Do I have to say that I was exhausted by this time? Not so much physically or because of the lack of sleep, but because of the constant movement, packing, unpacking and coach drives. On the other hand, I was full of impressions and exceptionally pleased that I went on this trip, that I saw all those gorgeous things and places, and that I gained such magnificent experiences.
This journey, however, indirectly got extended significantly and with some of its consequences continues to this very day. Ever since I left Peru and Bolivia, I have been saving water passionately! It was there that I became aware for the first time that people who lived in urban settlements, and not in the middle of the Sahara desert, often saved water. Some for ecological reasons, some for financial ones. I come from a country in which water is wasted and thrown all over the place! We have no concept of what it means not to have water. Yes, every now and then there is a dry summer and then everybody whines about the drop in agricultural production we are going to suffer, etc., but realistically speaking, lack of potable water or its very high price are lost on us. I know some people who many years ago in their childhood had to walk or go by horses for a couple of hours to fetch water. Then they grew up, came across faucets and now this water runs incessantly. Since this trip, that is, since 2005, I’ve introduced a special bowl in my kitchen sink in which I collect water when I let it run in order to get to some fresher one, or when I wash fruits and vegetables, or when I rinse a dish without washing liquid. And then I pour this water into bottles in order to use it for watering my plants. It may be tiresome at times, but I don’t mind and I’ve actually grown a habit. I’m also very proud that I’ve managed to bring my mom in order. In the past, when she would come to my place, she would like to go to the kitchen and find some dishes to wash, and of course the water would run all the time. I would jump and close the tap for “there’s no need for the water to run while you are soaping the dishes!” She used to complain saying I was not normal, but... Not only has she also started to take care of this at her own home, she has even managed to pass it on to a neighbour. A small step for us, but a huge one for the collective awareness! I must say that I do this for purely ideological reasons. Financially speaking, water could run out of all the taps in my home the entire day and, considering that I live in a high-rise where the price is distributed equally to all the dwellings by the number of household members, I would end up paying probably only half a euro a month more. On the other hand, I know that my saving of water realistically does not have any major consequences, but as the story about the effect of the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings goes, somewhere deep inside of me I like to believe that any drop of water I save may in the total count help somebody even if he lived on the other side of the planet.
Another important consequence of this journey is that it has led me into the world of birds. Inspired by the visit to the Colca Canyon and by watching local condors, through some “mysterious” ways I came to griffon vultures that inhabit the Uvac Canyon (Serbia) and to people dealing with them. But, this is a part of a new story...