We sailed into Salavery, the port for Trujillo, this morning at 8am. Our tour today was called "Chan Chan" so the bus headed out and went through the city of Trujillo on the way to two archaeological sites north of the city. We drove past some sugar cane fields which is their main export here. It is arid along the coast so they irrigate. We arrived first at a place called "the Dragon Temple". Because the walls were made of mud they carved designs depicting animals and their life. This is one of the best preserved sites in the world and was built over 1300 years ago. The people back then did not use steps but had ramps instead. No one know why. Next stop was the amazing Chan Chan (Sun Sun) city. About 100,000 people lived here 1300 years ago and the city was about 10 square miles in size. Totally made from mud but did have some wood for roofs. The roofs are gone now and they have built some protective roofs to preserve the site. We went into the main palace where there was only one entrance to it. This is where the ruler lived and government was also inside this part of the city. It was 400 feet wide and 600 feet long surrounded by a thick wall. There were designed carved into the walls here also. Mostly dealing with the ocean with ocean animals, birds, and nets made of mud. This place was fascinating and photos do not do it justice. A truly amazing place.
We are now sailing for Lima, Peru, where we will dock in the morning. Rebecca and I (and others) will be leaving the ship for 3 days to fly to Cusco. Will stay there two nights in a hotel and on Friday will take train to Machu Picchu, capital of the Inca Empire. The ship is staying in Lima three days so will be back before it sails. It will be a few day before I do more postings to the blog.
Tonight is the Captain's Farewell Party and Dinner as this is the end of the first segment and some people will leave the ship on Friday and more new passengers will be boarding. We have been invited to dine tonight with the ship's General Manager and also the Food & Beverage Manager. They are second and third most important officers on the ship so it is an honor.
