Chiclayo - first impression
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
6
19
Trip End
Dec 06, 2008
Chiclayo,
Peru
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The flight to Chiclayo was amazing. We had an A319 (that part is for Gaz) pretty much to ourselves, which meant window seats and mountain peaks poking through th cloud, and later on, our first sight of the Pacific Ocean.
I had the shut the window for a while because the sun was too bright in my eyes, and besides all the good stuff was on the right hand side.
Coming into land, it wasn´t difficult to notice the flatness of the plains that Chiclayo is situated in, and how treeless and the delapidation of many of the half built buildings. At this point I thought wo, what am I doing here...
Getting off the plane I was almost blow away by the the strong cross winds that must build up in this low laying region and in the airport we saw no tourist apart from, I think I remember a couple of Ausys, but it could have been fatigue setting in.
We had booked ahead at the Hotel Tumi de Oro but our taxi driver continuingly badgered us about another place that sounded like paradiso, and after many no, no nos, we eventually arrived (after a scary look at this initially dishevelled looking city) and was followed upstair by yes you´ve guessed it our persistant, never say die, ´I´ve got a commision to earn here´ hackney carriager, who gave it one more try to talk into going somewhere else and then disappeared.
By which point, seeing the place was nothing like the internet site, I was almost convinced to go with him.
Thankfully Ewa was knackered and not in the mood to go anywhere but to sleep, which in the end proved a good decision. Anyone visiting Chiclayo should stay here. It´s slight more pricey than the dirt cheep hostels but woth it for the position, the comfortable rooms and the hot shower (I promise you, it does work, it just needs a little instruction and a few precise knob twists... no jokes please)
So we settled in and slept... and in the morning light (to the sound of Lambada ring out on someones mobile below our window), unbelievable to me now... this ugly duckling of a city became a surprisingly homely feeling swan.
So much more too say, I´ll see if I can get another hour, wait here
