Day 69: North Peru Coastal Plain: Saturday January 15, 2011

The border crossing from Macara, Ecuador to Peru was surprisingly gracious and quick – under 1 hour. The drive went through rice paddies, mango & citrus groves, then semi-arid goat country to harsh desert with relentless sand dunes. In one day and a half we have gone from 8500 ft elevation to 200 ft. The weather is now as dry as at home.

The drivers in Peru, particularly those of the Motocars (3 wheel scooters) swarm and have different driving manners. Lunch in Piura was not up to travel book reviews, but was erased by an excellent dinner at the Grand Hotel, Chiclayo. Our room is comfortable with a large terrace looking at the neighborhood. We still need to know why another credit card has been suspended. Is the number stolen, or is it simply because we aren’t home to tell someone it is really us making these charges far from home? Don’t laugh, even though we alerted our credit card company in advance, this is often what happens when we travel.

Chiclayo is a recent city near world class archaeological sites which we will visit tomorrow.