To the coast and back

A fast, furious and tiring weekend to the Coast and back. Hugo and I went with Kirsten and Erica to Chiclayo (my officially least favorite city in Peru). We went to get Hugo's passport and make sure the girls were set to go on their way to Ecuador. The passport trip was unsuccessful as Hugo was missing some paperwork and the guy at the front door was trying to bribe Hugo into paying him a tip to get the deal done. No deal. The sad part of the whole thing is that I guess the bribing is common place here and, well, there is no other town that is closer to Cajamarca that he can get his passport. After getting pretty visibly frustrating we left feeling defeating and totally unsuccessful.
We didn't let this little blooper get in the way of enjoying all that Chiclayo has to offer. We all headed out to Pimentel beach, just outside of town, to watch fisherman bring in their fresh fishes on homemade straw canoes. We got to the beach just in time to see the fish frenzy. We had a fresh seafood lunch accompanied by the one and only Inca Kola. The restaurant didn't understand the term "vegetarian" and Kirsten waited a good bit for them to figure out how they were going to make her lunch. Erica had already gotten sick in Cajamarca and now it was Kirsten's turn.

We happened to be staying in a cheap, dark hotel in Chiclayo. This didn't help make Kirsten feel any better. In fact some problems in the bathroom make the situation all the more annoying and difficult. She rested that night and then rallied all her energy to join us to visit pre-Inca pyramids. The pyramids are nothing like you would imagine. The pyramids were constructed out of adobe (mud and dirt) and have eroded with the rain. So it is interesting because you can see the skeleton of the structure, but there is no fully erect pyramid in sight. We didn't hire a guide, so beyond the beauty of the desert, I can't share any fun facts with you about Tucume pyramids or culture.
I think the sun and desert walking did us some good. We all returned to Chiclayo tired and hungry and in good spirits and health. The girls were on their way to Ecuador today and Hugo and I returned to rainy Cajamarca, ending my little va-ca with the Madison crew.