Where are we? Where is that Peru that everybody talks about and loves? After the unsafe and not too nice Mancora, entering Trujillo continued on the same note. Looking out on the bus windows we could see ghetto-like streets, ugly buildings and piles of garbage everywhere…disappointing.

Fortunately, the city also has few nice things to offer: it has a clean city center with beautifully colored and well-maintained colonial buildings and it is surrounded by historically important archeological sites. We visited Chan Chan which is an impressive set of ruins of an ancient Chimor city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the capital of Peru’s largest pre-Inca empire. Though it is now just a collection of walls with some sculptures on them, we enjoyed listening to stories from our guide. What we found interesting is the way the Chimors made money and wealth: they were concurring other tribes, stealing their deities/ gods. In this way, these other tribes were obliged to come and pray on Chimors’ land and of course they were bringing offerings for their Gods: food, gold and so on…offerings that were in fact used by the Chimors afterwards. Smart, isn’t it?