The ms Veendam has left Ecuador, passed the Equator (I even have a certificate to prove it), and is heading for an 8am anchorage off Fuerte Amador, an isthmus sticking out into the Pacific from Balboa and Panama City.  We have a full day (Tuesday) here in Panama and then begin passage through the first locks of the canal at 5am on Wednesday.

But back to:

Friday, 19 April 2013
Trujillo, Peru
Port of Salaverry

After leaving the lush tropics of Lima last night, I awake to the barren desert landscape of Salaverry, the port for the province and city of Trujillo, only a few miles inland.  Unlike the deserts of Southern Arizona, there is little vegetation to relieve the dry gray sand hills surrounding the port.  The Veendam’s landing at 11am is greeted by another mariachi band, with some expert local children leading the dancing.  Today is a long day of touring and the buses are ready to leave as soon as passengers can get down the gangway.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first visit is to the Huacas del Sol and de la Luna, built by the pre-Columbian Moche civilization.  The drive inland is bordered by fields of corn, vegetables, and bamboo, all irrigated with run-off from the not-too-far-off Andes Mountains.  Thus the landscape is not nearly as barren as the seashore.  Southeast of the city of Trujillo, the Temple of the Sun is closed for restoration and renovation, but we are taken through the Temple of the Moon, an imposing structure that combines governance and funerary functions.  Much of the original adobe brickwork has survived along with sculptural wall reliefs in many colors, that illustrate both the class structure and religious beliefs of the original inhabitants.  There is much up and down hill climbing and the sun is hot, but the ruins are quite extraordinary, again a reminder of how much construction was going on even a century before the Incas and the Spanish invasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From here we endure a rather long, bumpy bus ride from south of the city to the north, first encircling the city of Trujillo itself and then driving further north along the Pacific coast where violent crests of waves beleaguer the beaches.  This area—stretching from the northern parts of Chile, through all of coastal Peru, and the beaches of southern Ecuador, are among the spots most favored by surfboard riders and sun seekers in search of the perfect wave.  In spite of high temperatures, the sea is icy cold and too rough for casual swimmers.

We arrive in the beachfront town of Huanchaco for a lunch buffet at a lovely restaurant with three floors of balconies, Big Ben.  In addition to the shellfish and ceviche typical of Peruvian restaurants, there is plenty of shrimp, sea bass, and fresh vegetables, including local corn we had seen growing along the road.  The kernels are huge, compared to American corn, pale yellow, and very flavorful.  There is also—wonder of wonders—Spargle.  That’s German-style white asparagus, boiled and served chilled in a cream sauce.  Because of the labor- and time-intensive growing process, it is almost impossible to find in the US, and is treated as an expensive delicacy in Northern Europe, where there are Spargle festivals in early May.

There is time for a short walk on the beach to see specimens of reed fishing boats still used by some locals, and then it’s off to the most important archaeological monument in this part of Peru, Chan-Chan. Built as a city surrounding nine interlocking palaces, the uncovered remains spread out over an area too large to see in one visit. The tour gives a good sense of the purposes of the different areas and the stylistic changes that occurred over the short time-span the site was occupied by the Chimu Empire. (I need to catch up on reading a lot of history when I get back to Tucson.)

 

The final part of the excursion takes us into the city of Trujillo itself, for a short walking tour through its magnificent central square, surrounded by colorful civic and religious architecture. There are several tourist groups in the square and each is accompanied by its own member of the metropolitan police force!  As the sun goes down, the glimmering light provides an extra special glow to this glorious space, a fitting end to a long day.

 

 

Saturday, 20 April 2013
Day at Sea

Today is a quiet day at sea, very welcome after the past three days of shore excursions and tours.  The Captain has begun to make announcements about the gastro-intestinal virus that plagues cruise ships, especially as we get closer to the Caribbean, and emphasizes the importance of hand washing.  Self-service is no longer available in the buffet; all serving utensils are handled only by the crew; bread and butter and salt and pepper are not left on the tables during dinner.  Other than those precautions, everything proceeds as normal.

The first week of this cruise has been the most smooth sailing I have ever encountered, so at least that concern has been eliminated.

Sunday, 21 April 2013
Manta, Ecuador
We dock in Manta, Ecuador’s second busiest port (after Guayaquil), and an American naval station, in the early morning.  There is not much of interest to the tourist here and the one excursion that goes into the mountains and nature reserves is a much-too-long 10 hours, so I elect to stay on board in the comfort of air conditioning and low humidity.  Holland America has arranged for students at a local school and their families to visit and tour the ship while members of the crew work on repairs and painting at the school itself.

Monday, 22 April 2013
Sailing to Panama

So I am finally caught up as we sail toward Panama.  But I’m sure I’ll fall behind again as we head for interesting ports in Panama City, the San Blas Islands, and Cartagena, before the next sea day.