Huanchaco and Paita

I took a Linea bus to Trujillo at 8 am. It was a double-decked bus with a nice Lazy Boy seat on the lower level. But you could not see out the window due to the busses' paint scheme. I could barely see the last snow-capped mountain as I passed over the cordillera headed west. In Trujillo I took a taxi to Naylamp Hotel in Huanchaco and arrived about 2 pm. She tried to put me in an interior room but I saw the corner room available and she gave me the key. $16.50 a night with a window to the sea and the sound of the waves. The bed was as hard as a rock but I could deal with that. The weather was near perfect with highs around 75 and lows about 58. I immediately scoped the sea for birds and was amazed at the number of Peruvian boobies off shore. There must have been a large school of anchovies as they torpedoed into the sea for a meal. Huanchaco has a lot of restaurants and hostels and caters to the young traveler. I found good food and plenty of Cusqueña. I asked the desk to provide a taxi at 6:30 am for a trip to Lomas de Cerro Compana. It was only 10 miles away and would give me a few birds to add to my list. Of course, the driver lied, they almost all do, about knowing where it was I wanted to go. Being shrouded in sea fog didn't help. But I found a quebrada to walk and did see Oasis hummingbirds. He returned 3 hours later to retrieve me. That evening I found a beach bar and watched the sunset with cheap rum. They tend to wash wood floors with a gasoline mixture. I have 'smelled' this in a few places around Ecuador and Perú. I don't know what the fuck they are thinking, when they do think, but this floor was so wet I slipped. My shoes smelled of gas for a few days. The stupidity is confounding at times. I stopped at another bar for a hamburger off a Charbroil grill. And a Pisco. And, well, a few more rum-n-cokes. And damn, is that Campari on the shelf? All bright-eyed in the morning, I decided to head to Chan-Chan ruins. Not a cloud in the sky. A bus dropped me on the main road for a 1 mile walk to the entrance. Anytime you do something 'touristy' there is always a Peruvian near by to try to rip you off. An old man with a car showed me a map and told me there are three ruins all about 5 miles apart. I didn't even give him a chance to throw out his price. I walked to the ruins. The place is huge and only about a fourth of it is 'uncovered'. At the entrance there were no signs, no guide book and no employees. One lady asked in English if I wanted a guide for 40 Soles. Nope. I had to search to pay the 10 Soles fee. Then walked and walked. It was all built around 1400 AD. An amazing place right on the sea. The Chimu, they were called before the Incas came and disrupted everything. Ropes indicated the areas closed off, but that doesn't stop a Peruvian kid. They sit on the walls, climb over the ropes. They generally disrespect everything. There were no guards or employees to watch over tourists. I avoided all contact with people. After an hour of my tour I headed back to the main road and a bus back to my hotel. Bar, beer, rum, pisco.
In the morning I watched boobies torpedo the water and spotted about 150 great grebe off shore. Bingo! I took a walk along the beach where they grow reeds in holes and spotted the many-colored rushbird. What a beauty. After breakfast I caught a taxi to Trujillo and a bus back to Chiclayo. Intiotel, same room as before. I arranged to go to Túcume in the morning at 6 am and catch a taxi to Bosque de Pomac for the Peruvian plantcutter. I arrived around 7 am and found a dirt road along a canal alive with birds. The Moche built pyramids here at Sipan about 700 years earlier than the Chimu. Greenery in the desert. But no plantcutter. No sheartail either. But I was happy to be birding. It was hot. Of course I took a lot of water. I walked about 8 miles, I think. When I got back to the gate I had to keep walking to find a mototaxi. A few guys were butchering something along the side of the road. I asked for a ride. Blood everywhere. No. Then one dude changed his mind and he took me to the main road where I caught a collectivo back to Chiclayo. Went to a restaurant with great steak in a coffee sauce. Campari, beer, sleep. In the morning a Linea bus, again, but this one had clear windows. I almost wish it hadn't. Peruvians are the worst litter bugs. The amount of trash along the highways is staggering. They give a fuck. It is really sickening. They have no respect for environment. They pollute, wash floors with gas, and dump their shit directly in the rivers and ocean. I thought Ecuadorians were bad. My opinion of the people has diminished greatly because of their trash problem. They will never learn. They don't care. I couldn't look out the window anymore.
I got to Piura around 12:30 pm and took a tiny, shitty taxi to another bus which would take me to Paita. "How far to Paita?" An "hour and a half". I don't know why I ask questions. The answer is never true. In 45 minutes I arrived in Paita and went to the old Miramar hotel. It is an old mansion along the shore. They had an interior room with a window to the street. Nope. I walked with my bags around the corner and found Anamar Suites. She wanted 80 Soles but I offered cash for two nights and got her down to 60 Soles. A room overlooking the bay and a private balcony. Soft bed, sounds of the sea. I like it here. Found a nice bar on the water to watch Perú loose to Colombia in the Copa America semi-finals.
In the morning I took a walk to the Naval Station. I just felt like relaxing rather than look for birds. At evening I strolled the pier and streets and finally stopped at the bar on the bay. Shrimp rolls and beer.  A few seal lions came looking for scraps. The moon rose above the cliff and a lone great grebe tucked its beak in its wing and went to sleep on the water. A lesser nighthawk took to the sky at dusk and swept for insects. Small bats poured out of the old buildings and bounced in the air. It is Saturday night but there are no people in the streets. They are gearing up for a festival for fishermen. Everything is getting a new coat of paint. Coat number 48 from what I can tell.

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There was music on the beach, somewhere, all night. Until 3 am. But I got up at 6 am anyway to a great sunrise and the intention of going to Islilla and Isla Foca. No one was here to give me breakfast, or let me out the door. I had to sneak out the restaurant next door. Caught a mototaxi to a minivan which took me to Islilla. After walking around town with my binoculars, the taxi drivers have been calling me Juan Jhony. I Like it. It is only 25 minutes from here. The drive is through barren desert. Desert along a deep blue ocean. Isla Foca is white-washed in guano. A beautiful sight for a birder. First new bird was a red-legged cormorant. Saw about 24 of them. A little boy came up to me and started asking questions. I let him look through my binoculars. He pointed to a boat coming in with a load of squid and said that was his dad. My dad would have been 99 on the 15th and today is Fathers Day. He told me his dad would take me out to the island to see penguins. Maybe 50 Soles. His dad later told me 100 Soles and I would have to wait for the tide to come back in around 1pm. A three hour wait. I had a mototaxi take me to a restaurant. No menu, just squid and octopus. OK, I'll have a tortilla of squid and octopus. Not bad. The rice saved me. I took a walk along the beach and looked out to the channel. Humboldt penguin! Close to shore and preening his feathers. He was just bobbing  along and gave me great views. Then all the cormorants on the island decided to go for a flight. Guanay cormorants! I estimated more than 18,000! Within 2 hours I had the only 3 birds I came looking for. No need to spend $30 for a boat ride around the island. Why look at 20,000 birds sitting on cliffs shitting when they are much more exciting in flight. Between the cormorants, gulls and boobies there had to be more than 50,000 birds. And the sea lions were everywhere. A dead one floated by. The Pacific glittered blue. This is where the Humboldt Current drifts farther from shore and the cold and warm water come together. Bountiful. The fishermen were bringing in thousands of large squid with huge eyes. Some were 4 feet long. But this little village in the desert, along the sea, is isolated. Garbage everywhere. Human waste everywhere. This is the only place in South America where I have seen cats outnumber dogs. Kitty's everywhere. I had a great day. There are few birds left for me to look for in Perú. The penguin might just be my last, great new bird. Number 1,332. 578 for the year. 416 for Perú. Not bad considering transportation has been a problem. With a car I would have added 200 more, at least. But I am satisfied. Juan Jhony got his penguin. Off to Cabo Blano tomorrow. Cheers!

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Chachapoyas to Huaraz

There is a museum-bird lodge in Leymebamba which I had wished to visit, but they never responded to an e-mail. Had I gone there I would have visited Cajarmarca and then to the coast, or Huaraz. But I awoke and decided to back-track to Bagua Grande-Jaen-Chiclayo. It was a long trip in a van and two cars. The last driver was an old man that drove like a maniac. I finally arrived in Chiclayo at 5:30 pm and checked into Intiotel to a large comfortable room for  $35 a night. I roamed and explored Chiclayo that evening and found it to be a vibrant, clean city with a nice climate. Not too hot and not too cool. In the morning I arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the coast to search for the Great grebe. No luck. I did see many species of sea-birds and a few coastal migrants. I went to the beach for a beer that afternoon but found that all alcohol was prohibited the before, and the day of, the presidential election. The hotel bar waved me to the back room and provided my required refreshment. The people were very kind in Chiclayo. I had intended to visit Chaparri Lodge but found them to be very expensive. They are 1.5 hours from the city and transportation would be 450 Soles- more than the room at 335 Soles. That's more than $200 for a few birds. Naw.
I decided to head off to Chimbote, a few hours south along the coast. The bus took all day to reach Chimbote. I arrived about 4:30 pm. The highway wound through a desolate area of dry scrub, when there was scrub. I was shocked and angered at the amount of trash along the roadside. Peruvians and Ecuadorians are shamefull litter-tossers. Their mentality angers me at times. A true blight on the landscape. The taxi driver ripped me off for 10 Soles and took me to the best hotel on the water. It was a large building along the bay, built in 1946. I had a room with a beautiful view of the boats in the bay. The city was loaded with casinos. The fishermen like to gamble, I suppose. I roamed the city, again no beer or booze as it was Election Day. I ate an awful Chifa (Chinese food) and almost got a beer by batting my blue eyes at a pretty bartender. She complimented me, but no beer. In the morning I walked the jetty along the harbor and added a few new species. The Inca terns are so beautiful. No Great grebes. No Guanay cormorants. I am still after these birds. The Gardens in Chiclayo were closed on Monday. So, at 10 am I took a mini-bus to Huaraz. Arrived around 2:30 pm and checked into La Aurora Hotel for $35. I was in awe of the mountains to the east. WOW! Incredible scenery. I met up with my friend Cecilia whom I met in Vilcabamba. She was born in Lima but lived near Panama City, Florida. Indeed, we both had been to Wonderbar many times! She resides here in Huaraz now. This is a touristy-mountain town but in a good way. It isn't overrun with Gringos. You come here to climb and trek the mountains and valleys. Cecilia took me to a restaurant with Alpaca on the menu. It is such a flavorful meat. Had some coca-liqueur as well. Whew! Cecilia helps a girl named Anthula with her adventure company. They arranged for me to go the the Lazy Dog Inn for a night. Anthula drove me up the next day but had car trouble half way and I hitched a ride with a local.
I arrived at the lodge and was greeted by Diana, the owner and her black labs. She showed me my room but when she showed me the cabin with a fireplace I decided to splurge on that. $100 a night which included all meals. My iPhone indicated I was at 12,000 ft. I took a walk up the mountain in the afternoon to bird an immediately added new species. Ground-tyrants and a black hummingbird! The scenery was stunning. I was so close, but yet so far, from the glacial slopes of the Cordillera Blanca. The Inn is also stunning. They put a lot of money into the construction. Very, very nice. A young couple from Spain joined us for dinner. I had one beer and off to bed. I built a large fire and settled in my large, soft bed. But no air. I did not sleep well. I gasped for air all night. I wasn't acclimated. I rose from the bed at 5:30 am and ate the breakfast Diana had sent me to bed with. I began walking back up the mountain but after one hour decided to walk the lower road through the farm land. This proved better for birds anyway. Baron's spinetail, black-throated flowerpiercer. Golden wheatfields. Colorful quinoa. Truly peaceful. When I got back to the Inn Diana insisted I eat more breakfast. They grow everything themselves in greenhouses. Home-made granola with fruit. Great coffee. I then met Diana's husband Wayne. He had been away. He wanted me to review their bird list. I did and found it to be very accurate. I even added a specie of flowerpiercer never seen here. At 11 Diana gave me ride back down into town. I changed hotels to one at $18 a night. It is clean and comfortable.
Cecilia arranged for a private taxi to pick us up the next day at 8:30 am. We would drive to the Huascaran National Park and the lagunas. We drove through the towns leveled by the earthquake of 1970. It also leveled 95% of Huaraz. There are no old buildings here. Just one small street of colonial times remained. There have also been avalanches that have killed thousands. With beauty comes risk. After 2.5 hours we arrived in the river valley surrounded by steep granite cliffs and glaciers. I have never seen such glory. Stop the car!. An Andean goose. Two of them. Further on to the second lake and 16 more! I strolled around for 20 minutes birding then Cecilia and I hit the trails. The polylepis trees are covered in soft paper bark that peels off to reveal a deep cinnamon color. Gorgeous. I saw a rufous-eared brushfinch. They only live here in these valleys. The two lagunas are a deep copper-sulphate blue. The altitude was almost 13,000 ft but I felt fine. We walked the paths for 3 hours then headed back down to have lunch along a river. All the rivers are a clear, bluish glacial stream. And COLD. We came back to Huaraz about 5 pm and Cecilia and I met for a drink to celebrate my goose sighting. Pisco and Campari. Bar service sucks here as it does in Ecuador. Different mindset. After several drinks off to my room and a good sleep.
Tomorrow I head back to Trujillo and Huanchaco beach for a few days. I still need the grebe, cormorant and a Peruvian sheartail hummer. Cecilia has made my visit here very special and rewarding. This has been the highlight of my visit to Perú.


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Tarapoto to Chachapoyas

Moyobamba was such a pleasant small town a that I ended  up staying five nights. The birding was surprising. I said to myself that a red-capped cardinal would be a great find and within 5 minutes 2 popped into view. I smiled and thanked the bird gods. The more I explored the more beautiful Moyobamba became. But I need to move on so for $3.50 I caught a car to Tarapoto. The vistas along the Rio Mayo kept me looking out the window. We arrived and I took a mototaxi to Hotel Boca Raton. $24 a night and I had a good room with a large bathroom. The front desk told me they could help me with my birding pursuits but, again, they didn't know what they were talking about. The taxi drivers had no idea of the locations I pointed to on Google Map. So I dipped on a few species that were only 30 minutes away. I was very disappointed. I took a walk. I heard glass bottles being shaken about. They must be empties being loaded in a truck. I followed the sound and BINGO, a bar!  Across the street 2 more. Tarapoto is for me. Good food too. I watched the futbol championships between the two Madrids. Great crowd of people for the game. But birding was lacking so I  decided to splurge and go to PumaRinri Lodge and bird there one night. I stayed 2 nights. Again, I dipped on the species I was looking for but it was a very relaxing place. They gave me the best room- a kingbed, second floor with a balcony on the river Huallaga. Frogs sang me a sleep-song. A tropical screech owl woke me up. Food was good. As I uploaded pictures a very venomous snake crossed just beyond my feet. I saved it from the staff of snake killers. One young guy was about to hit it with a heavy stick and I yelled 'No!' They looked at me like I was nuts. I have learned how to assert myself in Spanish.
I am always amazed by the currents of the rivers. Swift and turbulent water. Again I was at 750ft in elevation which meant the river had almost 2,700  miles to reach the Atlantic but would only drop by that amount. Thank you river gods. But time to move on again. The owners have 3 hotels including Gocta Lodge. I would take their transport back to Moyobamba, then a van filled with folks and a spitting driver, including a fighting cock which shit everywhere, to Chachapoyas. Left at 8 am and arrived at 5:30 pm. Long day of travel and I don't enjoy days like that. Chachapoyas sits on top of a mountain above the Utcubamba River valley. It has been a dissapoinment. Hostal Revash is nice and cheap but the town is just a tourist trap. No birds. I found a nice bar, or 3, but I am ready to move on again. First, I must see Kuelpa so I am going at 8am tomorrow. I just came back from a bar called Reina and had a local liqueur called Pur Pur. I had a cat named PurrPurr. Lived to be 26 even after I had shut her in a freezer for 4 hours when I was 4 years old. She made the first page of the local paper. The bars here make their own liqueurs from so many different fruits. Aguardiente, all of them. Yummy. Going to sleep now and I will continue this after Kuelap (Quay-lap).

                                                               NEXT DAY
Went to breakfast at a small tienda and came back to the hotel for 8:30am departure. There were 8 of us- 2 'Mericans, 3 French and 2 Peruvians. We drove along the Utcubamba valley and then headed up a steep dirt road for 2 hours. The whole trip took 3 hours. It was a little scary. A French company is building a cable car system from the town of Rio Tingo and they hope to finish by November. It will make it a 2 hour trip from Chachapoyas. This will make it much easier to visit and increase visitation significantly. There were only about 150 people while we were there. Anywho, Kuelap was started around 550 AD by the Chachapoyas. The ruins are about 1,460 years old. This place was fascinating. It is a land-fill on top of a mountain built to ward off invasions. It is truly a fortrace with 3 entrances through narrow gullies. Our guide, Agusto, is a native and he spoke Spanish, English, French and German. The best guide I have ever had. Very knowledgable. There were 400 round houses built for the higher echelons. The peons lived in the valley. They buried their dead then dug them up years later and put their bones in a hole within each house. They were conquered by the Incas in about 1500. The Incas were a marauding, cruel group of bastards who borrowed all the customs of those they conquered. Even the spiritual aspects of living were taken from other peoples they enslaved. I was in awe the whole day. And we were so lucky it didn't rain. Kuelap is not as beautiful as Machu Picchu, but it was much more interesting considering it was built 1,000 years sooner. The views were stunning. There was a kid-25- named Mike from Montana who is touring Perú for a few months. We buddied-up for the lectures. After we got back to town we went out for a few drinks. He was a bright guy, math and engineering and I enjoyed having someone to speak English with. The town of Chachapoyas was a dissapoinment but the surrounding areas are beautiful. There are sarcophagi from the Incas nearby but I did not visit them.
I woke up this morning with the intent of heading toward Cajamarca. I am in Chiclayo tonight. I just didn't feel like a very long trip through more narrow mountain roads. I will have to skip a few birds but the Great grebe is next on the list. My car driver was and old shit and scared the hell out of me. We nearly tenderized a small pig and 2 chickens. It has been a long day. I walked around Chiclayo and sur-nuf they were parading a statue of Jesus and Mary around the Plaza. I like Chiclayo much more than Chacha. I will hang around the coast another week or so. It is cool here along the Pacific because of the Humbolt Current. I love a cool beach.

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