When we read that Museo Larco contains a notable collection of pre-Columbian erotic Moche potteries – it got us all curious. This is definitely a museum we’ll have to check out.
We met our host in Lima, Ana, when we were volunteering in Banos, Ecuador.
When we finally were making our way to Lima and making plans to meet up with her, we told her that there are 2 things we’d like to do in the 2 days we’re in Lima:
1. See the ‘erotic pottery’ exhibition in Museo Larco
2. Eat yummy Peruvian food
And boy, like an awesome host that she is, she fulfilled both of our wishes.
Cuzco, Peru
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These salt pans have been used to extract salt from the local subterranean stream since pre-Incan times. We visited the salt ponds in Maras as a day tour from Cuzco.
Cost: 25 soles ($9) for transport to both Maras and Moray – entrance fees not included.
Entrance fee to Maras: 5 soles
Entrance fee to Moray: 10 soles (or included in your ‘boleto turistico’). It was just ‘meh’.
Trujillo, Peru
Remember that day in Trujillo when we ate nothing but American chain food?
Well, it didn’t take for the guilt to sink in and we decided to make it up for our remaining 2 days in Trujillo. Well, the guilt and the price tag, really. Pizza Hut was expensive.
Everyone that we’ve met unequivocally said that Peru has the best food in the whole continent.
Well, we’re going to judge it for ourselves. We’re skipping Trujillo’s more known comida tipica: cabrito, lomo saltado, and other local delicacies and sticking to sea food, taking advantage of the fact that Trujillo is located on the coast.
Come with us on a 2 day tour of Peruvian food!
Day 1
We found ourselves in Huaychao, a coastal village 30 min away from Trujillo. And there we had our first encounter with ceviche.
Ceviche – First encounter
I’m not a big fan of raw fish. I’m one of those people who go to the sushi restaurant and order exclusively from the fried/cooked roll sections.
So ceviche presents an interesting dilemma: it’s cooked. But not with fire. Does it count?
Regardless I decided that going to Peru without trying ceviche at least once would be a blasphemy.
When it came, my heart sank.
Our first ceviche
It looks worse than I imagined. It jiggles when I tried to spear a piece with my forks.
Jack was looking at me expectantly, camera handy. ‘Go on – you ordered it’.
I took a deep breath, ‘Ugh, whatever…Here’s one for the road’
I put a liveless, cold piece of mystery fish in my mouth and swallowed.
First impression: it was sour. Then: a little chewy, it was not so bad.
I doubt that I’d be craving it anytime soon, but I did finish the plate. But I was glad to have Jack’s chicharron de pescado (fish nuggets) as a chaser.
Chicharron de Pescado
Fried fish nuggets. They taste as good as they sound.
Chicarron - Jack's new favorite food
Then as a second chaser, this is what I ordered:
Pescado de Ajo
Pescado de Aji
Now this – this is how I like my seafood: HOT (just how I like my men š ). Fried fish covered with garlic sauce, shrimps, and odds and ends of other seafood.
It was good, but a dish with garlic in the name I expected it to be a lot more garlicky.
Despite the huge lunch, we wanted more. So we walked for a couple of blocks, and ducked in into another restaurant. This time we ordered the calamari.
Calamari – Deep Fried
The aji that it came with was bomb. It was so hot.
“Senora, una CusteƱa negra, por favor” we managed to choke out with our burning tounge.
More chicharron - Huanchaco
Day 2
We were invited by our Couchsurfing host to a cevicheria. “Best ceviche! Lots of people come”
And it was true. The place was packed.
Not tempted in the slightest bit, I stayed away from the ceviche section and ordered something I knew was going to be hot.
Palahuela – Quickly a favorite
Palahuela or seafood stew is my kind of seafood: thick, filled with chunky pieces of seafood. It was delicious! It’s even better than the Pescado de Aji.
I can eat this every day. And for $4 a plate, I might actually be able to afford it.
Parihuela - A Seafood Stew
Leche de Tigre
Or tiger’s milk. It’s basically a soup served in a cocktail glass made out of ceviche juice. It’s white and it has floaty stuff in it. It tastes strongly of lemon/lime.
Forgot to take pic of ours. So this one is courtesy of by canelita0306
And it’s cold.
Despite how it looks (only slightly better than the ceviche itself). It actually goes very well with ‘maize’ or toasted corns.
More fried stuff…
Jack decided that he hadn’t had enough fried stuff and ordered another plate of chicharron de pescado. I envy his metabolism that seems to be able to handle as much fried food as he wants.
Us and our CS host after a particularly good lunch
Wha? Chinese food?
Unfortunately we had to end our gastronomy trip in Trujillo on a downward turn, in a chifa – a Chinese restaurant. The cevicheria we wanted to go to was closed for a private event.
There are so many of these ‘chifas’ in Peru serving huge plates of what you’d expect out of a Chinese restaurant – rice or noodles – but with a Peruvian twist.
Which I think simply means a blander version of Chinese food.
In the end…
Trujillo gave us 101 lesson on Peruvian seafood and it whetted our appetite for more.
As a matter of fact, the only reason we’re going to Arequipa next is to check out its supposedly varied and unique twist on Peruvian food. Yumm, can’t wait! Sorry, Colca Canyon – no offense.
The owner of the cevicheria that was closed for a private event promised us free ceviche if we ever come back. But the question is…
Would we try ceviche again?
Absolutely. As one reader suggests on our FB page, eating it with rice/chufa as chaser will help soften the acid of the lime juice.
But Peru does seem to have a lot of options when it comes to food – I’m afraid it will be awhile until I order one again.
As the first city in Peru that we’ve stayed in, Chachapoyas had the unfortunate responsiblity of giving us a good first impression of this 3rd country in our RTW travel.
Fortunately, Chachapoyas had nothing to worry about.
Its neat and tidy plaza and white painted buildings brought us back to all of those cute Colombian pueblos that we loved so much.
And if you’re into ruins, you’ll love it even more. This area is not only blessed with dramatic sceneries, but it’s dotted with more ruins that you probably have time for.
How much does it cost to travel in Ecuador? Not counting Galapagos, Ecuador turned out to be surprisingly cheap. Here’s our budget breakdown during our travel in Ecuador.
Big cities are never quite our things.
We’ve been on the road for 4 months and the number of big cities we can safely say we’ve explored is very few. There were those 3 days we spent in Medellin. The 1 day spent in Quito.
So safe to say that for the 4 months we’ve been traveling in South America we never had the opportunity to enjoy big city stuff. Things such as concerts, museums, and the hustle bustle of a city life.
Things such as shopping malls. Western style shopping malls.
BaƱos is known as Ecuador’s center of extreme adventure activities. You can do anything here as long as it involves climbing up stuff and falling down stuff. And if it involves water and volcanoes, it’s even better. We felt right at home there.
Here are some of the things we did that we’ve survived:
(Mis)adventure, Chachapoyas, Ecuador, Peru, Vilcabamba
Vilcabamba to La Balsa to Chachapoyas – The Long Way to Peru
Vilcabamba, Ecuador – Chachapoyas, Peru
“Hope you’re up for an adventure,” I said to Jack.
“Not really”, he grimaced.
“I just hope it won’t rain. Then it would really suck. Lots of dirt road.”
It was 6 am in Vilcabamba. It was the start of a 2 day journey to cross from Ecuador to Peru, the 3rd country in our RTW trip.
Jack, not looking too happy at 6 in the morning - Vilcabamba
Of all the 3 border crossing choices, how did we end up on the longest, most remote and most obscure Ecuador – Peru border crossing?
Well, 2 reasons:
1. La Balsa is supposed to be the more relaxed of the three (and safest, and most scenic). Border crossings make me nervous. My Indonesian passport has thrown more than one curveballs in the past.
2. It looks good on the map. We were in Vilcabamba, and we’re going to Chachapoyas. Looking at the map, it just makes sense.
We could backtrack to Loja (Ec) and bus it all the way to Trujillo (Peru), the bus will even wait for you at the border. But what’s the fun in that?
So in case you’re curious, or
If you’re looking into crossing the Ecuador – Peru through La Balsa, here’s how to do it in 7 (sort of) easy steps:
In Ecuador
1. Get yourself to Vilcabamba
2. Vilcabamba – Zumba by bus
3. Zumba – La Balsa by ranchera
— Cross the border —
In Peru
4. La – Balsa to San Ignacio by collectivo (stay the night)
5. San Ignacio – Jaen by collectivo
6. Jaen – Bagua Grande by collectivo
7. Bagua Grande – Chachapoya by collectivo
If you leave at 6:30 at Vilcabamba, you should be able to get to Chachas by late afternoon or early evening – depending on how crazy your driver is. Read more below…
Vilcabamba – Zumba: It should’ve been straightforward
Cost: $6.50 – bus
Hour: 7 (usually 5-6 hr)
Sur Oriente has a 6:30 am bus that will take you to Zumba.
We quickly left paved road. We didn’t see asphalt again until… well, until Peru.
About halfway to Zumba, we had to wait for 1.5 hr due to road construction. Pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
I made friends with the kids on the bus while waiting. As they were leaving, they took a picture of me with their cellphone. It made me feel a little bit like both a celebrity and a freakshow.
Stuck in the middle of nowhere
We only passed one small town on this 5 hour journey and for the rest of the time it was just us, fog covered mountains and trees, and a very deserted dirt road.
One important tip: Bring food and water on this journey. We were counting on the street vendors who usually board the bus to sell snacks and water, but the road is so remote that nobody came to sell anything. We also missed our breakfast stop. We didn’t eat until way past 1 o’clock when we got to Zumba.
Zumba – La Balsa: Kidney pumping
Cost: $1.75 – ranchera
Hours: 1.5 hr
We got to Zumba around 1:40 and we were starving. There are some stands selling almuerzos (set lunches) around the bus terminal in Zumba. Yay for that!
The last ranchera (open sided truck) to leave for La Balsa was at 2:30 pm. So we got there just in time.
The road was so bumpy – and dusty.
After a particularly rough bump, the seat we were on came loose and we ended up on our butt on the floor. So glad I had my computer bag strapped or else it might’ve fallen off. Phew!
La Balsa – The Border: Tranquillo
Jack crossing the Ecuador - Peru bridge at La Balsa
The immigration offices on both sides were mere shacks on the side of the street. We got stamped out of Ecuador (and I reminded the guy not to forget to put us in the system), and stamped in into Peru.
The whole thing was a pretty painless process. Although the guy did have to pull out a document to confirm that yes, Indonesian passport holders do NOT need visa to enter Peru.
We and another couple were the only foreigners there. It was hot and humid. And we were getting hungry again. We ate some crackers and horrible chocolate bars (first time I realised that yes, you can have horrible chocolate) since the restaurants didn’t really have any food to sell.
Did I mention that you should pack food if you’re thinking of going to La Balsa?
Important tip: Exchange money here at the border. When we got to San Ignacio it was already too late to go to a bank and apparently there isn’t an ATM around?
We’re in Peru. High fives everyone!
La Balsa – San Ignacio: You’re seriously going to fit in more people?
Cost: 14 soles – collectivo
Hours: 2.5 hr
We took a collective out of La Balsa. In the beginning there were just the four of us, the gringos, plus the driver. Then we picked up 4 more.
So yes, apparently you can fit 9 people in a 4 door sedan. It was incredible!
9 people (7 adults and 2 kids) in a sedan. It's possible!
We got dropped off around 6 pm in front of a dark and non-descript building that’s missing part of its wall. The driver goes, ‘That’s La Posada – your hotel’.
We were like, ‘Yeah, right. You’re dropping us off at your friend’s house.’
But no, it turned out to be a hotel alright, albeit one without a front wall. At this point, any clean-looking beds will do. So we forked out 35 soles for a room and slept a very noisy sleep.
Day 2
San Ignacio – Jaen
Cost: 18 soles – collectivo
Hrs: 2
We left at 7 in the morning, before any restaurants (or banks) was open.
This stretch was the least eventful of them all. We convinced the driver not to take on anymore passengers so we rode in relative comfort all the way to Jaen.
Collective stop 1 – Collective stop 2 in Jaen
Cost: 4 soles – mototaxi
Here in Jaen was our first opportunity to stop at an ATM to get some Peruvian soles.
Jaen – Bagua Grande:
Cost: 9 soles – collective
Hours: 1.5
‘Peruanos son bastante celosos y mujeriegos – toman mucho, bailan mucho….’ Our collective driver didn’t waste time in warning us against how jealous Peruvian men could be.
And how forgiving the Peruvian women can be, ‘But Peruvian women – they’re very forgiving. Peruvian men cheat and come home late. They (the women) would cry, but they forgive…
He definitely made the trip, that guy.
Watermelon snack stop
Along the way, he insisted in buying us watermelons. Somehow he believed that we had never had watermelons in our life before.
He also believes that, unlike his cheating and womanizing fellow Peruvians:
– All Europeans and Americans are good people who do not party until wee hours in the morning then show up late for work.
– All Europeans and Americans women would not take cheating husbands lightly.
Yep. It was definitely more entertaining than the radio.
On the way to Bagua Grande, we finally hit asphalt again.
Bagua Grande – Chachapoyas
Cost: 20 soles – collectivo
Hours: 2.5 hr (it really should have been 4)
The stretch was the scariest ride all 4 of us ever had in our lives.
Jack saw the signs before any of us: dented sides, cracked windows, bald tires. We piled in anyway, all 4 of us. Then we picked up 2 more passengers.
7 people in a sedan.
Then the driver looked at us and winked, ‘Want to see a trick? I can do this drive in half the time.’
Well, he didn’t really say that, but if he had…
The trick would’ve been: Always drive at least twice the speed limit. Drive on the wrong side of the road half the time. Play ‘chicken’ with the other drivers. Ignore your whimpering passengers.
Simple enough.
Almost 48 hours after Vilcabamba, we got out in Chachapoyas around 4 pm, pale and shaky. My hands were white from clinging onto the seat.
We never felt more grateful to be alive.
But it all ends well…
Chachapoyas turns out to be a delightful little town that reminds me so much of a Colombian pueblo. So it all ends well in the end.
In a nutshell
This was definitely the longest and most adventurous border crossing trip we’ve ever taken. Some afterthoughts include:
1. Bring snacks and food. Can’t seem to say this often enough.
2. We’re so lucky the weather cooperates. It it had been raining, it would’ve been muddier, dirtier, and a lot more dangerous.
3. We’re lucky to have bumped into the Swiss couple that we ended up sharing our collectivos with. Strength in numbers can never be truer during any border crossings.
And I guess this post officially marks the end our adventures in Ecuador. I’m curious to see what Peru has in store for us
If it’s anything like the first couple of days, it should be interesting.
Apparently they all ended up here in Vilcabamba.
I’ve never seen so many old people and tie dye-clad people – sometimes they’re the ones and the same – since… Well, never, actually.
Vilcabamba is experiencing some sort of gringo boom, it seems like. It’s especially popular with the retired folks. We came to Vilcabamba on our way to Peru from BaƱos. We didn’t really know what to expect – but surely we didn’t expect a town overrun with expats and tourists.
BaƱos is located at the bottom of a still very much active volcano, Tungurahua. So active that it’s constantly spewing smokes. It definitely makes life exciting.
Having stayed in BaƱos for almost 2 months, both Jack and I have discovered some places that quickly became our favorites. We’d love to share some of them with you.