Talor:
Took a 7-hour bus ride to Casma, a small town (pop. cir
ca 40k), on the Northern Coast of Peru. Along the PanAmericana Highway, we saw some of the strangest terrain... nothing but desert on one side and beautiful blue ocean on the other. Then we went through miles and miles of what appeared to be sand dunes, but yet we'd see an occasional farm growing Lord knows what in a desert that didn't appear to be able to grow anything. We thought, “What the hell?!” And wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But halfway through we started to see the sun come out, and I wanted to jump for joy, but we were still on the bus so I just grinned like a fool.
Arrived into Casma in the late afternoon, and it felt so good to feel the sun on my face. Took off our jackets (the first time in three days!) then headed to Plaza de
Armas (the center of town) just a few short blocks away. The first thing that struck me was the number of mototaxis (small, 3-wheeled, motorized coaches) driving in the streets and each and every single one stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride. Then we started seeing the stares... everyone, including the dogs, were watching us and smiling... from the very beginning we found the people super-friendly and curious, “Where are you from?” followed by “Why are you here?”
After checking out several different places to stay, settled into the Hostal Montecarlo where we got a nice room with a ceiling made of natural bamboo, a firm, comfortable bed and a view of the sand dunes in the distance. But when we took showers later in the evening to wash the dust off, we found the water pressure barely a dribble... o well, it's never perfect.
That evening, went out in search of food and though we were happy to see quite a bit of street food, it was cold, so we took a table at Cafe Eden, which was just down the street from our hotel with a menu del dia (a set meal usually with a hearty soup, a main dish of beef, chicken or fish served with rice, pasta and/or potatoes, and a homemade beverage) for only 4 nuevo soles ($1.33)! That's cheaper than anything we saw in Lima. And it was good!
Afterwards, walked around the center of town, taking it all in... children eating ice cream and playing in the park, old folks chatting with friends, and women cooking meat on a stick. Then a friendly guy came up to us, introduced himself as Renato, and asked if we wanted a guide to take us around to some of the oldest ruins in Peru. We thought why not and negotiated a fairly cheap rate ($17 for 3 hours including transportation in his mototaxi) and set a date for the next morning.
Over the next 3 days, we spent a lot of time with our guide, sightseeing and dining/drinking together. Though the ruins we visited at Seshin (the oldest in the Americas) and Chanquilla (in the middle of the desert with a fascinating calendar wall) were interesting, we enjoyed getting to know the culture of Casma and Peru, and as an added bonus, it was an opportunity to practice our Spanish.
Renato also introduced us to foods traditional to Peru and Casma, “cuy” (guinea pig) being one of them. Took us to a restaurant that specialized in it. I'm not normally squeamish when it comes to food, but I was really hoping it wouldn't be the cute, furry anima
l we had in grade school as a class pet. Went to the bathroom behind the restaurant to wash my hands, and saw them in cages... crap, wished I hadn't seen them! They are one and the same! And when the server brought it out deep fried whole then sauteed in a spicy red sauce, you could see the eyes, the mouth with teeth, paws, tails, everything... yikes! Couldn't back out at that point so had a taste of the leg, and damned if it didn't taste like chicken with hot sauce... huh. Was glad I tried it but have no particular need to eat it again, especially since there are a million teeny bones to pick through. Decided that chicken being cheaper and meatier is definitely a better value.
Casma does get a fair amount of tourism, mostly archaeologists and students from all over the world so we were curious as to why we should get such stares and smiles wherever we went. The stares probably because we do make an odd couple. I suppose even in the US, outside of the large cities, we'd probably get stared at too. But the smiles, as he explained it is that most foreign tourists who come to Casma come to see the ruins for an afternoon, a day, two days tops, and never socialize with the locals. They don't usually stop to chat, which is a real shame because no matter how interesting the land, I always find the people far more interesting. And the folks here are so friendly! Have a coffee and ask directions to anywhere and they'll not only direct you, but give advice on other points of interest and their history. I really enjoyed walking around and talking to people again... felt like I was back in the small towns of Central America, except I could understand them better.
Apparently, Peru is the place to learn Spanish in South America because they tend to speak purely without rolling words or dropping syllables. After feeling seriously dejected in Argentina because I couldn't understand a thing they said, then finding Chile just a little bit better, I breathed a sigh of relief here, and didn't feel so shy to engage people in conversation. Add to that the fact that I was able to run in the mornings, eat tamales again, which I had been missing since we left Central America, and the fact that they are serious about their spice made me feel very happy in Casma. But as with all good things, this also had to come to an end because we had a train to catch back in Lima...
Erik's entry:
Yes, Casma was a warm relief after Lima, in more ways than one – the sun, the people, even the dogs. What I remember most, though, is the dramatic lan
dscape. Casma is entirely surrounded by desert, and yet is itself a lush, green valley where they grow every fruit and vegetable imaginable. Looming over the city, though, is one of the largest sand dunes I'd ever seen, several miles long and hundreds of feet high, constantly shifting with the desert winds. One of the ruins we visited was poised on the border of the desert and the green valley, and the contrast was striking – a nearly straight line separated total desert without a splotch of green and the lush agricultural valley.
We also took a day trip out out to the fishing-re
sort village of Tortugas. This town nestled on a tranquil bay would be an idyllic coastal fishing village, except that it, too, was smack in the middle of pure desolation, the only signs of life lying beneath the turquoise water. We were there in the off season and during siesta time to boot, so there was little human life to speak of as well, outside of a few napping fishermen.
Casma is one of those hidden gems that we're really glad to have found. There is very little to do there, though, except eat and visit the many ruins. We were sad when we had to leave for Lima, but I'm glad we did so before we got bored of the small, endearing town.
ca 40k), on the Northern Coast of Peru. Along the PanAmericana Highway, we saw some of the strangest terrain... nothing but desert on one side and beautiful blue ocean on the other. Then we went through miles and miles of what appeared to be sand dunes, but yet we'd see an occasional farm growing Lord knows what in a desert that didn't appear to be able to grow anything. We thought, “What the hell?!” And wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But halfway through we started to see the sun come out, and I wanted to jump for joy, but we were still on the bus so I just grinned like a fool.Arrived into Casma in the late afternoon, and it felt so good to feel the sun on my face. Took off our jackets (the first time in three days!) then headed to Plaza de
Armas (the center of town) just a few short blocks away. The first thing that struck me was the number of mototaxis (small, 3-wheeled, motorized coaches) driving in the streets and each and every single one stopped and asked us if we wanted a ride. Then we started seeing the stares... everyone, including the dogs, were watching us and smiling... from the very beginning we found the people super-friendly and curious, “Where are you from?” followed by “Why are you here?”After checking out several different places to stay, settled into the Hostal Montecarlo where we got a nice room with a ceiling made of natural bamboo, a firm, comfortable bed and a view of the sand dunes in the distance. But when we took showers later in the evening to wash the dust off, we found the water pressure barely a dribble... o well, it's never perfect.
That evening, went out in search of food and though we were happy to see quite a bit of street food, it was cold, so we took a table at Cafe Eden, which was just down the street from our hotel with a menu del dia (a set meal usually with a hearty soup, a main dish of beef, chicken or fish served with rice, pasta and/or potatoes, and a homemade beverage) for only 4 nuevo soles ($1.33)! That's cheaper than anything we saw in Lima. And it was good!
Afterwards, walked around the center of town, taking it all in... children eating ice cream and playing in the park, old folks chatting with friends, and women cooking meat on a stick. Then a friendly guy came up to us, introduced himself as Renato, and asked if we wanted a guide to take us around to some of the oldest ruins in Peru. We thought why not and negotiated a fairly cheap rate ($17 for 3 hours including transportation in his mototaxi) and set a date for the next morning.
Over the next 3 days, we spent a lot of time with our guide, sightseeing and dining/drinking together. Though the ruins we visited at Seshin (the oldest in the Americas) and Chanquilla (in the middle of the desert with a fascinating calendar wall) were interesting, we enjoyed getting to know the culture of Casma and Peru, and as an added bonus, it was an opportunity to practice our Spanish.
Renato also introduced us to foods traditional to Peru and Casma, “cuy” (guinea pig) being one of them. Took us to a restaurant that specialized in it. I'm not normally squeamish when it comes to food, but I was really hoping it wouldn't be the cute, furry anima
l we had in grade school as a class pet. Went to the bathroom behind the restaurant to wash my hands, and saw them in cages... crap, wished I hadn't seen them! They are one and the same! And when the server brought it out deep fried whole then sauteed in a spicy red sauce, you could see the eyes, the mouth with teeth, paws, tails, everything... yikes! Couldn't back out at that point so had a taste of the leg, and damned if it didn't taste like chicken with hot sauce... huh. Was glad I tried it but have no particular need to eat it again, especially since there are a million teeny bones to pick through. Decided that chicken being cheaper and meatier is definitely a better value.Casma does get a fair amount of tourism, mostly archaeologists and students from all over the world so we were curious as to why we should get such stares and smiles wherever we went. The stares probably because we do make an odd couple. I suppose even in the US, outside of the large cities, we'd probably get stared at too. But the smiles, as he explained it is that most foreign tourists who come to Casma come to see the ruins for an afternoon, a day, two days tops, and never socialize with the locals. They don't usually stop to chat, which is a real shame because no matter how interesting the land, I always find the people far more interesting. And the folks here are so friendly! Have a coffee and ask directions to anywhere and they'll not only direct you, but give advice on other points of interest and their history. I really enjoyed walking around and talking to people again... felt like I was back in the small towns of Central America, except I could understand them better.
Apparently, Peru is the place to learn Spanish in South America because they tend to speak purely without rolling words or dropping syllables. After feeling seriously dejected in Argentina because I couldn't understand a thing they said, then finding Chile just a little bit better, I breathed a sigh of relief here, and didn't feel so shy to engage people in conversation. Add to that the fact that I was able to run in the mornings, eat tamales again, which I had been missing since we left Central America, and the fact that they are serious about their spice made me feel very happy in Casma. But as with all good things, this also had to come to an end because we had a train to catch back in Lima...
Erik's entry:
Yes, Casma was a warm relief after Lima, in more ways than one – the sun, the people, even the dogs. What I remember most, though, is the dramatic lan
dscape. Casma is entirely surrounded by desert, and yet is itself a lush, green valley where they grow every fruit and vegetable imaginable. Looming over the city, though, is one of the largest sand dunes I'd ever seen, several miles long and hundreds of feet high, constantly shifting with the desert winds. One of the ruins we visited was poised on the border of the desert and the green valley, and the contrast was striking – a nearly straight line separated total desert without a splotch of green and the lush agricultural valley.We also took a day trip out out to the fishing-re
sort village of Tortugas. This town nestled on a tranquil bay would be an idyllic coastal fishing village, except that it, too, was smack in the middle of pure desolation, the only signs of life lying beneath the turquoise water. We were there in the off season and during siesta time to boot, so there was little human life to speak of as well, outside of a few napping fishermen.Casma is one of those hidden gems that we're really glad to have found. There is very little to do there, though, except eat and visit the many ruins. We were sad when we had to leave for Lima, but I'm glad we did so before we got bored of the small, endearing town.
Too many photos from Casma:
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