Transit in Trujillo

After our stay in Lima, it was time to continue our adventure and head to the north of Peru. One of the possible stops along the way was Chimbote but, with some research from our Canadian friend, Dave, it seemed that this may not be the most ideal stopover. According to Canadian Dave's trusty travel guide, the town is known for its fishing industry, which apparently can be smelt miles away. Chimbote was ruled out, not only because of the smell of fish but also its crime rate. All of the guidebooks even warned against staying overnight. That squashed those plans! But Jason was adamant that we were not travelling inland to higher altitudes and cooler climates. Instead, we decided to suck-up an “eight-hour” bus trip direct to Trujillo. Well, as direct as it can be in South America.

Early in the morning, our Über arrived and we headed to the bus terminal in Lima. Fifteen minutes into the journey it became clear that the incorrect address had been entered into the Über app and we were heading in the completely wrong direction. After asking the driver to stop, we tried to explain, in poor Spanish, that we needed to go to a different location. While it took some time, we got there in the end and communicated the correct address. We may have added some buffer time to our timeline and told the driver our bus was leaving half-an-hour earlier than it was actually scheduled. Speeding through the streets of Lima, we arrived with plenty of time. A fare that was supposed to be a cheap, quick trip ended up about three times the price. And in typical Peruvian fashion, the bus departed late, which meant that we arrived into Trujillo late – THREE HOURS LATE!

Along the way, the bus drove at a snail's pace, stopping regularly, even though the route was supposedly direct. The desert scenery barely changed for the entirety of the journey and driving at 20 kilometres an hour definitely wasn't so the passengers could soak up the scenery. It took almost two hours to get out of Lima traffic and onto the highway to Trujillo, passing through stinky Chimbote as we sat on the bus next to the stinky old man polluting the bus with his body odour. At this point, we realised that we probably wouldn't arrive at the scheduled time. Surprise, surprise.

Eventually, after eleven hours, we arrived at the bus terminal in Trujillo. The taxi driver who took us to the hostel warned us about the neighbourhood and cautioned us about wandering the streets after dark (and it was already pitch black). The first priority, after check-in, was to seek-out sustenance, because the slop served on the bus was neither satisfying nor tasty. Our short leash extended around the corner from the hostel, where we ate hamburgers with cold chips/fries. It seems almost every meal in Peru (and Bolivia) is routinely served partially cold.

With only a day in Trujillo, we had limited time to wander around the historical centre and to admire the brightly-coloured colonial buildings. While Trujillo is the third most populous city in Peru, it has a small town feel to it. According to one of the taxi drivers, a mafia-like gang controls the entire city. The driver mentioned that he has to pay a small daily fee to ensure his safety and the safety of his family. It was probably for the best that we continued on to our next stop.

Next stop: Huanchaco.Read more