Hello to everyone in the cold of Canada. We are in Chiclayo, on the northern coast of Peru, a 15 minute drive from the ocean, and in the middle of the Sechara Desert. It is hot. We are constantly covered with a combination of sweat and sunscreen. But, for the first time in our trip, we have been able to enjoy a blue ski. It is wonderful.

We left Mancora and the bugs behind three days ago. While we loved swimming in the ocean, body surfing on the waves, and tanning in the sand, the town was too touristy and dirty for us. It rains hard there during the night, and in the morning, the streets are covered with water and mud. Buildings often flood as drainage is not good and roofs leak. The owners of these buildings sweep the water onto the street. Not very sanitary when considering the numerous dogs that relieve themselves wherever they please and the amount of garbage lying around.

We left in the morning on the 28th to find ourselves on an interesting busride. Three police checks complete with bag searches and identicifation scans were needed. We think they must have been looking for a Peruvian as we were not subjected to any bag searches ourselves and they hardly glanced at our passports. Interestingly, the people beside us on the bus tried to hide their bags and changed seats whenever the police came on the bus.

We made it to Chiclayo in the late afternoon, found a place to stay with a reasonable rate for a private bedroom and bathroom (45 soles, about 15 dollars), and went in search of vegetarian food. This ongoing search continues to be one of the most difficult challenges of our trip. Time and time again, we ask if a restaurant has vegetarian food, and we get an answer, ¨Yes, we do, we have fish.¨ Or, the answer might be, ¨I am sorry, all we have is salad.¨ As a result, our diet typically consists of eggs or fruit salad for breakfast (very cheap and very good), grilled vegetables, rice, and french fries for lunch, and pizza or pasta for dinner. Maya has taken to eating oreo cookies dipped in peanut butter for her midday snacks. But don´t worry, we are both still healthy and well nourished.

The 29th was full of unexpected events. We first went to a musuem (on the advice of our mothers) to see the tomb of the Lord of Sipan. (Sipan was the largest city, and royal family, that existed in the region until 1460, when they were conquered by the Incas. This tomb, the ¨King Tut¨ tomb of South America, was discovered in 1987 after numerous gold artificats began appearing on the black market.) The museum overall was great and the displays were amazing. Two flaws though: no bathroom inside, and the signs were only in spanish - translating can get tiresome.

After leaving the museum, we decided to explore the nearby market. Very common in Peruvian cities, these outdoor (but covered) markets house a few hundred small stalls which are approximately 8ft. x 8ft., and sell most things that a Walmart, Superstore, or Costco might sell. Items include: clothing of all types, fruit and vegetables, electronics, kitchenware, fish, pig, chicken, candy, assorted beverages, sewing services, shoe repair services, luggage, etc... At one stall, where Braden was looking at buying a hat, we had the good fortune to meet a student from the nearby university. (As a side note, numerous items here are ´knock off´s´ of American versions. For example, hats, clothing, and luggage have brand names falsely stitched on them, entire books are photocopied and rebound, and CDs/DVDs are downloaded off the internet and sold for a dollar.)

Anyways, back to our university friend, Oscar Lopez. We met Oscar because he heard us speaking in English and asked us if we needed a hand. We talked for a bit, found out he was 25 and an engineering student at the nearby university (the biggest university in northern Peru) and then he offered to take on a tour of the market. During this tour, Braden asked him how much the average owner of a stall could expect to earn in a month - the anwser: 800 soles, which is approximately 275 American dollars. At this time, Braden really wanted to photograph and document the sights and smells of the market with his camera, but at the same time was sickened with the thought of bringing out his camera - an item worth more than a months salary. No photos were taken.

After the tour of the market, Oscar then offered to take us to the university, just a few blocks away. We agreed. The entire university property is gated with a high metal fence and security guards are at all entrances. We received visitors passes and were allowed to enter with no problem. The university has 7000 thousand students. All of the buildings are situated close together, in three rows of roughly 5-7 buildings. These buildings house the university administration and individual faculties. Between the buildings are palm trees, grass, and tables. We asked how much it costs a student to go to univerity here. The answer: nothing - the government pays. We then asked how much a professor earns in a month. The answer: 1000 soles - 335 dollars. Oscar said that last year the professors had gone on strike for a raise, but were unsuccessful. Despite all of this, the most interesting part about the university was the amount that the two of us were stared at by the students. We expected the university to be more open in their views and experiences, but it was the opposite. As we walked, we inadvertantly distracted students from class, received catcalls and whistles, and were largely the center of attention. Oscar thinks we were the first Canadians to visit the university. He also says that the university has no internation students.

That evening, we met up with Oscar and his friend Mario, who took has to a large mall, which is a popular hangout. Western style and culture have a strong influence on the culture here it seems: huge food court (Pizza Hut, KFC, Manchu Wok, and many more), Payless Shoes, Ecco clothing, the same electronics as back at home, etc... Following that, we feasted on the most amazing sundies - for the second time in two days (remember this for the photos to come of Maya).

Side notes from Chiclayo: there are little traffic rules or signs; cars, taxis and buses honk for every reason possible (as a warning, to see if you want a ride, out of habit); icecream places are everywhere in the downtown area and are great; Braden found a book in the exchange at the hostel that he has wanted to read but had no book to exchange for it - as a result, stayed up late twice, but only made it through 150 of the 250 pages. The book is ¨Banker for the Poor¨ by Muhammad Yunus. (He won the nobel prize for creating the Grameen bank, now a 2.5 billion dollar organization that lends small amounts of money to those who can´t get credit.) An excellent read.

Now in Huanchaco, a beach town near Trujillo. Explored Trujillo today, and will either try surfing or will see the ruins of the Chan Chan tomorrow. Will write a blog for Huanchaco and Trujillo in a day or two.

Hope all is well with everyone. Thinking of you all.

Love always,

Braden and Maya.

xoxo.