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I had barely left the internet cafe in Pomabamba when I found myself in the middle of a candle-lit procession marking the start of Semana Santa (Holy Week), so I knew then that this was going to be big here and that something interesting would be happening wherever I end up. After a hair-raising bus ride back to Huaraz, I found that the town was gearing up for some of the biggest Easter parades in the country, and I had to move on as all the accommodation was fully booked.
Down on the beach and swinging in the hammocks in Huanchaco I found a growing crowd of surfers and revellers who were here to enjoy the long weekend in their own way; and since this is the best beach resort that I have found so far on this continent, I decided to join them for a few days and refill my lungs with oxygen. An Australian couple also managed to fill my belly with beer after somehow persuading me to join their card game which metamorphosed into a drinking game.
I spent a day exploring the nearby city of Trujillo with its very colourful plaza, and the adobe (mud brick) ruins of Chan Chán. Supposedly the largest adobe city in the world, the Chimú people lived here until 1471, when they finally surrendered to the Incas - not long before the Spanish Conquest. I found this a fascinating place, and the reed fishing rafts (called caballitos) used by the Chimú are still being made and used today.
The seafood has been pretty good here, and I'd like to stay longer to eat more of it; but public transport is threatening to grind to a halt for the weekend, so I will move to the Northern Highlands - to somewhere that I think is an appropriate place to spend Good Friday.
Posted from Cajamarca, 8th April 2012.
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