We jumped on a collectivo style van from Mancora to Piura, which was about 2 1/2 hours away, then on a proper bus from Piura to Chiclayo, which took another 4 hours. Sometimes on these buses, we get a little entertainment in the form of a Hollywood movie, dubbed in Spanish...Sure enough, we got just that this time around, and perfectly placed in our 4 hour ride, were "Rambo," 1 and 2. Ironically, I'd never seen either of them, and apart from my frequent chuckles in the script and special effects, I enjoyed them nonetheless.
We pulled into Chiclayo, thinking that it was a small(ish) beach town, similar to Mancora in size...It was gigantic! I believe there's over a million people in Chiclayo, and we were literally the ONLY tourists in town, that sure enough stuck out like a sore thumb.
While walking through the streets, in a part of town called the "Mercado," where it's a permanent, giant flea market, I was tried as a part of a robbery scam. Quite funny, and sure enough, exactly like I had heard it might be...
A woman walked in front of me on the crowded street, "tripped," and fell in front of me, spilling several Sole coins on the ground...As she was sort of blocking me from walking past, a man, obviously working with her, reached into my pocket, and tried to remove my camera, but, I felt it, and grabbed his arm...He turned and ran, and the woman quickly disappeared. Lucky for me, I was on my toes, but this just goes as a reminder...ALWAYS be on the lookout, and never be unguarded!
Two nights in Chiclayo was definitely enough for us, and as for our ongoing search for another volunteer opportunity, we were ready for the next job...Just a bit further down the road to spend a couple weeks...
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| atop our hostel |
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