Visit Trujillo in the coast of Peru!‏

Trujillo is Located in the north of Peru, in the department of La Libertad and was founded in 1534 by Miguel de Estete, and was surrounded with walls to prevent the invasion and attacks by pirates at that time. During Peru’s independence, Trujillo was the capital, but this only lasted a while.

Trujillo is the commercial center of the region, where rice and sugar is cultivated, and also has a very important textile sector. Trujillo is about 6 hours from Lima in a particular car, or about 8 hours by bus, but if you choose to go by air, is less than an hour from Lima airport!!

Trujillo, the same as Lima, is recognized by its great balconies that come from the colony times, and also in Trujillo there are two important churches that are very visited and recognized by its great architecture: “La Compañia” and the cathedral of Trujillo.

Also, to visit in Trujillo, a little outside of the city are the ruins of the pre-incas city of Chanchán, a great citadel to explore, take amazing pictures and learn about the culture that lived there way before the Incas. There are also the Sun and the Moon “huacas”, which are adobe brick temples built by the Moche civilization.

Trujillo also has its own version of the “Marinera” dance, and is in this city where the national Marinera contest takes place every year!

In Trujillo there is also the popular beach “Huanchaco”, home of the “Caballitos the Totora” or “Totora horses”, which are small boats and are used since (at least) the year 1,000 B.C. These boats are made from stems and leaves of reed, a particular kind of plant that grows around the region. This boats were originally used to fish, but nowadays they are still produced mostly for tourism rides and to surf along the Trujillo beaches.

Besides the national marinera contest, in September is held the big “International Spring Festival”, which lasts for about a week and there are parades all over the streets, the houses are decorated and there are contests, dances, and parties every day!

Of course there is a lot more to say about this great city but I will post about each particular attraction soon, meanwhile………..I think I gave you enough reasons for you to be booking your hotel in Trujillo now!!

Come to Peru and visit Nazca Lines!‏

The Nazca Lines were officially declared "Archaeological World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1994, and are located in the arid Peruvian coastal plain, about 400 km south of Lima (in car is approximately 5 hours).  The figures of Nazca and the “pampas” of Jumana cover about 450 square km.

Many skeptical think the Nazca lines were drawn by aliens, but the scientifics say that the lines were scratched on the surface of the ground and because of the peculiarity of the wind in the area, the sand never enters the grooves so the lines can survive, and have indeed survive for centuries, because they were made by the Nazca civilization between 500 B.C and 500 A.D., and remain among archaeology’s greatest enigmas because of their size, nature and continuity.

The figures depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometers long, and the best way to appreciate it is by helicopter or a small plane. There are helicopter trips every day but it is strongly recommended to hire a trusted company (just ask in the front desk of your hotel) and in days when the wind is not so heavy!

The historians believe the figures of the Nazca lines have had ritual astronomical functions. The figures of the spider, the monkey, the dog, the small lizard, the hummingbird, the condor, and the astronaut, among others, stand out.

The Nazca Lines were discovered accidentally from an airplane in flight in 1927. By the end of the 1980's new lines were discovered.

Nazca city has comfortable hotels, restaurants, banks, Internet cabins, and an aerodrome, but because is just two hours by car from Ica, many people prefer to stay in a hotel to spend the night in Ica or Paracas and from there take a tour to Nazca, just because these last cities are bigger and you can find more and better hotels there, but if you don’t really care much about these or are relly of the adventurous type you can always stay in Nazca.