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| Roof garden on somewhat humble dwelling |
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| Slum dwellings and outhouses on the slopes of coastal desert hills near Salaverry, Trujillo's port |
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| Roof covering a slum dwelling |
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| Peruvian Paso horse in full stride |
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| Folkloric dance |
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| Dancing with horses instead of stars.... |
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| Pretty Peruvian Palomino |
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| About $5,000 US buys a home, albeit of very modest proportions as depicted on the right of the advertisement |
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| Motorized little taxis running about the outskirts of Trujillo |
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| Sidewalk scene in Trujillo |
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| Adobe 'hedges' between small plots of agricultural fields |
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| Cabbage plantation at the foot of arid mountains |
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| Hairless dog, which is depicted in many Inca sculptures |
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| A face only a mother could love. The only hair seems to be a bushy bit above the eyes... |
Our approach to Salaverry, Trujillo's port, seemed smooth at first. Nor a whitecap in sight, the sea calm, a couple of dolphins playing, but most of all thousands of giant brown and yellow jelly fish populating the sea below. Then the ship turned crosswise to the prevailing swells to head into harbour, and the deceptively smooth sea reminded us that there are invisible swells working 'under cover'.
A few long and slow examples rolled the ship, all swimming pools swilled over in a furniture moving waterfall, and both coffee stations in the Lido restaurant met an unexpected end: shards of broken cups, water glasses mixed with a spattering of tea bags, sugar, and milk containers.
The ship docked - no more than a meter of water under the keel, which caused the propellers to stir up mysterious black gloop from the harbour bottom.
Coastal mist all but blocks the view of the sloping desert further inland, which rises arid, rocky, barren and brown up to the foothills of the Andes, which are barely discernible in the ochre tinted distance.
On the walk around deck - talk of the Boston Marathon attack: US citizens complaining that the USA 'gave them visas', that they let people from those countries in, that 'they did not even know, the two suspects were brothers'...other Lanai suit occupants bring out their personal music devices and entertain early morning walkers with their personal brand of musical noise.
The drive to Trujillo a few miles inland and located in an oasis like valley, leads past expanses of slums located on the arid hill sides. Dwellings made from 'found materials' dot the desert landscape. Woven roof tops on some of them shade but do not hide abject poverty below.
In the outskirts of Trujillo one may visit a Peruvian Horse Show. Facebook: Show Caballos Peruanos de Paso Trujillo. Here a few photos from my visit. I wandered over to the paddocks of the non performing horses, a few dozen horses some with foals at side. Care seems adequate, but the facility overall (except for the tourist area) looked somewhat in dishevelled.
The horses on show were well fed and well groomed, and their riders showed off the horse's typical gait and a young couple performed a folkloric dance, after which the female dancer danced a duo with one of the mounted gentlemen. A very young boy, maybe five or six held a brand new Peruvian flag...irresistible photo op, and the visitors enjoyed a Pisco Sour and local appetizers.
