I am still in piura in northern peru. Today i am doing nothing because i feel absolutely wiped out with the heat I think. Yesterday I went to Catacaos a small town about 20 minutes out of piura which is famous for its craft market. I caught a taxi for 15 soles ($5) but it ran out of petrol so he had to wave down another one. After sorting the payment out the second driver gave me a bit of a guided tour showing us the different crops of rice etc growing in the paddocks. Once again the roadside out of town had piles of rubbish stewn everywhere.
Once in catacaos they were just starting their Sunday parade which involves national and provncial anthems and flag raising. Many young children were standing to attention in uniform as soldiers, some only five with boots and sticks raised very impressive and others holding the flag. They were very serious and respectful althoooguht some of course were having a great deal of trouble realy concentrating. However i was impressed by the fac that they really dididn´t paly around. After that they formed a parade. There were girls dressed up as butterflies and sunflowers and others in marching costumes. All very young standing in the hot sun. Very photogenic.
Walked around the stalls and bought some embroidered purses for a few dollars in bright colours. There were plenty of children´s wooden toys which we liked, one twirly thing where the geese or ducks peck at the wood when you twirl it round, another pig money box with winnie the pooh painted on it and wooden turtles. Very attractive and i would have loved to take them to uganda but carting them is a real problem so i resisted. There were young boys running around with beautiful green chameleons on strings trying to get people to take photos. I was tempted and let one run up my arm but i don´t like to encourage this kind of thing with wildlife. However boys are pretty much the same like this all over the place with insects and things. Some stalls had stuffed iguanas and animals. I took a photo of a huge iguana, it was attractive with a curled tail and long clas but I couldn´t imagine quarantine in Australia saying yes to it at all so I resisted. Lots of tooled leather bags very good but the pottery was very poor. There were also carved gourds and gourd dishes, attractive but once again difficult with quarantine although perhaps more possible than the iguana!
I also visited the church which was very impressive with painted frescoes on the ceiling and a side chapel with a crucufixion scene painted frescoes and a glass coffin with christ. There were many saint statues and christ staues on the sides. Some in brightly covered dresses and people were touching them and praying before them. I liked it and it wasn´t as ornate with stacks of gold as many had been in Ecuador especially quito. Outside it had bronzed domes and statues on the roof, reminding me of something roman or grecian.
after lunch in a local restaurant, we resisted the stewed goat´s head picked in vinegar and went for a chicken schnitzel instead, we caught a shared taxi back to piura for just 2 soles each ( about 80c).
The day before Lynda (another senior australian lady I met in ecuador and we travelled here together on the bus from Loja) wanted to swim but the only place was an exclusive club (Club Grau) where a member has to sign you in and you pay 5 soles (1.50) for entrance. I tried persuading people at the gate but had no luck and the gateman was guarding the place like fort knox. However back at our hotel we discovered that the guy on reception was a member and after work he agreed to bike over there and sign us in. It was very impressive in facilities, two large swimming pools, tennis courts, badminton, ping pong, sauna and many social areas. We managed to break several rules and got told off as we didn´t shower before getting in the pool, Lynda also sat at a table to put on her shoes on and got told off as it was an eating area and we had to go out the side entrance as we were dressed in sports gear. But we enjoyed the swim in the heat. We would like to go again this afternoon but unfortunately the same guy isn´t on reception so I don´t somehow think we will be lucky.
I had wanted to go to a pottery village about an hour by bus away which has famous pottery of animals and people even now overseas today. However the heat is wiping me out and i have decided to rest instead. I spent a few hours watching roger federer playing in the first round of roland garros on cable tv. There are about 50 channels including some from america, spain, china, france and germany and bbc news. Also several film channels some dubbed in spanish and others with subtitles, nat geographic and animal world in spanish and several kids channels. All this for only $15 a night. I hope to feel better tomorrow and go to the pottery village before moving on th enext day. Drinking bottles of mineral water all the time, it is very dry and hot. The nights do cool off a bit for sleeping but not until late and few rooms have aircon and are pretty expensive
