From Loja I took a brief detour into the mountains to visit the lovely, relaxed town of Vilcabamba. Then I got a ride from Loja all the way into Peru. I spent the first night in Piura, which is a truly horrible town where the Nobel prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa grew up. To be fair, the beaches near Piura are supposed to be nice but I didn’t visit them. Instead, I went south to the pleasant beach town of Pacasmayo.
If you’re looking for a place to relax for a few days, I’d highly recommend Vilcabamba.
It’s beautiful, the weather is hot during the day and cools down nicely in the evenings, it’s got lots of nice architecture around the little central square which I didn’t photograph, and as tourist towns go, it’s really sleepy and not at all obnoxious. Go!
Then skipping a bit, I’ve already crossed into Peru. This photo was taken just beyond the border. Peru is mostly desert west of the Andes and it’s much poorer than I was expecting, especially in the north. As I said to the people who gave me a ride, crossing the border reminded me of crossing borders in West Africa, like from the Guinea to Mali for example.
Sorting out our papers at the customs post, with added lens flare.
Hitching out of Piura, beside a roadside stand.
And later the same day on the beach at Pacasmayo.
The malecon.
Under the pier.
Fishing boats.
I went for a swim and the Peruvians, many of whom were sitting on the beach in woolly hats, looked at me like I was crazy. Admittedly, the water was really cold and the air was cooling fast, but it was just like going for a swim on a cooling summer evening in England: you go numb quickly and then you can’t feel anything. Having said that, when I got back to my hotel and got in the shower to warm up, there was not hot water and after that I was bloody freezing.
And that’s all you’re getting.
Total distance hitchhiked: 64,110 km.
Total number of rides: 461.