Piura, Peru: Home of the... taxi

Hospedaje California, Calle Junin: 15 soles a night = $ 5

The much feared border crossing into Peru (see picture to left) really couldn't have gone any smoother (minus the customs officer who was more interested in giving Laura his phone number than stamping our passports. Not really surprising.) The trip from Loja, Ecuador to Piura took about 8 hours in the bus, so we were crossing the border at about 4 a.m. We got into to Piura at 7 a.m. (our Irish friend still accompaning us). At that point we needed a long nap because due to the winding, bumpy roads and frequent stops it was nearly impossible to sleep. (Laura however managed to snooze for the ENTIRE trip. This angered the Irish bloke and me.)

We spent the day exploring Piura, a small bustling city. It had a nice vibe (we've found that to be the case with most coastal cities; the people are happier and there's more movement in the city.) In terms of tourism, there isn't much to see in Piura... a small gold museum (the highlight being a lifesize, golden, cat head, belt buckle), taxis (more than I've ever seen in my life, all junky), a nice park (where we met the former mayor of Piura from about 1965, a friendly, old character who says he doesn't know how he became mayor, but he's sure that the only people that voted for him were ladies), several ceviche restaurants (a Peruvian seafood specialty), and a few discotecas (all, unfortunately playing cumbia music).

We actually really enjoyed the day. The next morning we parted ways with our Irish friend and got on the bus to Mancora, a small beach town that is all the rave in Peru. He continued down south to Lima.

Piura, a noisy, hot, friendly introduction to Peru; worth ONE day of your time.