Kuelap, Peru

After arriving to Trujillo (from Huaraz) in solemn, overcast weather I decided to skip the beach and instead headed back into the mountains. I'm getting very used to sleeping on buses, I can usually get a semi-decent rest with a pair of earplugs and a beanie pulled over my eyes (discounting people trying to recline their seats through my knees). This acquired skill has served me well travelling through Peru, where the majority of buses have been overnighters. I bought a bus ticket out of town and killed time, spending the remainder of the day wandering around Trujillo, finding a decent botanic gardens to relax in.

I arrived in Chachapoyas just before 6:00 AM, I took a taxi to the central 'Plaza de Armas' (there is one in every city, a remnant of the Spanish conquerors), found a hostel and signed up to tour the Kuelap fortress ruins. After a bumpy, dusty three hour minibus ride that wound up the side of the mountain, we arrived to the top (3,000m) where the ruins reside.

The construction of the ruins began in 500 AD by the local Chachapoyans, and were still being worked on until conflict with the Inca's forced abandonment in 1400 AD. The fort is in a state of decay, although certain areas have been reconstructed using traditional materials and techniques. Lots of human skeletal remains have been found on the site, buried in the fortress walls and in the floors of the houses. A pretty interesting few hours....

More photos here