slides

Chiclayo_plaza

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

Chiclayo is 500 miles north of Lima and is Peru's fourth city (Lima, Arequipa and Trujillo) with a population of say 800,000.
For more stuff have a look here
This is Chiclayo's main plaza, fairly typical.
It is very small and surrounded by high rises.
This photo is someone elses.

chiclayo botanic1

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Chiclayo's delightful Botanical Garden and Park of Diversions

chiclayo botanic 1a

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Botanical and Children Garden started in 1995.

chiclayo botanic 7

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Those are twelve year old Royal Palms which eventually will reach 80ft (24m) in about 2060.
In the foreground are sample vegetable plots for childrens' education.
Some of the vegetables are recognizable although seem extra large to European eyes.

chiclayo botanic 6

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The cactus garden with a small stage behind.

chiclayo botanic 5

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Part of the greenhouse benches.

chiclayo botanic 8

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dam 6

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Looks boring but behind that 20 year old mud dam wall is water.
Without which the large scale agriculture around Chiclayo would be difficult.
The Andes mountains provide the meltwater.

dam 4

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The dam from the other side.

dam 5

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dam 3

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dam 2

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dam 1

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goats leche river1

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Goats in distance just crossed the Rio Leche or milk river.
Not sure whether that is because of the colour of the sand in the dry season.
Or the colour of the water in the wet season.

huaca del oro 1

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

Archaeologists have a secure future in Peru. In the Valley of the Pyramids there are at least 26 unexplored pyramids.
in the Bosca de Poma 9 and as these photos show, only eroded mud covered in trees indicate where the pyramids are.
For Huaca del Oro, see Museo de Sican site here.
For the Lords of Sipan try Museo de Tumbas Reales de Sipan here.
The gold is stunning. The history is stunning.
And from the chronology, they have found only the first and last Lord of Sipan, which averaging a 45 yrs life expectancy, means there are two Lords and two female priestesses still to be found in that pyramid.

huaca del oro 2

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Rain is the enemy of mud.

huaca del oro 3

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Would you, walking by, think this was man made ? Looks like a termite mound.

huaca del oro 4

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This would be suspicious although such stratification is not uncommon.

huaca del oro 5

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And here is confirmation, mud bricks.

chappari notice

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

The 123 square mile reserve is 40 miles (60km) east of Chiclayo.
Chaparri Reserve was set up by Heinz Plenge in 1996 and is now a local community conservation project.
Which means that locals have a vested interest in not hunting.
Of the 32,000 hectares, 5,000 hectares (20 sq mi) exclude camelids.

chappari owl

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No doubt you can see the small owl looking at you.
It is perched on the left upward branch in the middle of the picture.

chappari landscape

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Landscape and herrequeros (sort of like a stone curlew but bigger).

chappari bear 4

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Coming in to the interpretation centre.
Up in the centre tree are two just-released spectacled bears sleeping on the leaf-stripped branches.
The reserve specialises in general re-homing; from "captivity to sylvestry", as they put it.

chappari mountain

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This rock, dominating the centre, apparently looks like the head of a puma if viewed from the right angle.
Which i suspect is not this one.

chappari hotel garden

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Part of the hotel garden.
The acacia trees are buzzing full of birds.

chappari hotel

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The adobe hotel, simple rooms at about USD$ 80 per night and a wonderful place.
The hotel and centre are fenced off from bears and mountain lion by electric fencing powered by solar panels.

chappari pool

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The [swimming] pool.
At 6am every morning this forms the stage for the dance of the humming birds.
Six different types come to drink.

chappari fish

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The pool has three types of fish in it.
They arrive (but where from ?) after rain produces very strong torrents.
It last rained four years ago.
Using trickle irrigation the centre has grown a quarter mile shaded tree lined path.

chappari kitchen

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The hotel kitchen with bread oven and giant's wok.
There is a fridge out of shot.

chappari refectory

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The hotel refectory and a superb place to watch birds in comfort.

chappari fox

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A fairly tame fox in centre.
A family of timid foxes are frequently playing around.
In the reserve's rescue pens were a variety of animals including a very large snake, formerly a pet.
And a tigerelet found with its claws cut in a market for sale as a pet.
The tigerlet looked like an ocelot but might have been a mountain lion cub.
However, tigerlet says it all.

chappari deer

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

The deer with three legs had been hit by a bear which crushed a leg so it had to be amputated.
Since then the deer has given birth to five sets of young.
Its latest male offspring is off to the left behind the prickly pear.

chappari boar

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The boar was a pet until it gored the owner's son.
Fortunately, it was then sent to the reserve for a course of "captivity to sylvestry".

chappari bear 2

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The two spectacled bears were rescued from a Peruvian and a Bolivian circus.
They may not survive in the bush so receive a supplementary diet including grapes from sightseers.
The bears are 80% vegetarian, so they say.

chappari bear1

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

Beauty and the Beast ?

Now,the young ladies are from a party of thirteen beauty contestants in a local competition.
They are here with a chaperone to be photographed in an exotic surrounding for publicity.
Quite charming, friendly and generous, around sixteen or so.
They all later went for a swim in the pool.

Who judges the judges ?

chappari bear 3

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:07:12 +0100

Quisnam vigilo video ?