After the less than spectacular drive over the desolate and littered part of the Panamericana, we reach Piura. Our host Giancarlo is waiting for us there. He lives there in a house with his parents, grandfather, brother, sister and nephew. It’s a big house and everyone seems happy to have guests. Giancarlo brings home about two international guests every week; the family must be crazy about strangers.

We are allowed to use the whole house and nobody is surprised if we cook something in the kitchen or use the washing machine. Grandpa is happy about Leon and Giancarlo’s mother helps us to prepare something to eat for the little one.

The mother raises birds, so there’s a lot of noise on the roof from all the colorful sparks, parakeets and parrots crouching in cages and making a racket. A handsome Rottweiler also lives on the roof where I want to hang up the laundry. Good doggy!

Day 10 without a breakdown

We stay in the house for two days and live in our own room with the family. Then we also explore Piura. There is nothing special to see apart from the beautiful Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral – these are obligatory in any city. We live across the river, in the Castilla district.

The streets are quite dirty and even in the city, unfortunately, garbage accumulates in many places. It stinks to high heaven. Seagulls and herons forage for food in the litter. It is inexplicable to us how people can live next to the rubbish and walk along it.

We find places to eat. The dishes there are so cheap that shopping and cooking is not worth it. Leon quickly becomes acquainted with the guests of a restaurant when he gropes from one chair to the next without much fear of contact and holds on to the people.

We get to know the city’s anti-corruption officer and another man who speaks German because he was married to a woman from Berlin and has two children with her. The relationship doesn’t seem to have gone well as his children are in Berlin with their mother.

Piura is our last stop before Ecuador. We have changed our plans of route through Ecuador. Actually, we wanted to take the Panamericana along the coast, past the surfer’s paradise of Mancora, to enter Ecuador and visit the beautiful cities of Machala and Guayaquil behind the border. But the news reports of an incident in the city. Five police officers were killed during a prisoner rescue. A mafia seems to be behind it. After that, the police imposed a night curfew to conduct raids.

We decide to cancel this route from our plan and choose a path through the mountains. This border is much closer to Piura, so surprisingly we will be in Ecuador in just one day. But we are prepared.

Finally, the registration for the car from Paraguay with DHL finally arrives and we are mentally and formally ready to enter Ecuador. First, we have to cross one more desert for our next destination.