We leave the ugly Panamericana in between and drive to the small town of Tortugas on the beach.

The village name really means “turtles” in Spanish and you’ll see turtle motifs around every corner.

The mountain in the background is reminiscent of a turtle in shape, but maybe it’s just too much of my imagination.

Day 6 without a breakdown

But there are sea turtles here, as I learn. So are penguins, on an island off the coast.

Sometimes fishermen drive tourists there. Nothing is going on here now.

We eat very well in a restaurant and let Leon pose in front of a beautiful background. We spend the night not very spectacularly at a gas station. Tomorrow we reach the city of Trujillo, where we will again stay a few nights.

There we will visit some archeological remains of the Chimú culture – a people conquered by the Incas and crushed by the Spanish.