We don’t spend the night with the turtles, but drive a little further north. The night at the gas station is ok and less noisy than the truck stop the night before. We continue to follow the Panamericana and arrive in Trujillo to stay for a few days.

We reach the city around noon and we decide to visit a famous archaeological site in the afternoon: the Huaca de la Luna y del Sol.

We learn that there were many cultures in this place before the Spaniards and the Incas. Among them the Moche and the Chimú. The former had here their capital of 20,000 people and the palace – the Huaca del Sol – and the great temple – the Huaca de la Luna. However, the translations are wrong and come from the interpretations of the first archaeologists at this place.

The Chimú eventually replaced the mosque and the Incas in turn took control of the Chimú. Our guide explains to us that the peoples lived very peacefully with one another before the Incas and that the Spaniards completely wiped out the cultures.

Leon actually walks with us most of the time. It’s true that he’s holding his hand, but he bravely walks with us for the hour and a half. Very remarkable for a year.

We leave the site and find our accommodation in Huanchaco, a small coastal town outside of Trujillo, for two days.