Thank you Peru and a good day to you! So two years on, what's changed, or more accurately, what have I noticed now I'm less dazzled by Peru's new-ness? Let's start with food. Peru, and Lima in particular, has been praised gastronomically recently. It may be true that 2 of the top 20 restaurants in the world are in Lima, but the rest of the country's cuisine is nothing exceptional. Peruvians delight in chicken and anything starchy - expect a Nando explosion immi...

An excellent a la carte breakfast later (only most options contained egg), we are introduced to Carmen, our guide for the day. First stop is Huaca de la Luna - one of a three section site, of which this is the only one open. Another museum whose exhibits do not disappoint - my favourites are a Moche drinking vessel shaped like a seal's head that has a fish between its teeth and a carved wooden set of figures, inlaid with shell, representing a funeral procession ...

After a long time in the van to reflect on the disappointment of Kuntar Huasi's unopen state, our expectations of El Brujo are on the wane. Mercifully the site is open and follows the recent trend of excellent architecture and design for these sites' museums. I am beginning to question whether this is as these museums are foreign funded (this one by an Austrian institution) and there is subtle imperialism at play, or are the Peruvians are bleeding the foreign De...

Another, our last, travel day beckons with stop offs at Kuntar Huasi and El Brujo scheduled before we roll into the coastal town to Trujillo for our final night on this tour. The drive to Kuntar Huasi takes us away from our final destination, so it is an understatement to say the whole van is put out to find the the museum is closed on Mondays. A local policeman, unfathomably dressed in black in the rising heat of the day, spots our disappointment and bids us ...

Another hotel, another scrambled egg ... but at least the coffee was almost passable! We head out to Atuhalpha's Rescue Room, a short walk downtown. This is where the captured King of the Incas was held by the Spanish and where he promised them he would fill the room with gold and silver to the height of him standing with his arm raised as if searching for a key on a high shelf. Atuhalpha made good on his promise while the Spanish reneged, killed him, massacred...