Picture update

Dear Mom and Dad,

Here are some pictures of our most recent activities....

The first two pictures are of Charlie and I wasting time in Mancora by drinking some white wine waiting for our bus that didn't depart until night time. It was the first time I've had white COLD wine since we left the states, and we even drank it out of real wine glasses. So much better then the plastic ones we have been using. Charlie got really artistic with the second picture...notice how it's taken from inbetween the two wine glasses...

The next two are of us waiting outside the bus stop. Trying to kill 10 hours can be tough with limited resources. I promise we really aren't that vain.

The next series of photos are of our new hostel..The first one is of Charlie relaxing in the bed with a swan made from towels provided for us. So classy. The next picture is of our beautiful view, and the last photo is of our bathroom. The bathroom is MY FAVORITE part. Look how clean and spacious it is..it's the small things in life..

This next picture is a typical meal that Charlie enjoys. How do you eat anything with an eyeball sticking out THAT far?

The next series of photos are of our Chan Chan experience. It was a cool museum with ancient ruins that covered a lot of distance. It took what seemed to be a lot of walking to view everything, but the feeling was probably due to my lack of exercise on the beach. The first photo is of us on the public bus trying to get to Chan Chan. We had no idea when or where to get off and since there are no bus stops, we needed to figure it on our own. We did. :)

The next picture is of an exhibit of the early Indian gatherers ....

We almost got caught from the security guard after that photo...I doubt hopping the security fences are acceptable...The next picture is of boats they made and currently still use today to fish. The gap in the boat is where the fishermen set their catch and they sit in the middle just before the hole. It was crazy to see the life size boats on shore and being used...

Here is a picture of both of us in one of the old Indian compunds...it was the world's largest mud compounds..(click the picture to make it bigger)

Here I am in front of several "rooms" used by the Indians. The pattern on the walls are supposed to signifiy fishing nets since that is a big part of their culture...

Here we have an archaeologist hard at work....

  These next two photos are of the fertile grass that still exists today. It's crazy because everything around is desert, but this underwater grassland still flourishes. It's located in the center of the mud compound. Ducks and other small wildlife live here.

The last Chan Chan photo is of the emperor. You were supposed to pay to take pictures of him, so what do we do? Sneak one of course...

After Chan Chan we bused to a small beach town named "Huanchaco," and spent the rest of the day enjoying the ocean breeze and sipping on wine and eating local favorites. I'll update those photos later tonight or tomorrow morning. We have already spent an hour and a half at the internet cafe uploading these photos. Time for a daquiri break. :)

Love and miss you,

Matti Jo and Charles Dale