It's Peru, Baby.

Wow. It rained last night! As I might have previously mentioned, it almost never rains in Chiclayo. The fact that it has rained thrice since I came here seven months ago constitutes a recent major climate change. Structures in this area are not constructed to withstand major downpours, and judging by the popular use of mud bricks for thousands of years, they never have been. The lack of rain in the northern coastal desert is why the adobe cities of Tucume and Chan-Chan remain standing in parts, after 2000 years. Anyway, we awoke at one am to the sound of rain beating on the plastic cover over the large window in the roof . We awoke again at four am to the sound of Tito's mum mopping (the house was constructed to let in sunlight - unfortunately it also lets in rain), and so Tito got up to go and bail water off the large, flat roof. This morning the roads were a total mess. Only major roads are paved and the rest are mud, and so it was one big pud muddle all over town. Additionally, it had never really occured to me before today that neither Chiclayo city centre nor the surrounding suburbs have any sort of draining system for the roads. I usually enjoy a good downpour, but here it somehow seems a bit ominous... should the weather shifts continue and rain become more frequent it is difficult to imagine how this city will cope. It would, however, be quite refreshing to see some plants around this desert region!