Huanchaco and the sand empire

The panamericana seems to stretch out forever along the peruvian coast, linking the dry sand lands of the south with the surf towns in the north. In the middle of this coastal band lies Lima, like the buckle of a belt, holding this diverse nation together. Although I seem to prefer small towns to the big smokes, Lima held some appeal with its coastal location, and the lovely suburb of Miraflores. In particular Miraflores has a mall (not what one goes abroad to see) that is built into a conglomerate cliff, that overlooks the Pacific ocean, and the many surfers scattered throughout the blue. We had to spend a day in Lima before progressing north to find a surf instructor and the right beach. We ended up seeing two films, and sampling two different types of pizza in the one day. We departed late that night for Trujillo on our favoured busline "Cruz Del Sur" (great leg space).

The roar of the pacific meeting with the raw beauty of the little known surf town of Huanchaco makes for a beautiful fusion. A peir reaches out into the surf beyond reed boat fishermen and surfers, whom await the next postcard breaker. We arrived in the picturesque town after catching a taxi from Trujillo (12km away). At the time the sun was just beginning to cast a glow across the white sky and the surf seemed to reach above the height of the street before crashing back down into the sandy beach. As is our custom after a long journey we had a sleep, before heading down to check out the local scene and grab a tasty vegeterian meal at "Otra Cosa". (Who would have thought it, I love some of that vegeterian stuff).
Down at the beach we met a kiwi, an american, and a local spanish teacher. The spanish teacher was so nice we wondered what he was up to, but he ended up being a genuine nice guy keen to meet foreigners (and he was constantly stoned which seemed to add to his friendly temprement).
He took us to meet a local surf instructor, and we arranged a lesson. We ate at "Otra Cosa" except for dinner, which we had at the local italian restaurant each night (all home made pastas). The difficulty is that coastal Peru doesn´t accomodate the seafood haters of this world (Tracey). The surf lesson was great and now we are biting at the bit to get back in amongst the surf.

Trujillo is also well-known for its archealogical sites, mainly "Chan Chan" (the capital of the Chimu empire from 1,100ad to 1,600ad roughly). We spent a day visiting the various temples in the region and capped it off with a memorable tour of Chan Chan. From the massive scale of the city, to the finest details of the stone carvings, it was a magical insight into the history of Northern Peru. And thank god we decided to get an english speaking guide because Chan Chan held many fascinating secrets that the many sand walls and models did not tell. It was a brilliant experience.
Having spent three delightful days in Huanchaco, and having no desire to leave we couldn´t help but wonder if Mancora in the north could possibly have the same charm that this gem of a place had shared with us. Teetering on a knifes edge between staying and moving on, we decided to adopt the adventurers atitude and jumped on a night bus, to venture further up the the panamericana.

A scene from baywatch welcomes anyone willing to pay the cost of beachfront accomodation, as they walk out of their room and onto the powdery sand to behold a surfless sunbathers paradise on a surfless day in Mancora. A world of imagenary catwalks in the sand and a belief that like superman the sun makes you stronger. In reality in between sunbathing and having a dip there is little else to do other then compare each others bodies and tans.
Needless to say we arrived in the dark, and in a sleepy daze checked into an overpriced room on the beach. We woke up and walked into a beach culture very different to that of Huanchaco. Whilst I am sure I have friends that would savour every moment that women walked around in bikinis (Regan, I´m talking about you), I found the lack of activity rather boring. Usually we would have surfed, but without waves Mancora is solely a place to party and sunbathe (again I believe some of my friends may love it). Tracey and I however weren´t so fussed with the Mancora beach life, and longing for Huanchaco we have got return bus tickets, and now only wait for a bus to rescue us.
In all fairness the beach is beautiful here, and I imagine that on another day I may love it, just not the day after being in Huanchaco.
I have been eating at the vegeterian restaurant here too actually, what is happening to me?
Not long until my bus comes now, so I´ll write again from Cuzco and the Sacred Valley.

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