Advertisement
Published: June 11th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Like I was already in the ocean, my ears were completely plugged from the change of air pressure as I stepped out of the bus that took me here from the mountains. It was foggy and cold in Trujillo; too cold for a beach town close to the equator. I immediately took a cab to Huanchaco, a small fishing (and nowadays also surfing) village just 15 km north since it was told to have great waves and laidback yet cool atmosphere. It was 7 am when I finally arrived at La Casa Suisa, supposedly a cool hostel frequented by surfers. I quickly realized that it was really a dump (why do all the guide books crave about it so much), but I was too dead (like the town at that hour) and decided to stay there one night. If you happen to come here, a much better option for accommodation is Naylamp, a hostel/hotel/campground with a large patio, terrace, bar/restaurant, and internet, right on the waterfront in the north part of the town. I met some really cool backpackers here and the hosts are very friendly as well.
Much easier than those in the ocean it was to catch
the vibes in the town. As the South Americans like to say, it is tranquillo (mellow, cool, smooth), welcoming and friendly. Not unsurprisingly, the activities of the town revolve around the main beach that serves as the launching point for both the fishermen and the surfers. Every morning, the fishermen pull their small reed boats (all hand-made) and leave for the ocean to lay the nets. Between 3 and 4 pm they come back with the nets full of crabs and fish. When you watch them taking on the waves on their canoe-like boats it is easy to believe the legend that it is these fishermen (or rather their ancestors) who invented surfing. It is around 1 pm when the ultra-equipped surfers of today come out to share the same space with the fishermen. There is no animosity here and the surfer dudes exchange smiles with the locals as they catch the same wave. Right in the heart of this is the Wave surf shop/school. This is where I made my first friends in the town. I came here the first day, just to check out the prices, and ended up spending the whole afternoon at the shop chatting with
the owners, their friends, and other surfers. Particularly good is also the Sabes bar run by a Peruvian/English couple. Where else in the world can you play billiard on an open-space terrace overlooking the ocean? It never rains here so people can afford to build houses without windows or often even solid roof and walls. By a ridiculous coincidence, it was in this bar that a boy-friend of a German girl that I earlier met in Bolivia had his exhibition of paintings. Now I met both of them here in Huanchaco when the exhibition opened. Another nod of energy is Otra Cosa, a Dutch non-profit that operates a nice restaurant here. I would bet anything that it is here where you can find the best apple pie in South America. Every day between 5:30 and 6:00 PM it comes fresh out of the oven - to be enjoyed with ice cream while watching the sunset over the ocean and the humming birds feeding on nectar in the immaculate flower garden. Did I already give you enough reasons to come here?
Seafood, strolls on the beach, reading newspaper with the morning coffee, and chatting with friends would on its own
keep me happy here. But what I really came here for was surfing. I took classes two afternoons and tried on my own for next couple days. The beginnings were painful; literally. The rocks are sharp, sea cold, and the waves violent, just when you expect it least. But it is all worth it. I managed to stand up by the end of my second lesson (thank you my teacher!!!) and I managed to catch some good waves the third day. But it was really the 4th day that I finally got the swing of things. I had been waiting for the right wave with a French surfer but the ocean seemed to had died out. Suddenly, Juan Carlos, the owner of the surf school, swam by and shouted at us that we should follow him to where the big ones were. So we did; way in the ocean. I was struggling just to keep up paddling to where the hell he was going. When JC finally stopped and turned back, he told me I was crazy and should immediately return. Apparently, it was the French guy whom he had asked to follow him. He said the waves were going
to kill me if I was not careful. It was scary since he obviously knew my abilities. In any case, it was too late to return as the wind picked up again and I could already see the waves coming from the horizon. Out of nowhere, another Peruvian appeared just behind us and yelled that the big one was coming. JC told me to hold tight to my board and to avoid the fishnets at all cost possible. Then it came. A massive tower that lifted us and threw us forward. Just like JC told me I was holding to the board, riding the wave on my stomach. Surprisingly, I did not feel any fear; just an incredible excitement comparable only to the one I experienced when biking down the Death Road in Bolivia. Not sure how, I eventually managed to stand up and glide for what felt like ages, before the wave finally spit us on the shore. That was it for the day, and in fact for the trip.
My fourth day here, my Scottish travel companion Nick finally arrived from Huaraz after having climbed a 5,600 m peak. Way to go bud! Just couple hours later,
as we were strolling on the beach, a tall, well-built guy with a beard sprints out of a restaurant and starts shouting something at us. We are in trouble, I thought. Then he hugs Nick and lifts him in the air. It was Bryan, our jungle companion, a friend that we met in Bolivia when our bus was stuck in mud for 12 hours. He came here with his girlfriend for few days. Is the world really so small? I also met here Anne, a Minnesota native, and Helen from Germany who studied in Minnesota. We talked about the lakes, ice fishing, and new Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, like I was again in Minnesota!
We also managed to visit the nearby ruins of Chan Chan, quite a spectacular (and vast) maze of ancient adobe palaces. Worth a trip if you are around. On Sunday, Nick and I parted, this time for good on this trip. A good friend, my trusted travel companion, was heading north to Ecuador and I was leaving for Lima to catch a flight to Madrid. I wonder where I will see him next? NYC or London?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.126s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 14; qc: 70; dbt: 0.0927s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb