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Time for some warmer weather and the beaches. We high-tailed it from the Andes, via a 7 hr stop in Lima to Trujillo, Peru. After arriving at 6am in the morning we decided to split a cab with a yound American fellow to the beachside town of
Huanchaco. Cabbie picked a great hotel for us (balcony, big room, cable TV) and we negotiated price down to 30Soles ($11AUD) a night, given we would stay for a few nights. Bargain.
Huanchaco is a Peruvian holiday spot and is well know for its good surf and caballitos de torta (Reed boats). Being the off season it was quiet. Surprisingly quiet actually. Which was good for us. Although most restaurants were closed so finding eating and drinking spots wasnt that easy. There were plenty of hippies selling there wares and camping on the beach.
We didn´t do too much for the 5 days we spent in Huanchaco. We spent a couple of days on the beach, which was lovely after the heights of the Andes, however despite having great waves, the water was very cold and rocks underfoot made it just a bit too hard to bodysurf the great break. We sampled
some Ceviche, being the local speciality, a citrus-marinated seafood dish made of fish or shellfish.
From Huanchaco we took a bus ride to visit the famous ruins of Chan Chan. The largest Pre-Columbian city in South America, Chan Chan covers an area of approximately 20 km². Chan Chan was constructed by the Chimor (the kingdom of the Chimú) civilization around AD 850 and lasted until its conquest by the Inca Empire in AD 1470. Set in the desert the environment is harsh and to think people survived there is incredible. The ruins themselves are remarkable, with ornate decorations covering walls and a water reservoir still surviving all these years.
From Huanchaco we headed further north up the Peruvian coast to another beachside town of
Mancora. Restaurants and bars, line the beach and main road through the town. Upon arriving in town you immediately relax into the laid back way of life here. The weather is hot. 30´s everyday with a nice breeze by the sea though. Our first night we stayed at California Beach Hostel for 40 Soles. Good value really except our room was extremely hot. We decided we wanted a room that was a bit cooler
and that overlooked the beach so for the next 4 nights we booked up the road at another hostel right on the beach. Whilst looking for the other hostel we ran into matt who we did the Worlds Most dangerous Road ride with in La Paz. Small world. We also ran into an aussie couple - Pete and Tanya, we met briefly in Arequipa. they were staying in California beach Hostel too and had been there for 2 weeks already. Our first night of beers, beers and more beers with Pete, Tanya on the balcony set the tone for a great week in Mancora.
The restaurants that are on the beach let you sit and stay all day as long as you buy something. So our days were spent on the beach, relaxing, eating, drinking. A large plate of fresh seafood big enough for the two of us cost us about $6AUD.
After our 4 nights at our overpriced hotel overlooking the beach we moved back to california for another couple of nights. We got the price down to 30 Soles. It also meant we didn´t have to go far to meet up with our new drinking buddies.
So after a week at Mancora it was time to move on. Not that we wanted to, it is a great place and could have easily stayed longer.
Running out of time in Sth America we decided we wanted to get to Colombia ASAP so spend our last 4 weeks there. In Particular the Carribean Coast. We caught 5 back to back buses, spanning 72hrs before arriving in Cartegena, Colombia. Next Blog Colombia....
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BAZZA.
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GOOD BLOG.
GREAT COMMENT'S WOULD LIKE TO BE THEY TWO.