Mancora and Tumbes

Writing here from Tumbes, in the very north of Peru - a border city with Ecuador with real character and busy streets. Apparently getting robbed is a real possiblilty here although I have found the people here to be the most friendly in Peru so far! Its kinda like being a minor celebrity, everyone wants to talk to the "gringo", so its pretty fun.

We´re approaching the Peruvian Independence Day here so the festivities have been getting into swing with parades and music in the main Plaza de Armas which my hostel backs onto to. Pretty noisy here at night although nothing compared to Mancora ...

The mangroves in the National Park, are extremely interesting and getting a boat ride on the rivers really makes you feel like you are in the jungle. Lots of wildlife, although most of it is retty elusive, especially with the noisy members of the group in tow! Have visited the crocodile sanctuary near Puerto Pizarro and the imaginatively named Bird Island which was full of Frigate birds(?). Large birds with a very red under-beak which the males blow up. You can get really close to the island so they are all flying over
The cramped minibus
18 of us in here from Mancora to Tumbes, it broke down every half-hour. The bags were on top - I was glad I was at the back, I could see any bags falling onto the road behind us ...your head - thankfully I wasn´t guanoed!

Spend much of my time in the North in Mancora, a beach resort with fantastic weather and a great beach. Unfortunately the hostel and the surrounding village was really terrible and I was glad to leave. Having a hostel on the beach has benefits, although hearing rave music from the bars on the beach all night is terrible. The less said about sanitation here the better - suffice to say I got ill here with some kind of intestinal parasite and I was not at all surprised. It would not have been my choice of destination to spend 10 days in Peru!

Never mind, an 18-hour bus journey back to Lima to look forward to!

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