Hostal Bracamonte Huanchaco

... br>The hostal we stayed in was really nice - Naylamp - with hammocks and really good food! We were opposite the beach so went for the obligatory dip (it would be rude not to). The water wasn´t actually that cold and the waves were huge - it was great fun! <br>We had some amazing seafood that night too, all freshly caught by the local fishermen who would go out on these surfboard type things, fish around for a while and then surf the waves back ...

... niet mogelijk om te bezoeken) en de tempel van de maan ( mogelijk om te bezoeken). Heel informatief en zou binnen de 2 jaar volldig blootgelegd moeten zijn. Na het bezoekje hebben we rondgewandeld in Trujillo, waar we een menu (soep, hoofdgerecht en drank) hebben gegeten voor 1 euro per persoon. Het was niet slecht, maar we prefereren toch wel de betere keuken (diegene van 2 euro per persoon ;-) ).<br><br>Op donderdag hebben we ons gewaagd aan het surfen. Dit was ...

... a bg 2 course lunch, and I had a sandwich... (this started my trips to and from the beach to the hotel for the day!!) we went for a walk up the pier, having paid the pier entrance fee! and saw lots of people fishing with blocks of wood and fishing wire... we had seen these in Wales where lots of people were fishing for crabs....so I persuaded Al to get one and asked the lady how to do it.. we decided on shellfish bait rather than maggotty things... and she cracked them open and slipped ...

... and look at what they were able to build way back then. Prime example, that giant red cheese stick over the Tulla Freeway, some genius designed it, then I remember like a year ago they had to figure out how to repaint it when it faded! So much for all us young geniuses with uni degrees, pieces of paper at best if you ask me.<br>Peru isnt really inspiring me so far. All I have seen out the window is pretty lifeless desert. Every now and again you hit an area where they have ...

... we saw where they sacrificed people (including women and children) and their carvings in the walls.<br><br>We met up with another couple of guys whilst at Chan Chan. Sven and Adrian. Sven is a tall Swedish guy who was in awe of us backpackers, I actually thought for a second he was goning to ask to touch us to see if we were real, luckily he didn´t. Adrian was a short tubby bald chap, who also looked european although we couldn´t place where from. Pavlov ...

... destinations and prices at me. I waved them aside (quite literally) and instead waited for a bus to the nearby seaside town of Huanchaco. Luckily I didn't have to wait long and so I boarded this rusty old bucket that seemed to be falling apart and eventually got to Huanchaco.<br><br>Whilst gazing vacantly out of the window I saw a sign with three wondrous things: "hot water, wifi and S./10" (S./10 means 10 soles... or about US$3). I was sold and so found my lovely ...

... registered taxi for $35 (there goes my budget) makes a lot of sense.<br><br>Now's as good a time as any to talk about safety in Peru, described by Lonely Planet as "one of the most dangerous countries in South America" (notice how I'm doing this just before I leave?) In addition to opportunistic robberies, the country's buses are plagued by hijackings, particularly on overnight routes. Additionally, taxis sometimes kidnap tourists, taking them to deserted ATMs and making them withdraw cash ...

... slogans. I think the police who were present were rather surprised at our being there. We found the street leading up to the main plaza and headed up it, closely followed by a crowd of marching taxi drivers! Once there, we sat and watched them parade around the square, shouting and whistling. Soon bored of this, we headed to a phone place to call the hostel in Lima to inform them that we were canceling that night´s stay. Armed with information from a tourist information office ...

... round the c*r *nd st*rted b*nging on the window. I now know th*t these *re *ctu*lly offici*l currency exch*nge people, but *t the time we h*d no ide* wh*t w*s going on *nd were re*lly r*ther disturbed. Some of us ch*nged * sm*ll *mount of doll*rs, sleep-deprived *nd not re*lly *w*re of the exch*nge r*te. Not trusting these fluorescent money b*ndits, I h*nded one of them only * $20 note, which w*s h*nded str*ight b*ck to me, the bloke mentioning something *bout not ...

After an uneventful border crossing at 4am, we ended up in Piura, a coastal town in Peru.<br><br>- Why do short fat Latin American guys (like the ones next to you on long bus rides...) spread their legs unnaturally wide and hog the ´neutral´ arm-rest?<br>- Why are taxi drivers all c***s? "It´s so far away, the route is complicated and it´s dangerous, you can´t walk it..." Yep, it was only 4 blocks away - thank god we´d walked.<br>- Why are the bus drivers in league ...