It`s Christmas - surf`s up!!

Trip Start Nov 18, 2008

Trip End Nov 17, 2009

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Where I stayed

Garden Hostal

(Huanchaco hotels)

Flag of Peru Huanchaco, Peru
Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Well, after all the activity in Banos it was time to get back on the road! We spent a good few hours on the buses! Left Banos on the 22nd Dec and caught a bus to Abmbato, waited there a while and took a night bus to Loja in the south of Ecuador where we arrived just in time for the 7am bus over the border into Peru. Border formalities were slow as we expected and it didn`t help that we had to stand and queue in the baking hot midday sun for a while with a cattle truck spreading slurry all over the road beside us! Got through though and after a wee language problem when Pete was asked his age and he said confidently- "3 weeks" He thought they`d asked how long we would spend in Peru!!
Onwards to Piura, in the north of Peru where I ate guinea pig and had my purse stolen in two unrelated incidents 5 years ago. We avoided such things this time and only had 30 mins to wait before taking yet another bus south the Chiclayo, this gave us time to enjoy an Inca Kola (Peruvian fluorescent yellow fizzy drink.) We watched people carrying their live turkeys around town in preparation for Christmas day feasts! Then we had a bit of a shock when the bus pulled up, opened the luggage compartment and we were to load our bags in alongside some sacks with turkeys heads poking out!!
At Chiclayo we found a hostal for the night and enjoyed a hot shower and a good sleep after about 40 hours of buses! Next morning it was back on the road though as we took our 5th bus to Trujillo, and then jumped on a Huanchaco bound collectivo, one of the many minivans which run back and forward with people jumping on and off as they go!
Huanchaco was cool! A laid back surf town on the North coast of Peru. We found a small apartment for a reasonable rate and headed to the beach! We enjoyed some ice creams, bought some beads and enjoyed being on holiday for a while!
Christmas day arrived and we weren`t quite sure what to expect but everything was open as usual, shops, restaurants etc and crowds of families were heading for the beach. Grannies paddling and everyone having a good time. After finding a computer and speaking to the folks back home we went for some food! Christmas dinner for us consisted of Ceviche - a Peruvian specialty of raw fish marinated in lime with red onion served with yam and sweet potato. It was delicious! We also had more fish with a spicy prawn salsa which was really good too.
Then there was only one thing to do - get the wetsuits on and hit the beach for a surfing lesson!
It was good fun, Pete managed to stand up fairly quickly and I was good at getting onto my knees but didn`t really manage to stand - unless you count standing for maybe 2 seconds before leaping off the other side!! It was fun though and towards the end we spent time perfecting what surfers do best - paddling out beyond the breakers, sitting on the boards looking cool and having a chat!
In the evening we joined the families wandering along the Pier, and then enjoyed a carton of Gato Negro (black cat) wine. A totally different Christmas but good fun.
How can you follow a christmas of surfing? well why not visit Chan Chan, the Adobe palace of the Chimu people which is pretty spectacular. All made from mud and close to the sea the palace has a butifull brown colour with its vast walls which of course have been re built but give a great idea of what it must have been like. it felt like some star wars or indiana jones film set.
We then took a taxi across town to Trujillo to visit one of the temples. Although smaller the designs on the wall were much better quality as the whole thing had been hidden by a sand dune until the 1960�s. Pretty incredible especially now that its totaly surrounded by houses.