Peruvian culture and archaeological sites

I dragged my stuff to the bus stop in Mancora and by 8:00am the sun was beating down and I was breaking out in a sweat. I waited with some British girls, who seemed quite friendly. They were staying at the Loki in Mancora too, but I hadn’t see them around. I sat with one of them the whole way to Chiclayo. They were going farther and all the way to Trujillo. Just hearing the name, made me think of Huanchaco and all my friends still there. I had to fight the thought of continuing on and going back there to visit them – I had my own trip to finish! Ohman, 2.5 weeks left! Oh, my, gosh. There really was SO much to see and some of it will be highlights of my trip (Machu Picchu). This was the kicker that kept my travelling feet moving fast.
I made the decision to not go to see the Nazca Lines near Arequipa because of time. I later found out that around the time I WOULD of gone, there was a plane crash. I can’t help feeling relieved that I didn’t make the stop after I heard the news.

I picked out a hostel from my guidebook and rocked up. The guy at the front desk was SO nice and spoke English well. He was maybe a couple years older than me, with long dreads, skinny body, and glasses. He looked like a nerdy (and probably more helpful) version of my ex-boyfriend. Right away he ordered overnight bus tickets to Lima and connecting ticket to Arequipa for the next day. I walked around, ate Won Ton soup (now a staple) while watching a soap opera in Spanish with some locals. They were on the edge of their seats and would look back at me always surprised how intently I was paying attention to it. It was pretty dumb, it was a high school setting and some guy who looked like he was 14 was threatening a girl. She had to warn this girl enemy of hers he was “dating” that he was dangerous. I lasted through the whole thing, but couldn’t through the next one. I strolled back threw the busy streets, didn’t even unpack my bag, organized my maps for tomorrow, and crashed hard. It was my brother’s Birthday I remember.

Usually the restaurants attached the hostels were decent. I don’t know if this one didn’t really “do” breakfast, but it was very difficult for some reason to get that organized. I got some stale bus with a square melted piece of cheese on it that looked like a “Kraft’s single” from Canada. She almost forgot the instant coffee too. The juice was definitely the best part and I drank it while planning my day’s attempt of trying to fit everything in before my bus at 9:00. There was a archaeological site and museum an hour and half away from Chiclayo. Then 2 more “acclaimed” cultural museums 20 minutes from Chiclayo in the opposite direction. I guess I was going to come back here to have a quick bite inbetween.

I threw my large back pack in storage and my Dr. Marten boots in a plastic bag beside it. I got a taxi to the bus stop and was completely lost. I for a big van “combis” to Sipάn. It was kinda rough looking, the the other nicer one was more expensive and wasn’t leaving for another hour. I joined the locals, got some weird looks, and kept to myself near the window. I was by myself; a little nervous, but excited. We picked-up a woman along the way with a baby and she sat next to me. She needed to feed the baby and it had to lie down. I communicated that I didn’t mind if it was half on my lap and smiled big. She appreciated it and thanked me. When she got off, she waved goodbye to me and I felt more secure and really good about everything. I was confused about when to stop, but someone pointed and then helped (practically pushed) me off the bus.



It was dusty, hot, there was no tour guide, so I just looked at stuff trying to understand the descriptions.

Archaeological site of Sipάn



“is a Moche archaeological site in northern Peru that is famous for the tomb of El Señor de Sipán (Lord of Sipán), excavated in . It is considered to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the last 30 years, because the main tomb was found intact and undisturbed by thieves. The tomb of the Lord of Sipan has been dated to around 100 AD. The tombs in the area are of adobe construction, of pyramidal shape, now eroded by successive El Nino events. Excavations continue.

It is believed that, as with ancient Egyptians, the people placed grave goods, including the remains of servants, to ensure survival of the elite into the afterlife. Also discovered were hundreds of small clay pots with individual faces, understood to be offerings made by the lord's subjects. Several dozens of such Moche tombs likely existed at one time, but almost all known tombs on the coast of Peru have been looted.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sip%C3%A1n


In February 1987, shortly after the police found traditional handicrafts, archaeologists decided to take a closer look at the small platform of dirt now called "Huaca Rajada" or Adobe ruins. They are badly eroded pyramids. They found amazing discoveries of the Moche people, who lived about 100 BC to 650 AD. This site was used for burials of people of the highest rank. They are still excavating.

So far, researchers have dug out 3 major tombs and other minor burials. Lots of ceramic pots and decadent jewelry were found. The Moche buried the dead laying flat. The one found leader was carbon-date to 290 AD.

http://www.inkanatura.com/coastchiclayotrujillosipanhuaca.asp



















Museo de Sitio Sipάn













I was doing my own thing, but near this group of 40 yr old men from Lima. 2 of them wanted a picture with me, which was weird. This sometimes happens, but more often than you think though. They showed me where to catch the bus back and then the one guy gave me his business card to call him… This has happened to me before and I actually don’t get how this people actually think you will call them. Obviously if you are stupid enough to do so, they will only expect one thing… Anyway, he paid my bus fare after I insisted not, but as soon as we got back to Chiclayo, I politely thanked them and quickly took a taxi in the opposite direction.

I grabbed some really good VEGETARIAN food, but I was worried about how the salad and yogurt smoothie would affect my stomach. I guess we’ll see. For some reason, one of the Brits encouraged drinking milk/ yogurt when ill because it “coated the stomach,” but everything I have read, what my mom has told me and even what the Spanish pharmacists’ have stressed is NO diary. … So we’ll see.

I had to find another combis area for ones that went to Lambayeque 20 minutes away. I was definitely rushing to get there before both museums closed and so I could fit it in before I left for Lima…

… then I fell in a hole. Yes, a hole. On a street corner. But wait, not just any old hole, a cement one with jagged edges that scrapped all the way up my shin. Then I was bleeding and it stung like a $*%^!#$^&( !!! Then I got furious. Why the fuck is this hole not filled!?!? Oh wait, the tax money doesn’t get used properly. Clearly something was removed for this hole to be there and now knee deep, my leg was filling it. I was trying to play it cool after this happened, since I was in public. Still slightly confused and angry, I hobbled to the bus area with a bloody, dirty left shin.

These combis (big van) tried to fit honestly 12 people. I was literally sitting on a teen school girl with a white uniform that I tried to dodge with my leg. Since time is of the essence always on this type of transportation, they literally open the door to pick up or drop people off while the van is STILL moving. Seeeeeriously.
I got off, got orientated and went to the first Museum. I sent 20 minutes trying to communicate with someone if there was a first aid kit to help clean up my leg, which was still painfully stinging. The security guard FINALLY found an English person for me to talk to, since he thought that I was just SHOWING him my bloody leg. Yeah, just for fun, I like doing that (?). Why did I forget my dictionary today…

I then got to browse the Brüning National Archaeological Museum, which displayed objects and artifacts of Peru’s ancient civilizations; ceramics, jewelry and textiles.

Brüning National Archaeological Museum





“Upon opening in 1966, the Brüning Museum became northern Peru’s preeminent museum, specializing in Peru’s pre-Hispanic cultures. The museum was named for Hans Heinrich (Enrique) Brüning, a German engineer and amateur ethnographer who lived in and studied the region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brüning’s photography, drawings, and cultural findings galvanized anthropological and archaeological study in the region.”

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1470170/Bruning-Museum


Afterwards I went to the Royal Tombs of Sipάn Museum, which you could see at the end of the road. It was big and shaped like a pre-Columbian pyramid and very modern inside. I got an English tour guide to explain everything especially since I hadn’t gotten one for the archaeological site that morning. It was beneficial.

Royal Tombs of Sipάn Museum



The museum was closing and I needed to head straight back to the hostel. Local guys were trying to fill up their combis and shouting at me to try to go with them. It got pretty intense one time and as I was about to go in one, another guy grabbed me trying to pull me in the other combis’ direction. I started yelling at the man confused and angry, he let go of my arm, and I sat in the front seat with the driver. As we were driving back to Chiclayo the guy in the back of the big van asked for more money than I paid on the way up, so I just paid him that and said I didn’t have anymore and that what he asked was too expensive. Then the driver started to ask me personal questions about where are my friends? What hostel am I staying at? Obviously I lied threw my teeth and stopped trying to have a polite conversation with him. Lesson learned. I got off before my stop, and just walked the rest of the way back.

I ate some healthy coca snacks and the taxi was late picking me up. I know that my own bus was probably going to be at least a little late, since that’s the usual way, no matter what. The taxi was REALLY late and I was getting mad at the one guy, who called it for me; I had no problem flagging one down. Anyway in a rush and confusion, I got my backpack and finally jumped into the cab. Once I was on the bus and settled, I realized something. My Dr. Martens weren’t with me! Nooooooo!!!! These were my sister’s originals from the 90s (I think she wore them to a BushX concert too) and they had been the only closed toe shoe I had. They were definitely showing their wear, but still! Also, I planned on doing a hike in Arequipa! Urhh… now I had to hunt down hiking boots. I tried to not let this bother me and ate the shitty food on the bus; however, thankful that this bus gave me at least something to eat... and had a bathroom (key factors that don’t always happen).

I woke up in the morning to Scooby Doo, the newer people version one playing. I was in a daze and couldn’t wait to get off the bus. I got to Lima and now waited… I had another bus coming, but I arranged with Piero’s cousin, Bruno to hang out for the afternoon to pass time. Let’s see if this works out…

"Second Home" stop over and other observations

I was waiting and waiting at the Cruz del Sur bus station in Lima for Piero’s cousin, Bruno. It’s not sketchy, but I just sat for a while outside. It was pretty hot. I sat on the pavement with my bags around me like a fort wall and the workers started to lurk around me starting to make small talk. Tired of getting stared at or asked if I wanted a taxi, I finally went inside about to call him, literally pulling out the money and Bruno waltz in. He went to some club the night before and was still in rough shape. We didn’t really know what to do for the afternoon, so we went to grab some food. My stomach was feeling better, so I was staaarving. Flaxseed breadsticks can only fill you up so much. We ended up returning to the same Bembos (a step up from McDonalds) we went to the first time I was in Lima. They screwed up my order the first time and I swear I ordered it correctly in Spanish. Anyway, Bruno ordered for me to save possible confusion. For some reason again, my order took forever. He claimed I ordered something that he claims “no one does,” so it took extra time.

We hit the road to their “second home” just outside of Lima to go swimming and eat our meals. As we pulled into this more exclusive area, I was in awe. It was huge! It looked like my dream house! There was an empty lot beside theirs and the property owners hadn’t started to build on the land yet. It was overgrown with trees and looked like a little forest. The house itself looked placed in a bunch of trees, but their lot was cleared and the people could run freely around. Eager to get a closer look, 4 (or was it 5) golden and one black retriever ran up to the vehicle. I’m not 100% scared of dogs, just big ones… when they jump on you… even if they’re excited. I’m working on it; I’ve gotten better throughout this trip. Super girly, really unnecessary comment, but the dogs matched my beach dress, so I tossed the dogs around and played with them. It was really cute actually. One is called Chewbaca. I went inside to put my bathing suit on and briefly explored. The whole house was made of natural stone in large blocks and wood that looked reclaimed. They had a screen to pull down and a projector to watch movies with. Their bathrooms alone were beautiful too, gorgeous stone and precious wood. I noticed the house pretty much sat in trees, they surrounded the house and property. There was even a fire pit on the other side of the house’s yard. How perfect and peaceful was this?

We pumped some beats, Bruno grabbed some beers and we ate sitting on their outdoor massive BBQ/ kitchenette set up near the pool. We talked a bunch about music and the festival that he went to, that I missed while I was in Huanchaco. It’s pretty much in all major capital cities in South America. It’s call “Creamfields” and it’s an outdoor DJ festival. The way he described it sounded unbelievable; however, thinking back to my time in the beach town, I am pleased with my choice. Afterwards we swam and the water was cold. There was a breeze in the air and this was their spring season. Bruno went into the water and threatened me if I didn’t follow like I promised. Then the one golden retriever jumped in and paddled around. It was so adorable; I was swayed to go in the icy water. I thought I was going to shiver to a dying coldness until I told Bruno I was going to race him along a length of the pool. I obviously lost because apparently he swims laps or something. We continued, each time I was more determined and warmed up.

Checking the time, things had to wrap up because I needed to quickly grab some headphones before a bus ride (essential). I showered in their amazing washroom and still a bit soaking wet going into the car; Bruno could only find hand towels… I said goodbyes and thanks to Bruno as I sloppily went up to the ticket guy and security to check everything. I still smelt like chlorine, had wet hair dripping places and had my bathing suit in a plastic bag that I plopped on the security guys’ inspection table; he raised his brow to me because the water leaked onto his table. Whoops.

I got my seat and felt comfortable, until a 45yr man sat next to me with his (annoying) teen daughters beside us. He was subtly rude. The only example I can remember now is that we got these blankets in plastic wrap and he put it on my side, so naturally I put it back to his side when he went to the washroom. Then later when I got up for something he put it back on my seat! I couldn’t believe this 45 yr old man starting a battle with me. I sat in my seat trying to think of my next move. I was close to putting it in his bag, but opted not to sink to his passive aggressiveness.

As I was on this bus to Arequipa, one of my last destinations, I realized the end of my trip was quickly approaching. I remembered a bunch of random things and cultural differences, mannerisms of the different civilizations during my travels. Here are some observations and thoughts:

Everywhere in Bolivia and Peru, they paint right on brick side of the buildings for advertisement usually 2 colours (font and background) in massive block letters. Most of them at this time were advertising the election coming up, so a lot of “Presidente…”

When you get into a taxi, you really should lock the doors and roll up the windows because when the car stops (like at a red light), sometimes people will try to open the doors and rob you. Yep. Best be safe. You’ll know as soon and people staring into your cab. Oh yeah, keep your belongings on the floor, not the seat, so it’s less visible.

There’s a lot of fake (sketchy) cabs. You need to check to see if they have a phone number along the side or top, so you know it’s legit and even if the cab stops, it might not be going to that area of town and won’t take you. Also, agreeing on a fee beforehand… sometimes agreements break out, but hold your ground, if you’re white, they raise the price.

Don’t really trust the police. They can rob you too.

All elementary or high school kids (that I know of) wear uniforms to schools and some wear ultimate track suits.

On the coast in Peru, there are motorbikes that have carriages attached on the back, that are used instead of or along with taxis.

People sell everything everywhere. Lying on the beach isn’t as pleasant when (not exaggerating) every 10 or 5 minutes someone comes along carrying a rack of sunglasses trying to sell you one even if your eyes are closed and you are peacefully resting. Mostly on buses in Bolivia, when the bus stops to let some people off, locals are let on the bus to try and sell things. There can be one or two people or up to 7 pacing up and down the aisle, shouting at people. Items sold include: silver chain necklaces, food (like homemade sandwiches and homemade heavily deep fried chips), “speciality” teas and people have sung for money.

On the selling note, many people hand out flyers and yell loudly to advertise for all sorts of things. It’s pretty frustrating at times. I was on a pay phone once and someone came up to me trying to sell me a massage. I was interrupted in mid-sentence and had to put out my hand and say “No” to the woman. Also, you can walk by a group of people 3 times, clearly making note of them and the next time they still ask you repeatedly like they never saw you before. I was at restaurant eating with some friends on an outside patio and a woman came up to us, disrupting our meal and conversation to try to get us to eat at her restaurant. I couldn’t believe it, it was while we were eating. It just doesn’t make sense.

When you are on buses in Bolivia, anything goes. Just because you buy a ticket, doesn’t mean you will get a seat (as mentioned before) and the bus will actually stop in the middle of nowehere along the way to drop you off somewhere if you ask to – the side of the road on a cliff. Also, they will just accept situations happening. A fellow traveler told me this story. They were on a bus in Bolivia and it stopped. Half an hour passed with no one questioning what was happening, so they thought the bus driver was taking a break or something. 2 hours later, still no movement and no one really fussing. The one guy went up to the front to see what was going on. Apparently there was a road block and the bus didn’t want to pay the extra 30 Bolivianos to turn around and take an alternative route. He told the traveler it could be a day until someone came to fix the road. A DAY WAITING ON THE BUS. This was pretty a unbelievable solution and didn’t fit the deadline of my acquaintance, so he went up and down the bus to collect the 30 Bolivianos. No one wanted to really pay, so finally he paid about 18 of those Bolivianos and gave the total money to the bus driver. A 6 hour bus ride turned into about 10 hours. The point though, was that the locals just accepted that nothing was going to happen to help them and they just had to sit there and wait.

These were some of the interesting customs I have been exposed to over here. I wonder what my adventure has left for me now.

The last of the Ocean (for now)

Mancora, Peru (Northern and Coastal)




My first day was completely “me” time, since I was sick and my stomach couldn’t handle any food or substance put in my body except Soda crackers. I walked around, sat on my balcony, and met the roomies. There were a young woman and man, who worked with the popular (but kind of expensive) South American airline LAN and the other guy was a bar manager, who just came back for the job. Both of the air stewardesses had no dorm room etiquette. Early in the morning, the airline guy’s phone rang and he answered it. He continued to have the conversation without whispering while lying down in his bed and didn’t think (or care) that he would wake up his other dorm mates at 8:30am. Finally, the bar manager yelled at him and the guy left the room. This created some tension between everyone.

Later that night, I crawled out of bed realizing I needed to eat something of somewhat substance. I hunted down some Won Ton soup and had a side of some plain sticky rice at a recommended Thai restaurant by a reception staff member. I felt SO full afterwards and my stomach paid for it the rest of the night. When I came back, I crawled back into bed, and the bar manager burst in the door trying to get me to participate in the PUB Quiz Trivia and be “social.” He continued to say how anti-social I was being at that trivia you don’t need to move much, so I should come down to play. After telling him 3 times “No, I really don’t want to play and I suck at trivia,” he was starting to bother me. Like I understand that he HAS to promote the bar events, but calling me “anti-social” and not letting it go was just irritating and aggravating. I think people who know me can vouch that I am social and friendly. Anyway, once the guy left the room, the sound carried through the windows and I could hear the Pub game so clear I felt like I was down there anyway. It’s all fun and games until there’s an annoying drunk girl, especially one who keeps yelling the (wrong) trivia answers and being bossy, which is what happened. I even considered going down there to see what this girl looked like for reference on who to avoid tomorrow. The game became quiet and the bar manager came up to the room to count the scores. He said that difficult girl didn’t win. I was content after that and tried to fall asleep with ear plugs after he left. I said a little plea to make the next day better and a more “social” one, just to show that prick bartender. Zzzz.

I woke up decently early, since I went to bed at like 10pm. Not even joking, the male flight attendant’s phone went off AGAIN and he answered it loudly AGAIN. After some more cursing from the bar manager I tried to be super quiet leaving the room. Every morning there is a free “continental breakfast,” which includes the usual hostel standard of bread (half stale), jam, butter, tea or instant coffee. I was actually hungry and grabbed TWO buns with jam. I was sitting at the table already feeling the heatwave of the day already starting and looked over to see Zach, a tall, skinny, and awkward guy with long hair from Texas I met in Huanchaco days before. He told me him and Tony got in this morning. It was nice to see a familiar face already. Later, I ran into this total surfer guy named Ben from New York, who I met in Huanchaco too. He was one of the guys that stopped to watch Blue Crush at the burger place on the beach. Again, it’s crazy how you run into people on the same path.






I got my book ready, lathered up with lotion, and my music booming while I laid on a beach chair by the pool side. I felt the burn starting already by 1pm. There were 3 people playing volleyball in the water, so this was my “social” chance. The bar manager started his shift and was in the area; the 2 flight attendances’ were sitting eating lunch. I am proving my point in a passive aggressive beach bum way. I got up out of the chair, threw my stuff beside the pool and jumped in wish a (sassy) splash. “Hola! I came to make the teams even, let’s play” I said. “Yes mami,” the guy next to me replied and volleyed over to me. It was good fun, until we got out of control. I mean, we weren’t pro and why are there tables next to the pool. The ball definitely fell on some guy’s lunch and he looked pissed. Even more when it happened again. I don’t think us laughing helped the situation. This guy Shawn didn’t know how to “lightly” hit the ball and continued to fist-pump smash the ball over. It even hit the 2 flight stewards… ha! More people were now joining in the fiasco of pool volleyball. What a sport.

Finally we realized the scene needed to calm down a little after pissing off the bar bystanders, who became our unofficial targets. I leaped out of the pool and Shawn mentioned going body boarding. Still my stomach was uneasy, but I was excited to crash into waves, feel like a kid, and fill my surfing void. The waves weren’t the best so far. People are trying, but there too many people going after one wave. Throwing out some terminology now; “there is no swill.” So body boarding was a good choice. We met up with his 2 friends, who were sisters, Kate and Jane, from Oregon, USA. Shawn grew up with them and then moved to Hawaii and is super white. I thought he was lying to me, but he does something intense with computers all day. He later mentioned going to Google events. So now I believe him. Body boarding was super fun and definitely took less skill than surfing, but you still get the thrills of riding waves. You even get a little rash from the board! The water was warmer than Huanchaco for this time of year. There were no rocks or sea urchins piercing your foot. The sand was thick and the sun was UV rays were pumping. I paddled out farther than people thought was "the best spot" to get on a wave, but I had my eyes scouting out the patterns and figured I was in the right place. I saw one coming and took the chance. I got on my board and caught the best wave of that afternoon; I rode it until I was on the sand like a beached whale. People cheered, creepy old men watched. Aaahhhmazing.





We took a late lunch break, which meant they went to get lunch and I ate crackers on the beach beside our boards. This guy came over and we started to chat. He was getting quite burnt, but only really bad on one leg, which was funny lets be honest. It turned out he was from Lima, Peru and took a week vacay from his corporate job. This was his first time staying at a hostel, but judging by the photos I posted, this place does not look like a hostel. We made plans to meet up later, but it never worked out, since I became very ill again. We body boarded for a bit longer then took our favourite nap break/ “siesta”. Love ‘em. I was on the hammock reading my book for about 2 minutes and passed. Out.





I woke up to the gang hollering at me for pre-dinner drinks. I had red wine, red wine, red wine, and then pizza.Then had to take pills Kate gave me to save my stomach from exploding with pain. Seriously, if you don’t get sick in South America… that’s a lie. Anyway, they told me stories until my eyes were closing. Jane was a writer and working on a book. Kate was a singer/ songwriter with Shawn.

The next morning I ate breaky with Ben, his buddy and his girlfriend, who just came. We shared a mango and joked. The girl gave me a high five for travelling by myself. It was nice to get little sparks of encouragement, because it’s kinda intense/ scary at times, but you meet such awesome people along the way, you (mostly) forget about that and have just an awesome time.

I body boarded again, laid in the sun, read and finally did a little shopping. A beach dress I was eyeing finally made it's way into my travel wardrobe cycle. In a typical beach town, vendors were aligned side-by-side displaying colourful clothes and accessories. Although the items got repetitive to look at, I couldn’t help but inspect each thing; even though I just saw it minutes ago. Looking up after eyes-closed beach bliss, the sky was covered in colourful large flags. They were so many kite-surfers out! It was so beautiful and captivating. I just sat there and watched them. It looked awfully hard, but super fun! I think it would be awesome because you could surf, feel good, but stay up waaaaay longer and be (kind of) in control. I had to rush back and grab my camera. It’s actually difficult to take pictures of everything you see or do because you don’t always bring around your camera, since it’s valuable and could easily get stolen with one blind back turn. Anyway, I was in awe of the kite surfers.










I realized my time was getting tight on my trip and there was still SO much to do. I HAD to get back south and do Machu Picchu, maybe even Colca Cañon in Arequipa. Someone convinced me to have a day in Chiclayo along the way and do some cultural stuff, so I took the advice, since it was going to break up the long journey back.



I met up with Shawn, Jane, and Kate for a snack and drinks on the beach. We went back to the hostel and played some pool before dinner and drinks. That night, the bartender roomie was being nice and I was actually having a proper conversation with him, until the end when he asked me to donate money twice. I mean that’s a nice gesture, but stop asking me things. I had to call it an early night, since I was still not feeling 100%, my bus was leaving really early in the morning and (of course) my stuff was sprawled out and not packed. So that concluded my night.







I got to see Zach before I left and stalked up on buns from breakfast for the journey.

Goodbyes to all, off to Chiclayo!

Huanchaco and the surf life.

Huanchaco. It’s a Thursday, we ended the tour here, and I convinced the cambis (?) bus driver to stop near my hostel. I say goodbye to the tour friends I made, a couple from Denmark and this chill English guy, who said he might be around the next night. I looked around a little, it’s a little overcast, but I start to feel the quaint beach town-ness. I get to my hostel and there is this crazy Scottish guy, who also calls himself an Englishman. William is a real rocker, wrinkled drug abused skin at 60. But he’s got spunk. I mean hyped up energy that pretty much takes over any conversation. He’s married to a Venezuelan woman and has 2 kids. His wife is the sweetest woman, educated well in English and later on I wonder what the connection between them is, but something must fit. I put down my bags in the dorm room and sit down to have a drink before I scrounge dinner. William with his black skull T-shirt and tight fitted jeans, sits and smokes at my table starting to tell me illuminated and badass stories about his past. I don’t know whether to believe them or not, but in a naïve way, I think I will. Also, he explained in detail how corrupt the England government and system is which was his reasoning to leave. It was interesting to hear, but a little too much for the moment. I wanted to look around and grab some dinner, so I stepped out the gate and walk 200 meters to stumble into a guy I met at Huaco de Luna on another tour, who knew the English guy I was with on my tour. Naturally, we chatted, figured out both of us were looking for food and ended up finding pizza somewhere. His name was Christophe and he was from Belgium. We got some drinks after at a popular bar called “The Beach House.” However, we walked in and were completely alone solo, but it was 9:30, of course no one was in there. Usually people are still eating and don’t go out until 12 or 1 or 2 in the morning. It was chilly and barely walked along the beach to only realize it was deserted. I wanted to get a good sleep because the next day I had a surfing lesson – my first one ever! I came back and passed out, but first stole another pillow and blanket from a neighboring bed.

I woke up to the old guy yelling about something while songs by The Doors was blasting through the walls. He knocked on my door at 8am and when I opened it, he told me the surfing lesson was a “go” and told me to come meet the owner of the surf shop. In a daze, I stumbled out of the room with yoga pants tucked into worker wool socks (you know the grey ones with the red trim on the top) and said greeted in confusion a guy named Tito. I apologized for my appearance, mumbled a few more words and went back to my bedroom. After I wrapped my head around what just happened, I started to get myself ready for the day. I ate fresh fruit salad (mangos, strawberries, grapes, papaya, banana, oranges) with cereal and coffee. I was a little nervous mixed with super excitement about this surf lesson. I mean my friends can vouch for me that the girl surfer movie, Blue Crush, always played in my college dorm room (sorry Adrienne). I always fantasized about working as a maid and being that tanned, bleached salty haired surfer that’s biggest concern was to catch the perfect wave.

I stretched a little before it was time to get picked up. Tito arrived on a motorbike and whistled through the gate. He was cuter than I realized during the blur of the morning and I hopped on the bike with my towel around my neck off to the surf shop “Onechako”. I met my instructor, Angelo, who was a tall (Peruvians are not generally height friendly), muscular, mohawked guy. It took a massive 15 minutes to battle putting on my wet suit, but then I was set. It was just me and Angelo. On the beach he explained in butchered English (but enough to make sense and for me to get the jist) the ocean and wave movements, how to pass a wave, get ready and stand up on the board - the board was on the sand when we did all this. Now we went into the water and it was freeeeeezing, damn Pacific Ocean, thank goodness I had a wet suit. After paddling out, Angelo would get off his board and hold on to mine. He would warn me when a wave came and then say some words of encouragement like “Chill out, center yourself, only look straight, think of yoga” (I told him I did yoga and he was excited about it). Then once on the wave he would say “Ready, UP” and give a push. Obviously the first time I barely stood and fell right away, but once you surface and get your board, you get eager to try again. It was difficult to paddle a lot because my upper body strength is lacking and when you go back and have to pass the waves… it’s pretty intimidating. Like a wave is coming at you and you have to manage to stay on the board and either dive under it, or lift yourself (in yoga, the cobra move) over it. Side note: after I told Angelo that the pose was called the cobra, he then nicknamed me Cobrita, oh and Princessa, but I will get to that one later. I flew off the board trying to get back out there, but I was doing okay. So back to Angelo, attempting to surf a wave round 2. This time Angelo told me he would “make sunshine for me and make me a good wave.” Hahaha it was hard not to laugh and think it was really sweet at the same time. The wave came, he told me to chill out, and then pushed the board saying “ready, UP.” And you know what happened? I STOOD UP! I ACTUALLY stood up on my surf board (called the “Liquid Shredder”) and surfed my first wave! Oh what a feeling! Looking straight ahead at the beach and gliding on water with the sun shining. It was just awesome. Then I freaked out a little inside thinking what happens when I finish the wave/ how do I get off gracefully. Answer: you just jump off. I figured that one out by myself! Amazing. The rest of my lesson (2 hours), was pretty good. Hit and miss on some waves and once Angelo’s board flew back and hit my head, but whatever, it didn’t leave a mark. Plus, Angelo said he would make it up to me. The waves were getting rough, so it got a little difficult near the end, but I survived my first lesson!

Off goes the wet suit, shower time, and ready to eat. Surfing makes you really hungry really fast. Angelo asked me to lunch (his treat, since his board hit my head and he felt embarrassed). There’s this super popular dish called Ceviche ( the “V” is pronounced like a “B”) and it’s a traditional raw fish dish. You can get “Mixto,” which is the ultimate one, and it comes with crab, shrimp, shellfish, and other sea urchins all marinated and with onions. On the plate there is some corn, which is massive compared to the cornels in Canada and 2 types of bananas, one being plantains. It can be “picante,” which is spicy. Or with Rice, which makes it more like a stir-fry. And then you can get it small and in a cup with some milk. Sounds gross, but it’s not… really (but I think the name is different for the one). Oh, and instead of bringing out bread at the beginning of a meal, they bring out half popped, popped corn. A bit weird, but satisfying. Seafood is pretty expensive in Canada, so I wonder how much it would cost there, but here (it can range and be either more or less fancy) 12 Soles!!! Divide that by 2.88 and there is the convert… an unreal $4.16 US. AND the portion is really big AND (at this one place) they follow up with a pineapple drink included. Wow, could I stay here forever. I was told there was a live reggae band playing at a bar beside this other bar that people go to afterwards for electronic music. Done and done.



I go back to the hostel, Chill Out, help Will repaint a mural (just the words) and have a siesta. Just waking up, Will comes to my door and say I have visitors. Really? So walking down the hallway I couldn’t imagine who it was, and the two faces I looked at were Mars, the English guy who came from Trujillo, and Christophe! Yaaayyy. So We ate dinner, which I had the veggie curry and it was so good I couldn’t believe, and started the drinks flowing. Sangria! Beer! Rum! We went to the club at 12:30ish and the reggae band just started to play. Dancing the whole night and then some sweet beach walks added to a wonderful beginning to Huanchaco.

The next morning a little rough, but went to the surf shop and hung out. I met this super nice Quebec girl, who moved here because of her boyfriend. She started off volunteering at a dog shelter, met a guy, and her extended stay became more permanent. I think I ate cebiche again, but I can’t remember. I honestly ate it almost every day for lunch or dinner. Mars and Christophe continued on in different directions, so I took an early night, so I could surf again tomorrow morning and be in good shape. I got up, did some yoga, practiced getting “UP” on the board quickly, and went to the shop. I had this Scottish couple with me in my lesson. I got up on the board almost every time! Again, the only thing that is so difficult is to have the strength and quickness to paddle and catch a wave by myself – I still need that extra push. Angelo called me “the princessa of the wave,” so corny, but still sweet.

The sunsets were amazing. 6:16pm they would set and be the most picturesque scene. They looked fake at some points! Everyday a different beautiful set.





I planned on staying until Wednesday/ Thursday. I stayed until Sunday, since there was a festival on the weekend. This week was a blur of relaxation, fun, interesting people, and unique things.

The houses are very low, only max. 4 stories, but they leave some of the rod wire sticking up of the corners of the walls. It looks a little ugly, but it’s because the people (at least in Huanchaco, but I’ve seen this around Peru in general) don’t have to pay property tax because they claim that they are “still building, but don’t have enough money for the new construction yet.” Some people went over this 4 stories rule up to 5 (very few) but still try to claim no property tax. Also, in Peru (and I think the same in Bolivia), most places ONLY paint the front of their house, I think that’s the only requirement. Again, it looks makes town as a whole look a little more “rough,” but people don’t want to pay more if they don’t have to.

When you’re on the beach, you see many straw (?) fisherman boats called Caballitos all lined up. They paddle with a bamboo rod that they cut in half and have a carved out spot in the back that holds the net. The shape of them also look like an elf’s shoe. There was a surfer named Joelle, who was a fisherman for like 6 years too. I begged him to take me out fishing and finally it happened. He did the paddling with the bamboo rod because it is super super difficult, even for locals. We threw over the net and starting going around the ocean (still close to shore and the pier). I got to sit in the back with the net and tried to put on live bait on the hook. I had to bite my lip because it grossed me out, but I did it and threw in the line. We ended up catching 2 small fish and one big only in a couple hours (it started to get cold); I think it surprised Joelle a bit too. You can then take your fish to a restaurant and they make a dish with the pescado (fish) called “Sudado,” which is pescado, onions, tomatoes in a sopa (soup). It was muchas rico (deeeeeeliciousss!).





I got a massage once at this place called Otra Cosa. It was a cute restaurant and I think hostel, with lots of volunteer information and a little store too. The massage was pretty cheap, but so-so – it hurt a little, It did relax me though and I got this awesome and massive sandwich with homemade brown multi-grain bread, avocado, goat cheese, egg, lettuce, and tomato. I watched the sunset and slowly ate this barely manageable sandwich. Random side note: I kept hearing what sounded like gun shots (and would continue to the rest of my stay), but they were roman candles people would shoot into the air just sporadically throughout the entire day and night. So random and quite annoying – I jumped every time!

One of the days it rained. This was a shock to everyone. It barely rains, but it happened. Like not too too much, but enough to say it legitimately rained. I was getting used to not wearing my windbreaker/ rain jacket until then. Like I said, there was a festival this week and especially this weekend. I think there are some big events throughout the month, but this week was special for some reason. Also, this only happens every 5 years! I helped Tito walk his bike home, which was right across from Chill Out and he told me (broken English and me guessing) that there was an orchestra and German people at the big church on the hill. Sure por que no right? (why not right?) He came to get me around 7:20 because it started at 7:30. We met up with his girlfriend Emily (a volunteer here from USA), who is really nice and friendly. After many stairs up the hill, we made it and found a place to sit in the church with the other volunteers. Most of them were doing a photography project with street children and some other were doing clinic help and one a teacher. They were from all over; Australia, England, USA, Germany and a random guy from Vancouver, Canada that just befriended them too. From what I was told, some German kids (I think maybe around 10-13 yrs old) came here to teach the children of Huanchaco and this was their presentation concert. They did some classics and then local pieces. It was pretty impressive. They started at 8:30, funny how Peruvian time works.

Afterwards we ended up going to a place called “Surfer Burger,” which was ran buy this guy who left Peru at age 3, went to the States, opened a pizza shop, things went bad from the recession and he decided to come back for the first time 2 years ago and stayed. Then opened this little, but popular burger joint, only to expand it and live a bit more relaxed life for while. His English was perfect and he was suave like the Peruvians. He had a Christmas tree up! A mini one on top of the bar, but it had ornaments, lights, and even WRAPPED presents underneath it! No joke, how awesome is that? I don’t know why I started getting hyper, maybe the orchestra music, but I started to give Frank (the young guy who owned Surfer Burger) some suggestions. 1) Fake snow, and how he should get the insides of a pillow and use that – very effective strategy. Also, he was talking about going to get surfing movie the next day because he plays them constantly (other than futbol games), so 2) I obviously suggested he get Blue Crush and think I talked about it for 20 minutes how obsessed I am with it. Did I convince him to get it? Yeah I did, but he told me I would have to pay him 3 Soles for the embarrassment he’ll have to go through.

Later on I went to a café called La Luna with Angelo and had some comforting tastes of home. The café was a well designed and neat furniture place on the beach. It had lounge chairs, roasted coffee bean murals, low lighting, treats, and this little area in the back you could watch movies. I got a hot chocolate that was absolutely heartwarming. It was BETTER than Starbucks! So we went to watch a movie and I couldn’t believe my eyes what was there (not Blue Crush), but my favourite movie ever, “Amelie” ! In a populated beach town of 18, 000 on the Northern coast in Peru, they had a copy of Amelie. I was in heaven! It froze three quarters though, but that’s not the point.

I ended up going to get a Mocha Latte grande the next morning and used the Wi-Fi. My friend Becca from back home sent me some songs including Rihannas newest one. I starting losing my mind to it and couldn’t help to discretely dance to it. I could fight it anymore, so I went up to the counter where the computer was playing the music in the Café and asked to download it and play it. Crazy? A little. Necessary? A lot. The girl working loved it hahaha. So blame it on the caffeine, but I had to share the song with the quebec girl, so I walked to the surf shop. I ended up running into Emily and 2 other volunteers and they asked me to go dancing that night! Obviously yes. Everyone I knew was going, so it was going to be good. It was at a club in Trujillo called “Ama.” Pretty pumped. Rapaelle, the quebe girl, ended up knowing the song, but felt as passionate about it as I did, so it was a girly giddy moment of singing. Later I stopped by Surfer Burger and Frank got the movie (I did have my doubts). He said it’s called something else in Spanish and Blue Crush was the subtitle, so it was difficult to find. Also, he had to lie and say it was for his girlfriend because the guy at the store thought he was flamboyant. Anyway, so he put it on, complaining and me defending it dearly, then some guy came to get a burger. He sat down, same reaction (is this Blue Crush? In a belittling way) and then he sat down to watch it! 2 other guys came in, same reaction, got two beers, and watched it. Frank even pulled up a chair! See, I told him. Now I don’t have to pay 3 Soles and it’s a part of his collection. And then he put some cotton snow on the tree. That was an honor!

I met my 2 new roommates, who were friends from Holland, Anka and Daniel. They were super friendly, my age exactly (even though they looked older and were both really tall) and wanted me to sit and grab a beer with them as soon as I met them. Hilarious jokes and smiles, I really liked these two. I had dinner with them, but couldn’t stay with them long because I was off to Ama in Trujillo with the volunteers. It was weird because it was in a MALL. So weird; literally, a food court and a big Cinema theatre to the right and a big arcade to the left. I was a little turned off and it took a while to get in without ID. The super macho security guard asked us where our passports were, like we would bring them to a club? In Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, I have never needed ID, why in this mall Club now? Anyway, our local friends got us in saying they would be “responsible for us.” We walk in and its massive and surprisingly really really nice and kinda classy. White lounge chairs, a VIP area, three different bars within and other rooms to go explore. Florescent lights behind bottles and on the wall. Not bad. And a good size dance floor. It was Ladies Night, so free entry and drinks until 12. You know the deal. It didn’t get crazy until 12:45, but it was jam packed. I swung around all night to reggaeton, salsa, and electro. I kept up pretty good with the salsa too! At the end of the night we fit 7 people in a cab and went back to Huanchaco.

The next morning I was a beach bum with Anka while Daniel tried surfing again. We met this guy from Texas named Zach. He was quirky and nice.



That night was the reggae beach party (crazy how a week flies by) and we all planned to go together. We met this Israeli couple (well one of the girls was from the States, went to Israel to volunteer, met a guy etc. etc…) and shared stories together featuring interesting and eccentric commentary from Will (the owner of Chill Out remember). Even though some people call him crazy, he has a real good heart and has looked after the whole week, and so has his wife Roxanne. They both have definitely showed how caring they are and I’m going to use a cliché here, but “part of the family.” Anyway, before Anka, Daniel and me left to go predrink at the pier, we met 4 Canadians, 3 from Nelson, BC, and one from Saskatchewan eating at Chill Out. They were fun and laidback and we would see them at the club later. It was Anka’s last night and she was ready to throw down. We initially grabbed 1 litre of rum, but Anka upped it to 2 litres, plus like 4 or 5 litres of Cola. As we were walking there, we met up with a few of the volunteers and they joined us. Things were getting a little messy, but then more people went to the pier and drank rum with us. We decided to go and when we were walking MORE people joined us. Anka and I were leading the pack giggling and along the way, she was convincing me to go to Holland. We entered to see everyone else and the Canadians we met earlier. All night long, we danced and sat along the beach near the campfire and danced some more. Long, awesome night.



The next day at 7:30am I woke up (not all there) to a marching band! Seriously Huanchaco, I know there is a festival going on, but 7:30am Saturday morning??? And this lasted for like an hour… maybe less. A full piece marching band hahaha. Later I walked down the street in a daze to see some of the volunteers at this restaurant called “Menu Land,” very original. I wanted a pancake and I’ve had some good ones, but Menu Land through me off on this one. It was a texture like bread pudding. I think it was made of corn, eggs, and dough. The guys ordered like 1 or 2 massive hamburgers each and it was 11:30 in the morning. It was a site to behold. Apparently there were boat races in the Caballitos. So we walked to the pier and watched the randomness of the races. Like there was a speaker, but he wouldn’t announce when they would start, all of a sudden a herd of people would just paddle out and do a circuit and the first one back to shore was the winner. Meanwhile there were men in the background having a fishing competition. Lets just say they almost collided once. The rest of the afternoon was sunning on the beach and relaxing.





I ate a chicken street kebab as a snack. We were meeting at 9:30 a bar, then going to fireworks. I fell asleep at 8:45, only to be woken up by someone trying to come get me because it was 11:00. Still half asleep and feeling kinda body weird, I went with Daniel to Sabes bar. I drank half a beer and just knew something was wrong. I – felt – sick. I tried to fight it and we went to go see the fireworks. I have never seen anything like it before in my life. There were some fireworks in the sky, but mostly on this tower thing with spinning wheels. At one point it started smoking and things were moving and it looked like it was going to malfunction and explode. It was hard not to really laugh because the locals were very serious about it (I mean it was an important festival for them). Afterwards I thought I was going to throw up on everyone and Daniel walked me back to the hostel. So nice of him, big brother Daniel.

I woke up late and in a kafuffle. I needed to pack my messy bag, phone a bus company, and try to get to Trujillo before it was too late to get a bus ticket to Mancora and meet up with people at 1:00 (which didn’t end up happening, so sorry!) Going to Trujillo to get a bus ticket was nonsense – it took 2 hours! I went with the Israeli couple, Becky and Jonan, and the bus rides were interesting. As soon as you step foot on the first step this guy who collects the money and shouts the stops out the window, slaps the side of the bus and yells to the driver “Vamos!!!” and it takes off in full speed while your body flies back and you run into people. I was lucky enough to get one of the last tickets to Mancora – phew! Like I was sick, but I HAD to leave, I was in Huanchaco waaaaay too long. It is such a nice place to be, friendly and welcoming, but you get trapped there and I knew I was running out of time to travel.

When I came back I walked into Chill Out only to see Tony, the Aussie from before, getting ready to eat!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes! We caught up a bit and figured out we both were going to Mancora. It’s super crazy how travelling works out! Afterwards, I slept the majority of the afternoon above the surf shop and Angelo gave me a good luck quartz stone that I can make into a pendant for a necklace. Very precious and sweet of him. He walked me back, I ate a quick soup Roxanne made from scratch for me with Daniel, the Becky and Jonan, and Tony. The restaurant was getting busy. And I had to leave in a rush. It was sad to have a quick goodbye, but I hoped to see Daniel and Tony in Mancora; they were supposed to take the next overnight bus. Will ran out to the taxi and gave me a hug and I flew through the streets to Trujillo. I arrived there on time, which is early to them, because the bus didn’t leave for another hour, but to my surprise, Angelo met my at the bus station to say goodbye one last time! Also, he phoned Tito, who wanted to say goodbye and passed the phone on to others. It was so nice I couldn’t believe it. I really appreciated everything they did for me and being the best company to have around. It was definitely sad to leave Huanchaco. It was the first place that felt like a mini vacation within my travels. I will never forget my time there.

Now I am in Mancora, taking the “day off” from life trying to reset my body. It’s going to be hard because I’m staying at Loki hostel and it’s heaps a party hostel. It’s super gorgeous and feels like a resort. There are only screens for windows and a balcony. I will definitely have to use my ear plugs. I can see the water and the beach from my room and it’s a dorm, but with no bunch bed – yes! Maybe because I booked a 4 person, but they are all separate beds and one of the comfiest in all my travels – amazing pillows included! There is a pool, a beach ball pit, two bars (from what I see) and it’s ON the beach. It would be hard to leave if I knew I could stay longer because this place is a legend and you can tell. I calculated my days and I am only spending 3 nights here. I added 2 more day trip places I want to stop at on my way back South (Chiclayo) and Arequipa. This hopefully won’t take any time away from Cuzco.

Hope people enjoyed this crazy big update one my life. It’s the hardest fight to find time, but at last, did it.

Miss you all and can’t wait to see familiar faces and not ask “What is your name? Where are you from? Where have you been?” Etc... etc…

XOXOX See you all soon (it's now less than 3 weeks away!)

Tujillo, Huaco del Luna, and Chan Chan

I took the bus company Cruz del Sur to Trujillo and was maybe the best I’ve had in Peru. I got food! Wasn’t the best, but still, did the trick. Sitting behind was a kid kicking my seat that I had to glare at and scold 3 times. It wasn’t very scenic; mostly grey desert. The movies were horrible, but I got to play BINGO. Once I got to the hostel, I booked a private room to get a solid night’s sleep and just pass right out.

In the morning, I went on a tour to Huaca del Sol (just looking, not open to the public) and La Luna. It was a found temple used by the Moche culture and still has original paint designs on the walls and artesanal ceramics. The Moche culture came before Chimu and then Inca. SO the Moche people are older than the Inca civilization – pretty neat. They are still working on excavation the temple. This is a prized archeological site for Peruvians.





















I met this English guy names Mars and a couple from Denmark. Oh, and a older woman from Australia. After the visit, I ate my first Ceviche seafood lunch (without really knowing what it was) with people from the tour. We left for the second part of the tour, which entailed Huaca Arco Iris (Dragon/ Rainbow temple), Museo de sitio Chan Chan , and civilization site of Chan Chan and ended in Huanchaco. The site of Chan Chan was the best part of the afternoon.













Side note: I saw my first Peruvian hairless dog. They are just frightening. See Below.