Huanchaco, Peru

After crossing into Peru, the landscape immediately changed to a desert-like, featureless plain, with vegetation that reminded me of a scene from Africa. I would find out later that this would be just the first of many unexpected landscapes in Peru. We drove hard all day, pushing into the night to make it to Huanchaco, a little surf town that boasted the longest long-board break in the world.

We found the ‘My Friend’ hostal, which was nothing to write home about from the accommodation side, but the courtyard restaurant had a good vibe, and they were serving the biggest burgers I’ve ever seen in my life.

We were aroused out of bed bright and early today, as the noisy street buses raced down the street that our hostel was on. Unable to sleep, we got up and decided to check out the town, which had looked pretty cool when we came in last night. We went down to the shore, and immediately saw the fishermen in their cigar shaped reed boats called Caballitos de totora. They were just coming in from the morning session with their haul of fish.

It was amazing watching them ride the big surf while sitting atop the reeds, as if in a kayak. Their only method of propelling themselves was a fat piece of bamboo that was split in half. While we didn’t have the camera with us, it was one of the more memorable sights of the trip thus far…