From Chiclayo to Mancora

I have made it to the fabled beach city of Mancora on Peru's coast, and thus far it is everything I thought it would be. Mancora is located closer to the Ecuador coast that to any other major city in Peru, and is warmer than anyplace I've been in the country, which is one of the main reasons why I wanted to come up here in the first place. As expected, I've seen more gringos since I arrived this afternoon than Peruvians, but I've heard that during the summer months (January to April) this places swells with Peruvians escaping to the long sunny days and great surfing that this place has. It is so well known for it's surfing in fact that I've decided to take serf lessons tomorrow!

Today has been a pretty mellow traveling day. I woke up early in my hotel in Chiclayo to walk to the bus station to buy my ticket to Mancora, and afterward went to breakfast before heading to the bus station at 10. While waiting for my bus, I saw a couple I had met in the hotel and we traveled on the bus together to Mancora. We got the posh, comfy seats on the first floor of the bus, with seats that felt more like lazy boys than bus seats. Arriving at 4, I headed for my hostel, called The Point, which is on the far side of the town, a 10 minute walk in fact. It's definitely a party hostel, but it's a good way to meet people, I figure. Anyway, as soon as I put my things down on my bed, I high tailed it for the beach...which is amazing! Walking in the water, feeling the sand between my toes, collecting seashells...I can pretend I'm back home enjoying summer for a moment.

Anyway, when I was down town I bumped into the couple who I rode the bus with and we went out for drinks and dinner together. Cindy and Collen are from California and traveling together here for two months. After having been on my own traveling for the past couple of days, it came as a welcomed break to relax and talk freely, without the constraints of a language barrier.