Two days on the beach

So, for those of you who are checking my new, way cool blog daily (ie Mom and Dad), you will notice that I missed a day yesterday. Well, actually I was doing you a favor because since arriving here in Mancora, I have succeeded living out the beach lifestyle and have fully taken advantage of the ability you can have here to relax. I have never been to Mertyl Beach before, but I imagine that Mancora is to Peru what Mertyl Beach is to South Carolina -- perfectly gaudy because it can be and because of the hoards of beach lovers that regularly flock there. There are vendors that line the beach front, tons of over priced hotels, and ´vacationers´ who seem to have never left the place. Although I usually purposefully steer clear of places like this, I have completely enjoyed my time here. The sun is strong and I find it very rejuvenating after having been in the cold of high altitude places. And the sea is incredible here -- clear, gentle waves roll into the the long smooth beaches all day, and it is perfect for swimming.

Yesterday I woke up and took my first of two surfing lessons. Yesterday´s lesson was a bit disappointing because I my teacher was a 16 year old boy who could only say ´hey baby´ in English to me... but I did enjoy the waves and learning a bit about surfing. After that I promptly returned to my hostel to switch to another one because the previous night I was put to sleep listening to techno music and the sounds of people partying below me. When I checked into my new hostel I met girl from the Netherlands named Cynthia who invited me out to lunch, so I made a new friend while I ate my delicious plate of ceviche (raw fish ´cooked´ in lime juice, delicious). In the afternoon I took a walk on the beach and then went swimming, which gives me sooo much joy! Anyway, that was followed by getting ready for dinner and then meeting up with my new friend and some of her friends for dinner (again, ceviche). I am always so amazed by the ease with which friends are made when traveling.

Anyway, today I started the day by taking a walk to the town´s market. Something very special about towns in Peru is that almost all of them have an outdoor market where fruit, vegetable, bread, and whatever-else- vendors set up their stand to sell their goods to the public. And it´s usually cheaper. So I had a great fruit juice made right in front of my eyes and some fresh bread for breakfast. On my way back to town I met up with an American who owns a great restaurant here called Green Eggs and Ham. When I told him the hostel I'm staying at he told me its the worst hostel in town and treats its employees really badly (paying them no more than 10 soles a day -- he may be streching the truth, but I went with it). I couldn't live with myself knowing that so I switched hotels again! Fortunately for me there are a huge selection of hostels to choose from here. Anyway, after that was my second surfing lesson, and this one was much better, with a better instructor. I really enjoyed the experience and got up on the board a few times.

The afternoon continued in full relax mode. I ate ceviche for lunch, watched Spain beat Germany, and went swimming again. I talked with some friends, ate a chocolate bar, and watched the sun set (well, half way set). So, clearly it has been a busy day!

But tomorrow, the world beacons and I will cross the boarder heading to Ecuador.