After that horrible bus ride from Terapoto to Mancora, we chilled a few days in Mancora. It was HOT. Mancora is described in the guidebook as Peru’s worst kept secret, and it shows as such as the first few hostals we went to were full. There didn’t seem to be that many people, but it was busy. The surrounding countryside isn’t very pretty, just your average Peruvian coastal desert. The beach is nice, but nothing compared to stuff in the Carribean or Hawaii. We tried surfing and the waves were much bigger than we were ready for. I got just pounded by waves after gasping in surprise at how fast they were. We also got sunburned. We put on SPF 30 sun block, but 3 hours in the sun and water were too much without reapplication. On the second day we also went to the hotsprings, which are barely developed for tourism. It’s really just a muddy hole with warm water and some bamboo huts for changing rooms.
From Mancora we returned by overnight bus to Huanchaco. It was strangely comforting to go back to somewhere we knew so well. I can only imagine how nice it will be when we go back to the US! We said hello to everyone we knew, ate at Otra Cosa, and surfed in waves we could manage, even if we felt like we had lost a lot of our ability. It was good to see David again and do a little work on the Espaanglisch web site. We also picked up our camping gear which we left behind, so no we can finally start doing some longer hikes. From there we took the luxury bus to Lima, and man oh man was it nice. I’m not sure I can go back to taking regular buses. The luxury bus was like first class airplane seats, and most importantly, the fellow passengers are quiet!
Anyway, now we’re in Lima and gonna drop off some stuff including the laptop so we can travel lighter and faster. We’ll be heading toward Arequipa and then in to Bolivia and Chile. It’s strange, but even with close to 3 months left (April 15th) it feels like our deadline to return to the US is looming. I’m pretty sure by the time that date comes though we’ll be ready to go back.
I’ve always thought Lima sounded nice. Are there any photos? Here at home (Newport WA) we are having a 3-day cold snap of below zero each morning. No serious problems with that so far. Most snow this winter in several years. A new plow-guy who comes up from Blanchard when we need him. Mom is going to buy Nathan’s Outback; Nathan doesn’t need it I guess. Nathan and Katie are going to New Zealand. That’s all for now, Bye!
Comment by Doctor Marty — January 23, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
Make sure to write about Bolivia and Chile! It’s interesting how time flows differently. From crawling in the beginning, to suddenly realizing that your time is almost up – and that you’re not ready! Are you guys thinking of staying longer? I know I’d be tempted…especially with all (okay, maybe not ALL) of your adventures!
Comment by Bridgid — February 2, 2008 @ 1:52 pm