After Cusco we went to Lima, on a 22 hour bus ride. The best bus company, Cruz Del Sur, makes the long bus rides absolutely painless. In Peru there aren't as many main bus stations, all the companies have their own terminals. Everyone we met was using CDS and we were astonished at the calibre of the buses. It's not even expensive, but it's like first class on a plane, on a bus. An attendant, meal service, clean bathrooms, movies, blankets and pillows and big comfy seats. Quite deluxe.
We arrived in balmy Lima rested and found a hostel. All the backpacker hostels are in the chic and safe suburb of Lima called Miraflores. Lima central is still a little sketchy in parts and there are areas that tourists are advised not to walk at night, but overall it was much much nicer than we expected. It feels as safe as walking around Kitsilano. It looks like San Diego, only everyone is speaking spanish and the food is even better. The beaches are clean and beautiful.
Once again we were absolutely blown away by the food. Reminiscent of Cusco but with a lighter touch, and obviously lots of seafood as it's on the coast. I understand why so many chefs are turning towards the food of Peru for inspiration. I would love to come up with a way to move there to work at some point because there are so many inspiring restaurants. Evidence of the extent to which the fine dining scene in Lima has developed is the presence of several professional culinary schools, inlcuding a Cordon Bleu Lima. Summers at Lake O'hara and winters in Lima! If my old sous chef from Blue Water Cafe, Ricardo Valverde realizes his dream of moving back to Lima to open a restaurant I'll be on the phone signing up!
In Lima we had a few happy reunions. You tend to reconnect with people along the well-travelled gringo trail. Whitney Ray and Austin Freese from Olympia, Washington were at Parque Machia at the same time as us, Whitney worked with spider monkeys and Austin walked a puma named Sonko. We really clicked with them and we were all pumped when we bumped into each other walking the beach in Lima. Eventually they sought us out at our hostel as they passed through Huanchaco and it was good to see them once again.
Josh Renfro and Rebecca Podesto from California were on our bike trip in La Paz, and we also instantly clicked that day so it was fun to discover them in our Lima hostel.
We're now in a lovely beach town called Huanchaco about 8 hours drive north of Lima. It's a humble fishing town with a big surfing scene. The biggest city in Northern Peru, Trujillo, is about 15km away. During the week it's a mellow surf town and on the weekend it completely fills up with jolly Peruvian families and teenagers coming to play on the beach. It has a very happy atmosphere. The beach is lined with dozens of delicious seafood restaurants and surf shops. We eat ceviche every day, you can get a combo lunch of a plate of ceviche, and a piece of corvina with rice and yucca for 10ns. (it's 2.79 nuevo soles to the dollar) The landscape is bizarre, kind of like the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, stark desert that meets the ocean.
We just missed the 2012 Pro Peru surf competition by two days. A massive event sponsored by Nissan and Ripcurl and the biggest cell phone service provider in South America. First prize was 30,000 USD. The bleachers and judge's stage was still set up when we arrived. We were a little disappointed to have missed that.
We're staying in a little surf school called Un Lugar. Juan Carlos has about five rooms he rents and we're basically in his home. It looks like a normal street entrance from outside but inside there are ramps and ladders to bamboo and palm frond treehouses. A row of trophies. One wall is about 30 surfboards. There's hammocks and reading nooks all over the place, lots of driftwood, weird tiki art and a little workout area with a yoga ball and a bunch of weights. A super tidy place, stacks of books everywhere. The main courtyard is open air and you can smell the ocean, we're less than a block from the beach. Nate was thrilled cause there are lots and lots of skateboards. (in addition to surfing Juan Carlos teaches kids to skateboard.) There are two kooky old macaws named Toto and Charlotte with clipped wings that are free to roam the whole compound.
I really enjoy watching Juan Carlos with the kids he teaches. Kids are out of school for the summer and there are swarms of kids coming in every other day for camp. As he's been teaching kids since 2000 he's seen many grow up, and teenagers pop in to say hi quite often, and sometimes do chores around the house so they can borrow surfboards and wetsuits. They have this quiet reverence when they're around him, calm and respectful and he's amazing with them. It's beautiful to watch someone at ease and content in a mentoring role.
We had our first lessons with him a few days ago. I had one lesson in San Diego a few years ago and haven't been on a surfboard since. Our first hour was extensive theory and then we got in the water. Juan Carlos is a really intense teacher, he pushed us hard, and we made a lot of progress in one day. I like how much he talks about attitude and the psychology of surfing, about patience with the ocean, our bodies, our minds. I think Nate was expecting it to be a bit easier as his balance is already so stable on a longboard but he was falling plenty too. The waves have been massive lately, the beach is even flying the red flag to stay out of the water in areas and also we're STILL sore from our first lesson, but we hope to get back at it tomorrow.
http://www.unlugarsurfschoolperu.com/
We happen to be here during the month of festivities that honor the patron saint of the city, SantÃsima Virgen del Socorro. There are lots of fireworks and firecrackers, and a few days ago they walked a giant icon through the city on the shoulders of some very weary looking men. A brass band followed and the whole town turned up for the event. The following day they set up a huge, very formal stage with the icon, a lot of flowers and fabricated an outdoor church. There was a massive crowd and they gave mass beside the beach.
I'm actually caught up to the present! Wow! We need to be up in Quito by the 13th to catch our flight to El Salvador. We're debating staying here for a few more days and then going straight to Ecuador so we actually get to see it for a few days before we catch our flight, but we love Peru and kind of want to stay as long as possible. There's another beach town another six hours north of here that has a considerably warmer water temperature so we might go to Mancora for a few days.
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