I am happy to say I have finally found paradise after a long, hot, tiring journey through the Peruvian desert in the dead of summer. I was for the most part disappointed with Mancora, known as a very popular tourist hangout. It was basically one strip set smack dab on the Pan American highway. Tons of traffic and unrelenting bugs and heat. I also was new to the coast and got a little over zealous with my beach time. Now I know not to spend the day at the beach as if I was in Maryland. After 3 straight beach days I was burned and suffering from dehydration and perhaps sun poising. Who knows but it was bad and I had to slowly, due to my exhaustion, flee Mancora. Now it wasn't all painful, I was able to do some nice drawing. I also met an interesting artisan from the Peruvian jungle who was travelling with his jewellery and wire work around South America participating in various markets and street vending. After Mancora, I spent two nights in hot, busy cities on my way south, Piura and Chiclayo. Authentic city experiences with few tourists around but for the most time I laid in my budget hotel room recovering and watching MTV and other TV crap, trying to stay cool.
Now back to paradise. Today has been amazingly refreshing. I am in Huanchaco, a beach town near Trujillo. The weather has been amazing, hot but cool enough in the shade and no bugs! My hostel is very nice with lots of other young people around and good places to chill. I spent the morning reading in a hammock, then I did a nice drawing in the shaded courtyard. I went for a seafood lunch, took a quick dip in the ocean and a short lay on the beach, completed my drawing, went for a walk around the mellow town and then watched surfers and the sunset on the beach. I think I will spend maybe 4 or 5 days here and then go straight to Lima where I catch a flight to Cusco on the 14th. There are some good day trips from here to Inca ruins and I will probably go into Trujillo one day.
Also, check out this website show the volunteering I did at the children’s hospital in Quito. All of the photos were taken by me:
http://www.yanapuma.org/BacaOrtiz.html
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1 comment:
all of this traveling sounds really awesome... you are going to cities i've never even heard of but them i wiki them and they are home to hundreds of thousands of people! what do you think about these places?
i'll e-mail tomorrow if i have time.
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