Huanchaco and Mancora

Our first overnight coach of the trip took us to Huanchaco, a small coastal holiday town, very quiet in this winter season. Visited the ruined remains of a few lost civilisations, all of which had been wiped out by the Incas hundreds of years before the Spaniards ever set foot on Peru. But mostly we just took advantage of the TV in our room, watching dubbed spanish TV while tucked up in bed, feeling sorry for ourselves. I for one definitely felt this was the best route to recovery. Before you judge too harshly… bear in mind that TV is the closest thing we have to home (now that I read this back… it sounds kinda sad!).

Mostly we just watched Fox News for its entertainment value. My favourite quote, on the morning after a suicide bomber failed to blow up a Merc outside London´s Tiger Tiger nightclub, was the following: “So John (English Correspondent), what will be the English response to this shocking incident? In particular, have they revealed yet if the investigation will be led by the police, or will Scotland Yard take charge?” “Well Bill, Scotland Yard is actually just the name of a building here in London, so the investigation will be fully controlled by the police…”

We went for dinner one night at a Hill Billy restaurant started by and run by a genuine red-neck. Proper country western music played in the background while we were served ice tea poured into our glasses straight from a bucket. We were given a plastic tray, similar to those in prison movies, with a dollop of corn bread, a sea of refried beans and some other indistinguishable mush (apparently vegetables). We could then have as much BBQ meat as we wanted, provided of course that we could find any among the layers of fatty rind. And yes, this was in fact equally as appetising as it sounds. This was Aaron, our American tour leader´s, idea of getting his reminder of home.

From Huanchaco we took our second 8 hour overnight coach to Mancora. Our room sat facing a gorgeous surfing beach. The sun shone hot, the water was clear and the waves were strong. During the day we swam, played volley ball and had spanish lessons in the sunshine. At night countless bars opened up onto the beach. Small bonfires were lit and logs and blankets formed seating around each while candles of varying size provided additional lighting. The music wasn´t exactly authentic, generated through large amplified speakers placed tactically in the sand, but with the crashing waves and a starlit sky the overall result was a cosy and comfortable atmosphere. We were here for the next 10 days. I already want to go back.