Huaca Huanchaco
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
The best part about traveling alone is getting to make all the decisions you want, when you want, how you want, and no friend, girl or person can slow down the decision making process. I don’t have to deal with any of my flakey friends (who I do love dearly) in SF, those unable to commit to wiping their ass after a shit because something better may come up at the last second. Case in point with Huanchaco Peru. I had left Chiclayo to stay in Trujillo and on the way into town I was so turned off but what I saw, I immediately figured out which collectivo would take me the 12 kilometers to another beach town I heard about…Huanchaco. I made an on the spot decision and nobody could even question me…I love it. I was off to a beach town where the fishermen still use the traditional reed boats from hundreds of years ago. Using my “trusty” Lonely Planet I actually scored in a big way. I found the most amazing hostel—Naylamp is the name of the hostel for you blog prowlers—and instantly made a great group of friends.
Joost—a Dutch, Carlo—an Italian, Wilco—a German, and I just hit it off. We had others pass in an out of our group over that week+ but the collection of like minds between the four of us made for really good times. Now keep in mind our days were very, very, lazy. Essentially we drank, played hours upon hours of cards, loafed around the beach and went surfing a couple times. Hmm, is there a theme developing here? Lots of surfing and lots of beach time…at least I have had more of it than I expected. I more imagined high Andean adventures, but I know they are still in my future. Anyhow this hostel had a deck overlooking the Pacific where they would serve us food and Pisco Sours. For those who do not know what this means, It is arguable that the Pisco Sour is single handedly the best cocktail on the planet. Strong, refreshing on a hot day, warming on a cold day, and so very tasty…essentially it is guaranteed drunkenness in a glass. This bread an incredible laziness. Actually being served and not having to move meant we had found the club med of backpacking hostels. I can remember one day Carlo joking that he had accomplished all that was needed to feel good about himself…he had actually walked 5 blocks down the road to buy a new bathing suit. Certainly more than the rest of us accomplished that day.
A couple times we lived large, left the hostel and went to a bar on the beach. We managed to actually pull the greatest beach tourist blunder. Drinking ourselves into a stupor by a hearty 1PM we passed out on the sand lined up like beached gringos…wait we were. Not really thinking logically, we had unknowingly passed out well below the high-tide line. Sure enough a wave came, and violently soaked all of us and ruined the cigarettes, books, and the towels we had stolen form the hostel. We must have been a good laugh because after I realized what had happened, I next realized the entire beach had been diligently waiting and watching for the inevitable. Every person within 30yds was rolling hysterically on the sand and pointing at us.
One day determined to tackle our drinking habit head-on we went out for a little cultural enlightenment. We went to visit the Huaca de la Luna and the Huaca del Sol. Essentially what had been an enormous sand dune for all of modern Peruvian history, turned out to be a buried temple. In 1993 somehow the secret surfaced and very aggressive excavations have been going on ever since. Sadly this is yet another site the Spaniards had plundered so there is considerable damage and very little treasure left; however, being buried in over 100 meters of sand for 500 years left what was left very well preserved. So well preserved much of the paint was still vibrant even though older than my country…just crazy. Well this is the end of the coastal adventure for now…off to the mountains and then the Amazon.
Chirp bundle up Chirp
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