Huanchaco

After a day of touring hot archaeological sights, Eliot turned to me and said that he wanted a holiday. The pretty beach town- Mancora, was a day long bus ride up the coast so we opted instead for Huanchaco which is only 30 minutes from Trujillo. Huanchaco was originally a fishing town known for its reed canoes.

In recent years it has become a surf/ beach resort for Peruvians and European backpackers. By resort I mean a string of hotels, discos, restaurants, hostels and the usual artsy cafes.

We stayed at a hotel called Huanchaco del Sol. The room was the polar opposite of Trujillo’s chic boutique, a very basic but clean room a couple of blocks from the beach- But it had a balcony and outward facing window from which you could hear the waves (at 1 am after the loud talking and 80s music playing Peruvians went to sleep).

The beach was packed with Peruvians grouped mostly in families that included young children, parents and abuelas (granny). We rented a couple of chairs and umbrellas and watched the show.

The beach is about 2 km long and has large rolling waves and rocks once you get past ankle deep. But it was hot and sunny and the Peruvians were having so much fun it was contagious. There were vendors selling homemade yoghurt with granola, candied peanuts and panela (sugar cane juice) toffee that the vendor held over her arm like a boa constrictor. Vendors that could afford inventory sold Inca cola, cotton candy and toys. Later that night we sawa kid bring all the used cotton candy sticks he had collected from the beach back to the vendor- South Americans use everything.

We saw many few foreigners, including young blondish euro-surfer types. Unlike the foreigners we met in other places, the Huanchaco foreigners were not friendly at all. My theory is that they were surfers not travellers. They were staying in one place and trying to blend in. Associating with camera clad tourists like us might blow their cover, I was able to photograph one of these euro-locals, you have to look carefully to see him because he blends in so well.