Monday, May 24, 2010
CHICAMA—Longest wave in the World
CHICAMA—Longest wave in the World
Spent 4 nights at this classic left hand point break and surfed every day. So I was lucky because it can go flat. It was 3-4 feet the first 2 days then peaked at solid 6 feet for one day then back to 3-4 for the rest. The bigger day caught me inside and I couldn’t get out of the whitewater for 1000m down the point. The rip is the big issue here and some people pay US$40 a day for a boat. But the guys I was hanging with were poor or pure souls who didn’t agree with that. I had lead for arms after each session just trying to stay in position to catch something before the rip spat me out in front of town.
Did have some issues with the runs and a head cold so that didn’t help matters. Food in small towns in Peru
The last 2 days were very cold with a fog almost in. The cold current here has a huge effect on the weather and you definitely would be better off with a full wetsuit and booties for the constant walk backs to the take off point. It really was a treat to visit such a world famous spot and find the hype matched the truth. But next time I’ll use the boat
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
TRUJILLO--Chan Chan,Huanchaco Beach,Temples of Sun and Moon
A great city to visit with so much to see in the surrounding suburbs and beautiful buildings in the city centre. I stayed at the Colonial Hotel with a great room for $17 and so close to everything. They had a lot of cheap tours organised going out to the sites so that's the way I went.
First afternoon I went out to the over restored Rainbow temple where I saw my first hairless dog. Hairless because of their body temperature and they do not have a full set of teeth, which is handy if they snarl at you! Onto the huge site of a former Chimu adobe city built in about 1300AD called Chan Chan. The size is staggering but because it was built of mud bricks a lot of it now looks like shaggy sandhills. The restoration going on includes topping the walls with cement and then digging down to find the good bits of which there is plenty on display. This is a world heritage site and a lot is yet to be uncovered. Final stop was out at Huanchaco beach where they make a big thing of the reed fishing boats that single fishermen take out through the surf. A nice jetty give you a good view of that surf that needed a bit more size and punch when I was there. Great spot though and once more its a left hand break--goofies eat your hearts out!!
Next day we went out to the other side of the city and saw the fabulous Temple of the Moon and the yet to be developed, huge, Temple of the Sun. Five layers of temples have been built on top of one another by new dynasties and the various layers have been exposed by the Spanish, grave robbers and now the archaeologists. Its a very special place looking at this civilisation from its legacy of beautiful artwork left on walls. The Temple of the Moon was great and what awaits us when they start on the bigger Temple of the Sun?
Righto--enough culture---back to Chicama for me to try and catch the biggest wave in the world!!!!
First afternoon I went out to the over restored Rainbow temple where I saw my first hairless dog. Hairless because of their body temperature and they do not have a full set of teeth, which is handy if they snarl at you! Onto the huge site of a former Chimu adobe city built in about 1300AD called Chan Chan. The size is staggering but because it was built of mud bricks a lot of it now looks like shaggy sandhills. The restoration going on includes topping the walls with cement and then digging down to find the good bits of which there is plenty on display. This is a world heritage site and a lot is yet to be uncovered. Final stop was out at Huanchaco beach where they make a big thing of the reed fishing boats that single fishermen take out through the surf. A nice jetty give you a good view of that surf that needed a bit more size and punch when I was there. Great spot though and once more its a left hand break--goofies eat your hearts out!!
Next day we went out to the other side of the city and saw the fabulous Temple of the Moon and the yet to be developed, huge, Temple of the Sun. Five layers of temples have been built on top of one another by new dynasties and the various layers have been exposed by the Spanish, grave robbers and now the archaeologists. Its a very special place looking at this civilisation from its legacy of beautiful artwork left on walls. The Temple of the Moon was great and what awaits us when they start on the bigger Temple of the Sun?
Righto--enough culture---back to Chicama for me to try and catch the biggest wave in the world!!!!
PACASMAYO
Lineup
Closed Club on the beach
workstation haha with a bit of Ron-spanish for Rum
Any excuse for a parade
PACASMAYO
My first surf town and it was hard to see when we arrived but thought I spied an awesome left coming through in the dusk. Took a bit to find a hostel with Wi Fi but the Bahia was good value at 40 new sols(US$14) Private room, double bed,own bathroom and good size so I ended up staying 4 nights looking for some surfing. It was hard to find a longboard and nobody opened up till 9am so when I eventually tracked one down the next morning and got a ride part way in a little bike buggy, the strong sideshore wind had kicked in. Walked the final half mile out to the end of the point and jumped in and was pleasantly surprised at the water temp of about 19 degrees. By the time I got out through the break I was already 200 metres down the point and it was a constant battle to stay in position especially with my surf muscles out of shape.
Had a couple of nice long lefts and then let myself drift down along the point and took what I could find along the way back to town! Awesome setup but you want to be fit or, like a couple of guys, who were being picked up by a zodiac after each ride! The water wasn't clear, which is a problem anywhere near a town and the way they don't think about rubbish disposal will always get up my nose (literally). Still these are 3rd world countries and you deal with it. Had a late surf in front of town that had a couple of nice lefts breaking in toward the jetty.
Going back to the clean issues I came down with a dose of diarrhoea overnight and that laid me low the next day so I missed some good waves and the next day the swell was dying so I decided to pack it in and go onto Trujillo for some culture and come back to Chicama when the swell improved
Had a couple of nice long lefts and then let myself drift down along the point and took what I could find along the way back to town! Awesome setup but you want to be fit or, like a couple of guys, who were being picked up by a zodiac after each ride! The water wasn't clear, which is a problem anywhere near a town and the way they don't think about rubbish disposal will always get up my nose (literally). Still these are 3rd world countries and you deal with it. Had a late surf in front of town that had a couple of nice lefts breaking in toward the jetty.
Going back to the clean issues I came down with a dose of diarrhoea overnight and that laid me low the next day so I missed some good waves and the next day the swell was dying so I decided to pack it in and go onto Trujillo for some culture and come back to Chicama when the swell improved
Piura--PERU
What a complete change after coming out of Ecuador's highlands onto the desert coast of Peru. The land quickly turned bleak. The city of Piura is fairly close to the ocean but I only stayed the night and had a look around then and in the morning. The usual vast array of churches and main square but I was more focussed on reaching Pacasmayo which is the first of the classic north Peru surfbreaks
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Loja gateway to Peru-for me
Loja markets flash didn't work
Entrance to the city gates
Exit to the city gates
The Ecuador Peru border at Macara
LEAVING ECUADOR
LEAVING ECUADOR
This country has such a lot to offer that I didn’t see but its impossible to do it all. So I had to move south from Banos and chose to follow in the footsteps of the Incas down through the Andes and my first stop was Cuenca Quito museum of Culturas Aborigines Cuenca
The next town was Loja which is the leaving point for the Peru
I stayed one night in both cities and wandered around in a ramshackle way that seems to work for me. I have some sort of sense of both places and felt elated by my trip in Ecuador as I slipped into Peru at the border town of Macara
Talk about a complete change. To leave the temperate Andes and drift onto the flat land of Peru where it quickly became desert and the Andes retreated to the East. It was bloody hot again as we moved down to sea level.
LEAVING ECUADOR
Cuena flower market
necklaces Ceunca Aborigines museum
Cuenca --watch out!!
Banos- Cuenca cloudline
Cuenca Museum Phohibito
Ceunca Aborigines museum
Cuenca Inca ruins
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