The sea forgives all, unlike those mean old mountains.

     You might think that hanging out at a Peruvian surf town on the Pacific ocean would be amazing... and you'd be right. I may be showing my age by saying this (I still feel like I'm 22), but the best thing about the first day that we were here was sleeping. After a heroic bus ride of more than 475 miles all we wanted to do was take a nap. And nap we did. 13 1/2 hours of napping. Finally, after our kurzer tod  (look it up) we awoke with a powerful hunger. We walked down the beach until we found the first of many, many ceviche places that would become a hallmark of our time here. For those of you not familiar with ceviche, think of it as South American sushi;  Raw fish, shrimp and other assorted crustaceans "cooked" in lime juice and other spices.  Here in Peru it is a national obsession. Drink a beer, have some ceviche, go surfing, have some ceviche, too much fish?... have some ceviche. It is amazing.

     After eating we ambled through the streets of town to get the lay of the land. The northern Pacific coast of Peru is essentially a desert and Huanchao is where the desert meets the sea. Sand surfing is almost as popular as regular surfing. Eventually we found ourselves at the local cemetery. The silent, home-made crosses outlined against gray and cloudy, desert sky made for a haunting image.

     The next day we made a breakfast of eggs and toast then headed into the main city of Trujillo.  We took the bus which was and adventure in itself.  The short story is that they were all made from old washing machines, filled with pickpockets and covered in pornography and pirated cartoon characters.  Needless to say, I felt right at home. In Trujillo we bought a guitar. FINALLY!  I've been jonesing for a a guitar ever since we landed on this continent and it finally happened. It's cheap but it has 6 strings and a sound box which is all I'm looking for.

That is a ceremonial scepter I'm holding.
Get your mind out of the gutter.

     On the way back from Trujillo we stopped by the ancient ruins of Chan Chan. Practically unknown to the outside world, Chan Chan was actually the largest pre-Columbian adobe city in the Americas.  It was over 20 square miles of adobe structures 30 feet high perched next to the Pacific ocean. Most of the city is in horrible shape now and kind of looks like a giant, crumbling Pac Man game made of sand but parts of it have been restored. It even has it's own Disney-style inhabitants who are more than happy to take your money in exchange for a photo.

    We arrived at the tomb of the king of Chan Chan before long and decided to give a small concert for the departed.  I hope the Chimu Indian ghosts like Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"  because that's what they're getting: 

 

   We eventually made our way back to Huanchaco, and you know what? Peruvian people love guitars! We couldn't walk five feet without a horde of people stopping us and asking us to stop and play songs for them. We eventually stopped and hung out with a few street vendors who danced, hula-hooped and played the flute along to Beatles, Bob Marley and Judge Roy Bean songs.                                                                      That night we saw our first sunset over the Pacific ocean.  Although there are no "seasons" in Huanchaco (it is 8 degrees south latitude) there are two distinct types of sky.  From November to June the sky is beautiful and clear all day.  From late June to October Huanchaco becomes the land of eternal clouds. Fortunately, for one brief, shining moment a tiny break in the clouds appeared right at sunset giving us a gorgeous panorama.

     Surfs up! Friday rolled around and we finally decided to get our feet wet and do a little surfing.  The water was chilly due to the Humbolt current which runs up the side of South America bringing with it the icy waters of Antarctica. The waves were pretty decent and Molly and I both had a few good rides. After two and a half hours we were wiped out and headed in.  

     We had rented boards and wet suits from a CRAZY party guy at a shop right on the beach.  It turned out that not only did he design and make all his boards in a little back room behind the shop, but it was also his birthday.  Before we could say anything he shoved a couple of beers in our hands and cranked up the music.   A bunch of his friends were already there drinking and shouting.  It was our first, but probably not last, South American fiesta.