Well now that all depends on how one defines surfing innit?!
We were there at Chicama beach on Peru´s north coast. Chicama is famous for having this incredible break (left even!!) that can be ridden from the point to the pier... an impressive 2kms!! Yeah baby yeah!
We had boards!
We were in the water!
Surely that must qualify as surfing the worlds longest break?
It was all a bit tricky, see? For a pair of novices to even get out to the break with the roaring cross current, fishermens nets, sharp rocks and not much of a clue. So we contented ourselves with catching the lovely 4ft waves in a little closer to shore. Had an absolute blast!
While we were based in lovely little Huanchaco on Peru`s north coast we got in a good few surfs. And didn`t our pecs, triceps and biceps know it!!! Makes a nice change from sore sore legs though I spose! Was most excellent to have a break that wasn`t all dumpers or shore break. Wasn`t so nice to have the pint-sized grommets on giant-sized boards catching everything and anything and striding up and down their boards as if on a catwalk! But there ya go - a little humility never did anyone any harm. Never did cracking a grommet in the head with the nose of a surfboard mind you!
Huanchaco is a wee surf town just out from Trujillo. The locals fish from incredibly narrow reed boats and also manage to surf these contraptions! Quite incredible. As is the result of their toils! YUMMY SCRUMMY seafood! Had it for breakfast lunch and tea!
We went budget here, and actually pitched a tent in the gorgeous grounds out back of a hostel! Ended up having the whole place to ourselves... including a fire-pit in the middle of it all. Bit tricky finding firewood in the dessert but Ben soon solved that problem and I happily pretended that the wood going onto the fire DIDN`T look like furniture at all.
Our next nights fire was a little more ligit with wood kindly sought out by a couple we`d been surfing with that day! They did the leg work and somehow managed to procure a bundle of wood from some lady over yonder in the village. So fire, marshmallows and some cheap rum had us set for the night.
Seems we got pretty dern relaxed and ended up staying put in this place for 5 days or so. Even managed to get around to seeing the Chan-Chan ruins. Sadly they`re eroding away pretty rapidly since they`re made mostly of mud and sand. And they sit by the coast on the edge of a desert. But we were still able to get a pretty good idea of the expanse and intricacy of the walls, murals and plazas. Also the impressive swimming pool sized well. Still with water (and ducks) in it!
Time came when we realised we had to get moving if we wanted to see the rest of this continent! Or at least some more of it. So to Ecuador we headed. Heard all sorts of horror stories about border crossings into Ecuador so prepared ourselves for the worst and.... no need. Was a snap! Mind you - being finger-printed before getting on a bus was a whole new experience! And maybe Ben didn`t think it was so easy to jog through traffic back to our hostel, grab ALL of our bags and start lugging them back to the bus terminal for our departure in 5 minutes! But thats what the new trim body`s for though, right?!
And here we are. In Ecuador. In a valley town called Vilcabamba. Chilling out with the locals and the hippies and plotting our next moves.
