Mancora during it´s high season is filled with surfers and surfer want-a-bees (Oct - Feb). The rest of the year the town is deserted of vacationers. The general atmopshere like most of the coast of South Americal is slow, layed back and the locals try to get what business they can off the tourists. By day we tan and swim, the water is much warmer during high season, but still enjoyable this time of the year. AT night there are bars and discos to frequent. Other local activities include the mud baths/hot springs and para surfing. Every time you take a taxi the driver wants to know if he can share the experience of the mud baths. The Reserva Biosfera (dry and tropical forests are only a few hours away) hiking, horseback ridding,waterfalls to swim in, class III rafting and mountain biking. There is much to be discovered.
Mancora has been on my list of places to go since I heard about how great it was from all the Peruvians. I have past through many times on my way back and forth from Ecuador but never had the time to stay more than a night or two. I managed to make a few pals here and kept in touch while I was traveling to other place. I decided to carve out a month to live in at the beach. My first 2 weeks I rented a beautiful cabaña at the beach front and far from all the craziness of the main town, at only $5 a night. Here I had time to spend endless hours resting in a hammock with the beach only a few yards away. The guy who owns and designed the cabañas did a nice job. All the showers are built into a garden. The water flows out of a bamboo tube like a water fall. Unfortuneltaly the owner became a jerk and I needed to move out. The timing was good as I was on my way for a multiday mountain biking trip into the Reserva and then spent a few days at one of the more northern beaches. the beach was so deserted that I was able to lay out totaly nude (YES YES with lots of sunscreen) This hotel (3 Points) is owned by this really nutty guy from Spain. He reminded me of one of the Muppets, esp. when he was wearing his tall white chefs hat ( a good cook he is). He designed the hotel using mangrove trees giving the architecture a very abstact feel, beautiful. I also met my new pal Alex. We were both stunned to discover that we share the same religion. He is from Panama but is now living in Peru. Though he grew up with the Latin culture, he IS STILL SOOO JEWISH, too funny to discribe.
After that trip I returned to Mancora. This time I rented a room in town from an older couple that run a internet service and bus company (for the convienents of an easy exit). The location has turned out to be excellent and the couple very nice ( no kids but they do have some chickens and a rooster running around the house). Like my cabaña I have an interesting bathroom. Instead of having a garden in my bathroom, the bathroom is IN my bedroom and the toilet is IN the shower. Try to imagine that! In any case the location is really great and the price is even better at $4 a night.
I had planned on teaching English for a few extra dollars and to have something constructive to do. I spoke to the folks at the police station and the Municipal office. Many people seemed interesed and some even chased me down the street to talk to me about taking a class. The funny thing and a very typical characteristic of Mancora is that the people are basicaly , well can I say lazy or just beyond low key. I had some future students pay me in advance to ensure their class. With all the attention I recieved to teach, NOT ONE student ever showed up for their lesson. That includes the ones that paid in advance. How strange you might comment, but here it is all the norm. So now I just enjoy the beach. When my bottle of sunblock is empty, that will be the time to head back to Ecuador and then home to the USA.
