Peru

Sunrise in Mancora.

Surf Peru - Check. 

So, a few days ago, when Alex, Ferne, and I got to Cuenca, we were planning on spending at least a night or two in Cuenca.  But something happened when we got to the bus terminal in Cuenca.  We checked on buses heading out, and all of us ended up buying tickets to leave Cuenca that night.  They went on south to Loja and Vilcabamba, and I traveled west and south to the Peruvian border.  Bus leaves at 9, it was only about 2, so we headed into Cuenca for a look around and some food (again, no burgers south of Cuenca), and back to the bus terminal to catch my 9 o'clock.  

I know this may sound a bit like a repeat of my border crossing into Ecuador, but I met an awesome French girl at the bus terminal in Cuenca as we were boarding the bus to Mancora.  Marion is down in South America after a friend's wedding in Guayaquil, Ecuador.  She's going to travel a bit through Peru before heading back to France next month.  She and I hit it off immediately, and were almost friends by the time we reached Mancora at, get this, 4:30 AM.  This marks the second time I found myself in a small town in a new country for the first time in the middle of the night with a girl from Paris without a place to go.  Strange, huh? 

So we took at mototaxi (tuctuc) to a hostel we had heard of, and after negotiating for a room, decided to just sleep a couple of hours in a hammock until daylight and then find a place to stay the following night.  After minimal sleep, Marion and I left for a walk to the beach just before sunrise to find some breakfast.  This town is beautiful.  It's dry - a real desert climate much dryer than I had imagined.  The sun is really hot, but the breeze that blows off the water is very cool.  There are quite a few tourists here, both from Peru and from away, but it's absolutely not even close to overwhelming like Jaco might be (and Jaco is nothing compared to most resort towns in the world).  The one main street is paved, littered with tuctucs everywhere, while all other roads, like the one by the beach, is made of sand.  There are beautiful women, hippies, Europeans, surfers, kiteboarders, sunbathers, and partiers.  But not many of each.  

NAIF Hostel. 

Yesterday I surfed a 6:30 AM session and a 2 PM session.  Peru marks my third country to surf in - behind Costa and Nicaragua.  The waves aren't huge (no big swell these days), but the point break is a lot of fun, although a bit crowded.  I find it easier to surf here, as the waves seem to wall up a bit better than in Oeste, even when they are small.  I surfed on a 6'8", which isn't very small, but is the smallest I have ever surfed, and I did really well.  Wetsuit in the morning, but only board shorts in the hot afternoon sun.  It was an absolutely wonderful experience.  I was a little nervous at first around a lot of new people, but quickly got in the swing of things and caught a good 10 waves or so yesterday.  Some over head-high.  Sweet.  

Me getting off the back of a waste-high in Peru. 

Marion and I have had the most wonderful conversations over the past few days.  We spent about exactly 72 hours together, and all of it together, with the exception of the few hours of sleep for the two nights.  She has challenged me completely, but at the same time we have helped each other to look at life, and living, from different perspectives.  I have absolutely loved connecting with her - however short lived it was.  

Marion left for Lima last night, as I suffered most of the night with what turned into a horrible fever.  While I have been pretty sure I would head south for the past couple of days, I think it's time I head back north.  I love the idea of going to Machu Picchu.  But I think I'm tired.  I miss my dog.  I miss Costa.  I miss Oklahoma.  It's only been a couple of weeks, I know, but I think it's time to start my adventure back north.  So tonight I will catch a bus, most likely back into Ecuador, and see if I can't catch a wave there back to Costa Rica, and then on to Oklahoma.