Day 50-52 Mancora

After another 9hr overnight bus ride, some antibiotics and a little sleep we arrived in Mancora (up the very north of Peru on the coast) feeling alot better. We were ready for some sun, surf, ceviche, amazing sunsets and hammock time.

We caught a tuk tuk style taxi to our hostel which was called Naif Rustic Eco lodge and was 50 meters from the beach. It was 6:30am but the owners were there to meet us and give us the choice of 3 different bungalow rooms. We chose the large top floor room that had a sand floor, a balcony with two hammocks and a view of the ocean. This place was perfect. We dropped our bags off, put our bathers on and went for a walk to the beach. It was clean and clear and there were only a handful of people walking and swimming. We walked round the bay where the, again very exciting left hander, came off the point. This place was perfect. The town consisted of a main street with surf shops, restaurants, cafes, ice-cream shops and small markets.

The next few days consisted of lying in hammocks, having naps during the day, waking up early for a surf and a swim, cooking good clean food and just enjoying the relaxed beach atmosphere. After now feeling so much better and finding my new lease on life I tried my luck at going for a few runs along the beach and it was brilliant. The surf was clean and gave Brendan a chance to try out his new hired board and meet some locals as well as soak the body in the Pacific Ocean. He enjoyed his 6am paddls with all of 3 other surfers and one of those being a beautiful golden retriever weho would not let his owner go out without him. He stood on the front of the board and paddled out with his owner, waited for that perfect wave and then took it all the way in without any trouble. It was so cute to watch, you could tell he loved it.

One afternoon we visited some hot springs which were located in the middle of no where. They had super gooey green mud below that when rubbed on your skin made it feel like silk. We soaked in the pool and then caught the tuk tuk back just in time for another amazing sunset.

If we didn't have a plane to catch in 10 days and Ecuador still to explore, we could have and probably would have stayed here for many more days. The lifestyle was great and the family that owned the hostel were fantastic too. This was exactly what we need to recharge our batteries before hitting Ecuador and then Central America.

Another over night bus to Guayaquil where we were determined to try our luck at getting on a last minute Galapagos tour. Fingers crossed.