15th - 16th September 2008: Today we leave Ecuador and head into Northern Peru. Ecuador has been one of the highlights of my trip so far, the combination of amazing wildlife in the Galapagos, the chance to have a two week break with Mum, wonderful scenery and lovely people means that I am quite sad to leave. On our bus journey towards the border we pass more stunning scenery with huge mountain passes and lush forests. The landscape gets flatter and drier as we head towards Peru, the border crossing is one of the craziest yet, with market vendors, stalls and people everywhere. Somehow we all make it through without losing anyone or anything and we head off to the coastal town of Mancora. The beaches look beautiful and I´m looking forward to the thought of being back by the sea. Our hotel is only a stone´s throw from the white sand beach so after a quick lunch we head straight for a swim. My run into the sea in ruined when I find the bottom is covered with rocks and promtly fall flat on my face into the sea. I never was very graceful. Discover the reason there are so many pelicans and frigate birds over the ocean is that there are hundreds of little fish, which are constantly brushing up against us and take more than a little getting used to! After relaxing to the sounds of the waves we call it a night.

Devote this morning to the hard task of reading, napping and watching surfers while basking in the sunshine. Cool off with a swim although the waves are huge so we get a bit more of a work out than just floating gently! Wander the markets in the afternoon, there isn´t much to Mancora other than one main (dusty) sreet and the beach but it has a nice laid back vibe - I could easily stay here for much longer! Tomorrow is Therese´s 21st birthday but as we will be on a night bus we decide to celebrate it tonight so after a lovely supper and drinks on the decking by the beach, we head out to see what the nightlife of Mancora has to offer. Find a deserted bar and take over the dancefloor, it is soon full and I think the locals are amused by our dancing! After keeping them entertained for most of the night we head home, sleepy but happy.

Spend another busy morning reading and sleeping - I am reading a book about pirates and the new world so it seems very appropriate to learn about some of the bucaneering history connected to this area. Have lunch on the beach, I have found somewhere selling patacones so eat quite alot! Have a relaxed afternoon wandering the markets before another swim. Luckily the fish this time aren´t so alarming but I do spot a fin about 20 metres away which I am sure is a dolphin but the number of people pointing and shouting on the beach makes me think I may as well swim into shallower waters just in case! After a quick meal we catch the night bus to Huanchaco.