23 April 09

I am just about ready for a siesta in my hammock!

We are in Punta Sal, a nice little beach spot some 150km from the Peru/Ecuador border, and have just enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled fish...which we caught ourselves!

This morning we went out on a (primitive) fishing boat with a couple of local fishermen and spent two or so hours fishing our little hearts out! But not with fishing rods, but hand lines made out wood! Bless! Even the anchor was 'handmade' - a big rock with a piece of wood tied around it! Why complicate things?!!

To get to the boat, we were picked up, two by two, on a raft made with three planks of wood and a rope to hang on to while we STOOD on the raft and were pushed to the boat. It was pretty funny, as Tim and I almost fell in (a couple actually did - thank God their cameras were in dry-bags! eek!)

The ocean was so calm it looked like a lake. It was so tranquil.

For the first hour we were snagging fish after fish after fish. Tim ended up with about 15 or 16 fish and I ended up with 10! But I did catch the biggest! he he

It was a bit of a National Geographic moment, with a pod of thirty or so dolphins swimming past as we fished, with flocks of pelicans flying over and around us, sometimes in formation. Just spectacular! A perfect morning!

I have finished the afternoon off with a sunbake and a swim...and a lie in a hammock. Ahhh! This place rocks (except for our tents, which have not been as waterproof as we would have liked and bloody hot and humid inside!!)

*YAWN* - we're playing beach volleyball in 45 minutes!

The couple of days before Punta Sal, were spent in Mancora, which is another awesome beach town renowned for its surfing (with a lot more nightlife and stuff to do than Punta Sal), only about 20 minutes away.

We stayed in dodgy, dirty rooms, but right on the beach, which more than made up for it! My tan is getting better by the day! I hope it holds out until Miami...

The first night in Mancora was pretty massive - a bottle of red and way too many Happy Hour cocktails later and I was sick the next day when everyone went for surfing lessons.. :( I cant believe I missed out... NO MORE DRINKING!! haha (yeah right - we're planning on mixing up some mango daiquiris very shortly!)

I must say, Tim did cook up a fabulous seafood BBQ for us for lunch on the beach which soon made me feel a lot better... Tim is becoming the BBQ King on this trip. He's very chuffed with himself. And we're super-satisfied! :)

Before Mancora, we spent two nights in Huanchaco which is, again, another coastal town in which we camped near the beach in the grounds of a hostel. (more hammocks and cold showers :) ) On our mission to find a renowned ice cream shop in town, we befriended a guy who owned an awesome bar overlooking the beach... It was great just to sit there and relax with our cheap cocktails!!

We did get the chance to see some non-Inca ruins (we're all Inca'd out! haha) - the Chan Chan ruins. They were amazing as alot of the town was still in tact after being excavated. You could still see the entitre old town square and intricate patterns on the walls (some had been restored, however). These people were very different from the Incas as they worshipped the moon rather than the sun due to their place in a very arid environment where the sun can do a lot of damage!

We will bid farewell to Peru tomorrow as we cross into Ecuador! *sniff* We cant believe this leg of our adventure is over... BUT, we cannot wait for Ecuador!! Bring on the Amazon!

QUICKBITS

1. the casino in Lima was the most fun we'd had in ages!! MUM - we played roulette for $1USD per bet and were allowed to eat and drink as much as we wanted! You would've loved it!! (plus, we ended up $12USD in front...tee hee!!)

2. Tim's beard is longer still...but it seems to have stopped growing??

3. I miss our dishwasher and washing machine!!