Mancora is a small coastal town in Northern Peru - we arrived at 4.30am thismorning and as sunlight hit I discovered there was a playful, peeling lefthander rigtht infront of our hostel- we hired a longboard after lunch and Nicki and I took it in turns surfing until sunset..

Before mancora, we were in huanchaco and trujillo for a few days - surfing and making the most of the amazing quality and range of seafood available...

We also spent a day touring some of the ancient Moche and Chimu ruins nearby - the tchudi palace was one of 9 palaces of the chimu kingdom and it was suprisingly well preserved- Interestingly, when kings died, their concubines were sacrificed to accompany them to the afterlife- one king´s tomb was discovered with remains of 11 female bodies. We also saw La huacas del sol y la luna & Chan chan Museum. Apparently the Moche preceded the chimu people who preceded the incas- we were given detailed accounts of the Inca invasion of the chimu kingdom.. most interesting for me has been the insight into how integral the natural environment was for  these cultures - the land, sky and sea were sources of food, shelter, worship and remaining artefacts echo this importance in the recurring symbols evident in crafts and building ruins. Often skilled craftsmen, fisherman, warriors etc, these people used their skills to serve the functions of daily life but everything was intertwined with a deeper spiritual purpose..

Anyway, we´re planning our trip to Galapagos at the moment and hoping to avoid any guerilla heists as we cross the border..