Long time!

To say that time is flying is an understatement! I can't believe how fast the last few months have just zipped by. I have quite a full schedule with work, taking a quick trip up to San Francisco for my friend's wedding, traveling south with friends again, and taking a fun adventurous vacation along the northern coast of Peru.

Not too much has changed here in Lima. We're still under constant cloud cover during these winter months but as I write this, the sun is surprisingly peaking through. Thank goodness for a rooftop terrace on afternoons like these! Work continues to take up the majority of my time here in town but I'm thankful for a really great group of co-workers. It seems like there is always someone new at the office. It's hard to work with so many travel lovers because hearing about other's crazy trips just makes my own appetite for travel that much stronger.

Thank goodness for some vacation I had in the end of August where I could satiate the need to explore more of Peru and also see some much desired sunshine. I went with my close friend and roommmate Johanna and another girl, Simone, all the way up to the Peru and Ecuador border. From there, we spent ten days slowly making our way down the coast stopping at little sleepy fishing villages and beach towns along the way. The trip was a perfect combination of relaxation and adventure. We made no plans prior to traveling, only knowing the direction we would head the first night. Each day we had the ability to decide if we wanted to move on down the coast or stay another day and explore the area we were in. With this flexible schedule we had a blast. There wasn't a day we went without sunshine (such a nice change compared to cloudy Lima) or a day without making new friends. Here's a quick run-down of the places we visited:

Reed Boats in Haunchaco

Trujillo - north of Lima by about eight hours, this town is actually quite big. There's a gorgeous colorful Plaza de Armas and lots of history here.

Huanchaco - about 20 min outside of Trujillo, this is a quaint little coastal town that's a prime destination for surfers. We enjoyed our stay here and visited some nearby archaeological sites. I was a big fan of sitting on the beach and watching fishermen make their handmade reed boats.

Tumbes - All the way up at the Ecuadorian border, this was another larger city. It's definitely not a tourist destination so we stood out quite a bit. We had fun exploring some of the city before heading to the coast.

Our boat driver in the Mangroves

Zorritos - Loved this place. It's along the Pan-American and basically just a thin strip of lovely beach and crystal clear waters. We stayed in a pretty little hotel right smack on the beach. We also went on a day excursion from here to Puerto Pizzaro where we hired a boat to take us out among the Mangrove trees. Very very fun. With our little wooden motor boat, we stopped and visited crocodiles in a protective sanctuary and ate lunch on our own little private island.




Punta Sal - My favorite place we stayed at. Again, we found a perfect little place right on the beach and spent the whole time soaking up the sun and swimming in warm calm waters. I loved this place and hope to come back for a visit again someday. It was a TINY town (especially in the low travel season right now) and we spent our evenings cooking for ourselves and friends and relaxed on a secluded beach perfect for campfires.


Mancora - This was a fun and much more lively stop on the trip. Mancora is a big surfer destination and tourist hub for Peruvians. It was a fun change up from the northern sleepy neighbors of Zorritos and Punta Sal but I was ready to keep moving after one day.

Cabo Blanco - Just a quick stop here, we wanted to see where Ernest Hemmingway spent months writing "The Old Man and the Sea." It was the SMALLEST little place but just breathtaking. Quite an adventure getting there but definitely worth it. We had seafood on the beach, met a couple from Seattle (talk about a small world) and then, as there was absolutely no accommodation available, we continued on. Of course having to do the adventure of getting there in reverse which involved climbing a dirt road in the back of a pick-up for 30 cents. Not a bad rate! =)

Lobitos - This place was unique and definitely different from our previous stops. Thank goodness we found somewhere to sleep as we had to drive around to three different hostels before finally finding a fourth that had room for us. It's a great little town (again, very very small) that serves primarily as a surfer destination. We spent the day exploring the coast and watching wind and kite surfers.

Pretty waters in Lobitos

From Lobitos, it was one quick night in nearby Talara before flying out to Lima the next morning. Despite going by extremely fast, it was such a fun and memorable vacation.

I can't believe it has been over four months of living here in Lima. So much seems to have happened already, but I'm also looking forward to what's ahead. I'm off to soak up this sunshine now before it vanishes and I don't see it for again for a while! Hope summer is going well north of the equator!