Surfing in Peru

Hit the coast after the mountains and headed to the beach town of Huanchaco. Although there was not a lot of swell for the weekend it was about shoulder to head high with some fun waves. Huanchaco is a popular beach town outside the city of Trujillo. It is popular with Peruvians and tourists alike. Although this is winter there were still plenty of local day trippers on Sat and Sun, so the town was busy. They all seemed to leave around 5pm so it is quiet in the evenings. Plenty of good seafood restaurants serving ceviche and chargrilled fish. Costs about 3 to 4 euros for a good plate of fresh fish. The coast is quite arid and desertlike here, but Huanchaco is a bit of an oasis. The waves here are very consistent and not very heavy, so plenty of beginner and intermediate level surfers in the water, as well as some really good guys ripping it up. The local standard is high. It would seem that it rarely goes flat here at this time of year. Even today is small but still there are waves. The local fishermen here have been making fishing boats out of reeds bound together for the last 2,000 years. They paddle out in their craft to fish and then ride the waves back in. This is the only place where they are still used and each craft lasts only for a few months. These may be the worlds first surfers as they traditionally stand up in the boat when riding the waves in to shore. Hoping the swell will be enough for Chicama on Wed and Thu.