Jul 2009

It was great surfing up north and playing in the sun at Lobitos and Pacasmayo, but now it was time to start more adventures! Before we enter the outskirts of Lima our bus winds around oceanic sand cliffs, the tires only inches away from the edge. We arrive safely back in Lima after a 17hr overnight bus trip from far north and choose hostel Inkawasi in Miraflores as our temporary home. And what a score, free internet, breaky included!!! The owner, Fabio, is a mad keen surfer and top bloke with a lovely family, Nicole and Ailani. His assistant Alberto is a champ and keeps the place spotless! We dump our bags and head to the airport to pick up Steve’s mum - Ging Gang has landed!!!!!!!!! After travelling for 5 months it was great to see a familiar/family face. HOLA MI MADRE!!!!!!!!!

After a few days acclimatising in Peru, recovering from 2days worth of jet lag, Ging Gang was ready to explore - and a trip to Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca it is! An overnight 8hr bus from Lima saw us arrive up in the Andes, in a town called Huaraz.


Huaraz is the jumping off point for some of South America’s best trecking. The mountainous region of the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash has an awesome jaw dropping natural beauty. This is the 2nd highest mountain range in the world with over 20 peaks above 6000m. Huascaran is the king of the peaks at 6768m.

We settle into Albergue Churup and admire the mountains. OK, which one are we going to climb???

With not a great deal of time up our sleeves, nor the experience, we decide to do a recommended 1 day hike up to Lake Llanganuco and Lake 69 as apposed to other hikes that last up to 10 days. Our hike involved lugging a days worth of supplies starting from 3900m, reaching 4600m and then back by sunset. Without a guide and just a cartoon sketch map provided by our hostel we encounted a few ‘which way are we going‘ moments at the cross roads of poorly marked routes. Some of the steeper higher altitude sections tore a new sphanktor or 2 in you. However, the pain is quickly replaced by pleasure as you look around at the glaciated peaks, pristine emerald lakes and brightly coloured Andean wildflowers. After the hike we spent another 2 days in Huaraz relaxing our sore muscles (walking around as if we had carrots up our coits), shopping at artesania mercados (the girls went sick!), eating VERY cheap vegetarian fare (3 course meal $2AUD), and getting friendly with the locals………

Lake Llanganuco........

Walking through the Andes.....

Andean wildflowers

And then there was Lake 69....

MI ESPOSA Y MADRE!!!!

Stay tuned as next we have the Intrepid tour with the inca trail and MACHU PICCHU!!!!!!!

OK, so we hung around in Panama for about a wk longer than expected whilst Steve was recovering, cheeseburger after cheeseburger. Time to get outa there we booked ourselves a ridiculously overpriced one way ticket to Lima to make up time. This unfortunately resulted in us missing out on Columbia and Ecuador.

After a brief 3hr flight we land safely on the tarmac in Lima and immediately head for the Ormeno terminal to get a bus north. Next day we arrive in Trujillo and stay at Casa de Clara. After a few days of stretching out Steve was ready to hit the water. YIIPPAAHHH Jess says, he’s been a painfull creature since the injury. A short collectivo ride took us an hr north and we arrive at Pacasmayo, a small fishing village well known to the global surfing community for having one of the longest lefts in the world.




Whilst staying with Senor Otto at Hostal Duke in Pacasmayo (for the first time) the surf was smallish, we visited a lesser know left just south called Poemape, and found not one but many coffee plungers which we have been searching for since Costa Rica!!!!! That’d be right ey, we just ordered a plunger on eBay and asked mum to lug it over in a wk. Once the swell had dropped out it was time to move onto the next city north - Chiclayo - where we visited museums, attracted alot of attention jogging through the streets, and cranked out our own spin class at the gym on not so OH&S standard bikes.



We’d seen enough gold, and got enough stares. Another swell was due so we cruzed back to Pacasmayo for our 2nd visit to see if this world class left would light up…Nope still not enough swell for Steve. So we get the overnight bus much further north to the swell magnet Lobitos. The Lobitos area is home to no less than 9 LEFT HANDERS and when we arrived it was on fire.

YEEESSSSSSSSS!!! While in Lobitos we stayed at Nachos accom but before we could see the first day out disaster struck again. Nope, Steve didn’t hit the reef, Jess was struck down with an intestinal parasite and spent the first night in the toilet with dual end fury. The following 2 days Jess layed in bed asleep, going to the toilet in the adjacent desert, while Steve got his fare share of lefts at breaks El Hueco, Lobitos and Piscinas. Finally regaining her appetite and enough strength to walk for more than 10m we bail out of Lobitos (much to Steve’s disappointment as the waves were still pumping) and get the 16hr bus back to Lima to pick up Ging Gang. And that brings us to Peru pt2, 'AG' (after Ging Gang) and the Cordillas Blancas!!!

But while we write part2, here are a few more pics!!!!!!!MORE PICS I SAY STOP WITH THE SMALL TALK...

Cruising altitude

Sneaky beer at a mens bar in Lima....

Trujillo main square - plaza de armas

Heading north....

COFFEE PLUNGERS AND HEAPS OF THEM!!!! There was more across the road the mercado where you can also buy the daily seafood catch, some eggs, fruit n veg, AND COFFEE PLUNGERS!!!!!

The long walk out to el faro, Pacasmayo

Tuk Tuks - a means to get around in Pacasmayo

On our way to Poemape

Poemape - Jess and the tuk tuk driver

Poemape, wraping, slightly onshore, but wraping 4-6ft (steves 2nd surf since
reef wrestle)

The peir, Pacasmayo

Traditional fishing boats, used for 1000s yrs

Jess and the ocean, perfect Pacasmayo.....

Dawn patrol transit, 5:30am, Talara, 1hr from Lobitos

Our shack at nachos, Lobitos

Lobitos rock pools, sunset and late one......

Lobitos midday, still pumping, half the crowd, its lunch time!!!

Lobitos, early and an unidentified from the water

El hueco from the water.....so many kegs......so round......so uncrowded....