Surf, Surf, Surf..

This is what I see from my window:

This post is mostly surf-oriented, so if you don't catch it all, sorry...

So I've continued venturing North, and am now in Puerto Chicama, Peru, which probably isn't on any map you might have, because it's tiny. Since the last post, I've been through Lima, Trujillo, and Haunchaco. In Lima, I bought a surfboard and wetsuit and all the necessary gear to get me in the water. I scoped the city just a bit, then headed to Trujillo, which wasn't extremely interesting. I kinda cruised through it and paid a little more attention in Huanchaco, which is a bit more surf/beach oriented. A quick surf check and I was in the water Friday afternoon, a strong current and all lefts. My new board, a 6´4 with a medium rocker, performs well and will be good to practice my lefts on.

Today I grabbed a bus to Chicama, famous for "the longest wave in the world." Not certain that that's entirely true, but the waves are definitely the longest lefts that I've seen, curling around two different rocky points with 20 or 25 second rides possible at best. They're beach breaks, but you have to walk over some pretty big rocks to paddle out, and the current is strong north so you're constantly paddling back to the sweet spot at third point. Once you catch a wave, that's it and you have to go in, walk back south to the point and over the rocks, and paddle out again, because its virtually impossible to paddle back out from the outside with the current. Luckily the local crowd of kids are super chill and the lineup has a good vibe, everyone is mellow. The waves are alright right now, but a swell is coming in so they should get bigger, hollower (they're already peeling off pretty well with constant onshore winds, they're like solid 3-4s) and faster. It doesn't come without a price, as coming in, if you come in in the wrong place, there's razor-sharp rocks to greet your feet lurking just below the surface, of which I've already had a good taste of.

Weak but carrying potential: Chicama, Peru.

Proof that you can find a place with only a picture as your guide. Chicama, perfection.
For Surfline.com's take on Chicama, read up here: http://www.surfline.com/travel/tripwire/tripwire.cfm?id=1311

I'll probably be hanging out here for 2 or 3 more days until the swell hits, then head north again to a few more good spots (Pacasmayo, El Gringo, Lobitos..).


Besides all that, there's nothing else to do here. Here's a few pictures from the last week or so for you all:

Plaza de Armas, main square in Arequipa, Peru, by night.

They had fireworks in the plaza every night for some reason.I saw a few dead people. Aplao, Peru.This is the river I went "rafting" on. This bridge was way cooler than the rafting.Huacachina, Peru. Tiny oasis town (lagoon center) and king of sandboarding. My view before taking the descent on the board.Huanchaco, Peru, close to Trujillo. These reed fishing boats are the "town mascot," for lack of better terms. They sell miniature ones to tourists as keychains and such, and even have them as statues when you enter the city..I visited a local surf shop and shaper... Shaping room.A little sandboarding action in Chicama.Here's some of the pretty good food I ate for super cheap. This chicken sandwich was the best I ever had, for a buck. I ate two.These next two were together in one meal with soup and drink for about a buck, too. Shellfish and full chicken dinner..

I've already been here about 5 weeks, not quite halfway, and I miss you all, but am having a pretty good time. Soon, Ecuador, Columbia, and Venezuela.

Ciao,

Brian