Sun, sea and sand

After the excitement of hiking in the Peruvian cloud forest, getting lifts in pickup trucks and staying with random Peruvian families, we decided we needed some time to relax. After a 15 hour bus ride from Chachapoyas to Trujillo, we agreed to get a taxi to Huanchaco, a costal town about 20 minutes from Trujillo. Exhausted from the last few days, we listened with wonderment as our taxi driver told us of a place with long sandy beaches, delicious cuisine and so many beautiful women we would have to get a room each. He dropped us off at a hotel, where we showered, watched tv and relaxed. After muddying up the bathroom, we went for a spot of lunch (chicken sandwich and chocolate cake) in a cafe. This would become our regular spot for lunch. The next few days passed in the same routine. We got up about 10 ish, got ice cream or a pastry, and relaxed on the beach, where Peruvian surfers would come up to us and offer us surf school, followed by pot. We politely declined both. To break up the routine, we visited Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world (whatever that means). It was here that our very own Mr Franklin caused a considerable stir amongst the Peruvian female population, not for the first time on this trip. After a few pictures (and giving away and email address) we explored the ruins. Whilst doing so, and in an attempt to emulate a character of a videogame, I jumped off a 8 foot wall (altough i must have cleared the 10 foot mark in the air) and landed, in a word, poorly on the hard ground below. This resulted in a very painful (and slightly sprained) ankle. I should point out that both Max and Franklin would like to point out that the chain of events was slightly different (ie it was more of a fall than a 10 foot leap), but you will have to judge for yourself when the pictures are on flickr. Other highlights of our beach time including some excellent sea food, some massive burgers, a very large amount of high quality pastries and ice creams, and a dog who was probably high. We caught another night bus from Trujillo to Huaraz, a city in the mountains of Peru, but thats another story for another time...