PACASMAYO

We barely slept on the nightbus from Lobitos, and arrived at 5am, absolutely shattered on the side of the main road. I had not been well for the last few days and really needed to sleep. We caught a moto taxi to Los Faroles Hostel, that had been recommended to us by a couple of people back in Lobitos. Luckily someone was awake at that time and there was a room free that we could sleep in right away. We gave our names then crawled into bed for a few hours. There were a couple of Brits up at five who were going surfing, so of course Will had to stop and ask them how the surf is here, and I'm like "let's sleeeeeeeep!!!"

Will told me only after taking this photo I was facing the wrong way.

After a few hours, we were feeling much more alive and headed out to the lighthouse point on a tuk tuk with a board for Will (I'm still feeling shitty and really don't want to go for a surf but come along for the ride). On the way, the beginner board that our driver France has on his roof for some reason keeps sliding off so I'm there with my arm reaching to the roof trying to correct it each time, but eventually I stop bothering because he doesn't seem to care too much. When we get there, I realise there's zero shade and zero for me to do so I ask the guy if he can wait for a bit then take me back, but it turns out he's going surfing too. Okidokes, guess I'll just wait here then! Luckily I'm inside the tuk tuk so I've got shade and a good view of the surf. They paddle in and it quickly becomes apparent that a) there's a massive current and b) France has no clue how to surf. It was almost comical how quickly he got ripped so far away, whereas Will knows how to paddle and got out the back and managed to hold his position. I say almost comical, as I lost sight of France a couple of times, and then got a little worried that he would just be swept away. How would we drive this thing back to town and explain this to his cousin that works in the hostel!!! About ten minutes later I see him walking back up the beach, phew. Will meanwhile looks like he's having a great time out there. The wave was breaking left in front of the lighthouse, about shoulder to head high. Pascasmayo is meant to be one of the worlds longest waves, however today the waves were not linking up, so it was in much shorter sections. When its really working, people hire boats to pick them up at the end and take them back to the beginning because the current is so strong that paddling back would be insane. 

After the second time of drifting all the way to the beach, I asked France how long he has been surfing and he tells me - four days. This explains a lot. He also said no one had told him anything (even though his cousin rents surf boards so must know a thing or two) so I tried to give him a crash course. Will then got out and also tried in a mixture of broken Spanish and charades. Lesson over, Will paddled back out for a couple more final rides. After a particularly long wave France drove us down the coast to pick Will up who was paddling back into the shallows, he had a massive grin on his face.

Pacasmayo is quite a pretty town and the beachfront is where it's happening, especially as today was Sunday. Lots of families are out enjoying the sun and sea. We had a beer in the shade and watch as a group of drunk rowdy old men turn from arguing to fighting. No one seems to care much and just let the scene play out. It amounts to nothing. Everyone is eating ice slushes flavoured with toxic coloured syrups. The ice is shaved by hand from a huge block with a metal device and put in a cup. Some people ask for all the flavours in one, which looks disgusting, but the strawberry on its own is pretty good. We walk to the pier and then have a dip in the water.

Will goes off for an evening surf and I decide to follow a procession up the hill to the Cristo statue. It turns out it was a funeral procession and they are actually headed to the cemetery behind. If I thought the beachfront was buzzing, the cemetery was positively heaving with people! Sunday must be the day to visit your dead, as there were tonnes of families up here in the early evening, dropping off flowers, celebrating the deceased' birthday, playing music, and generally remembering the dead in a positive way. It was really heartwarming to see. Back at the statue, the living were taking photos with loved ones as the sun started to set. It was huge and orange but I had to run back inside as the mosquito biting hour had started.

Will surfed twice again the next day as I got reacquainted with the podcast Serial, season 2. The garden of our hostel is a great place to doze in the sun, reading or listening to podcasts. However by the end of the second day I was pretty bored of my own company and we decided we would head off the next day for a change of scenery.