Mancora, Peru

Once again we hoped on a bus. We thought we ordered a nice bus with cool treatments like personal TV’s but it was just a standard greyhound bus with a bunch of stops. After going through customs and getting 3 stamps on my passport! We arrived in Mancora. My friend told me to stay at Loki Hostel. They have a chain in Peru and Bolivia and are the nicest hostels around. This hostel in Mancora was no exception. It had a large pool in the middle; four story hotel style rooms outside and right on the beach. No part of this was screaming hostel. It was a 5 star hotel and cost $10 a night. Best part is this was the start of my surfing in Peru and was very excited. A great surf flick called “Castles in the Sky” takes Rob Machado on this journey through Peru and my goal was to go to a few of these spots. The movie didn’t say where he was but geography was helping me try and solve the problem. Plus, Peru is the land of the lefts and I was in heaven.

After checking in the room, I went out to the balcony to see set after set of perfect 4 foot waves that peeled for days. The break wasn’t protected by anything but still managed to look incredible.

Waxed my board and ran out there. You had to paddle around the waves and fight some current to get in the lineup. It was all locals and the few foreigners (me) in the water. Crowd factor really didn’t exist. The consistently of this wave kept everyone happy and pushed the rookies to the beachside. The water was really shallow and you could see the coral right below your feet. Thousands of sponge like jellyfish were in the water. They were about a fingers length and were shaped like a rectangle. The creature was clear and had a black circle inside it. One rectangle linked with another one and you could see 30 of them connected looking like an according. They freaked me out right away but before you knew it you were playing with them in the water while you were waiting for a wave. I think they start out being according’s and then the water breaks them up. Regardless, fascinating creatures.

The first wave I caught took me all the way into shore and I was addicted immediately. It’s one of those waves that makes or breaks the beach. It was a make for me! The second wave I caught dropped me off right into the reef. I kicked my feet to grab my board and slashed my toes and knee into the coral. It was instant bleeding but not enough to kick me out of the water. It was all fun a games. The session ended with me watching one of the best sunsets on my trip overlooking the town.

Got back into the hostel and the party was started. The hostel had about a 100 people staying at it, so no matter what night it was, something was happening. After the hostel closes, everyone goes to the beach. One of the nights we all got to the beach and it started to monsoon pour rain. It must have rained 6 inches in an hour but we all kept dancing in the streets like a bunch of kids.

Overall, Mancora has one incredible break and I can talk about it for days. The majority of this town is party. There are a few hostels but Loki overpowers all of them and looks like a castle compared to these housing around town. It’s a town that when I come back to visit will be 5 times larger and may not be fun anymore. For some reason not a lot of surfers are in the water and one hell of an introduction for the surf in Peru.

Next stop Chicama!