Huanchaco: Are We in Pacifica? - The Perez Family in Peru, Part II

And now for the second installment of The Perez Family in Peru, written by the wonderfully talented Michael J. [aka my dad]. Enjoy!

After three nights in Guadalupe, we headed to the wonderful beach town of Huanchaco. It’s about a 2 ½ hour bus ride to Trujillo and from there about a 20 minute cab ride to Huanchaco. This is the town where Jamie has spent time with fellow PCVs for meetings and get-togethers. Visiting in June meant we were here for the Peruvian winter, so it wasn’t as hot as it normally is. For Huanchaco this meant it was in the 60’s and foggy/overcast….it actually felt and looked a lot like home in Pacifica. Too cold for a swim, but we managed to get shorts on for part of our stay, and nighttime wasn’t too bad either.

We stayed at nice roomy hotel called Las Palmeras, located right across from the beach, in which we were the only guests (there were at least 20 rooms at this place).

Kickin' it patio-style at Las Palmeras

This area is known for traditional Peruvian fishing boats made of reeds called Caballitos.

We took a trip to the mall in Trujillo and rode on what is called a combi to get there. There are several different kinds, but this one was like an oversized van. It’s a hop on/hop off type of transport. The driver pilots the vehicle like he is two hours late for his appointment, weaving in and out of traffic with his foot hard on the gas and then equally hard on the break, well past the usual acceptable time to start slowing down. There aren’t really any specific stops, just people waving it down when they want to ride. 

A combi sitting idle - the calm before the storm.

There is another person, called the cobrador, whose job it is to kind of “bark” at people along the road announcing where the combi is headed. He would jump out and whistle at folks, wave them on, collect their money, etc., and then hop back on. Sometimes he’d just yell while hanging out the door. I found this pretty funny, one, because I didn’t know what he was saying (our destination in Spanish) and two, he repeated it for the whole trip. In comedy terms I kept thinking of a Saturday Night Live sketch, where they beat you over and over with the same joke.  It got pretty crowded when a bunch of kids coming home from school boarded – standing room only. When our stop was approaching, Jamie was yelling something in Spanish, probably “Excuse us young citizens, but we need to exit post haste, as this is our final destination,” – or something like that; however, they didn’t seem to want to move, and we had to squeeze our way passed them, making it out just in time. 

Hanging at Sabes with Jamie’s fellow PCV Lindsay.

Jamie: It's always nice to see a clean pup that's taken care of. And it even has a collar on!

Oh, yeah…in case you didn’t know, my family LOVES dessert. Really, snacks of any kind (if you follow this blog, you also know Jamie is real fan of the of snacks and particularly of “sweet treats.”), but it seems that the ladies in my family really LOVE to eat.  So, next to food, dessert is probably their favorite thing; and making sure we make time for it is a requirement for survival when you are traveling. For reasons unknown to myself, and after so many years, at times I still inexplicably seem to forget this and inevitably end up staring down the wrath of my lovely (and very hungry) spouse and children. When I once suggested that they could wait to eat, I was told, “Mike, we’re human beings! We need to eat!” 

Starbucks in Peru – Hey, we’re human beings.

Other Huanchaco highlights included:

• Jamie treating Chris to a massage for her birthday at a place in Huanchaco frequently used by other PCVs who have found themselves in need of a little relaxation from the Peace Corps life. 
• Tea at a cute little place highlh recommended by Jamie called Chocolate, which did not disappoint. We also played cards there while Chris got her massage.
• Interesting and yummy food at a vegetarian restaurant called Otra Cosa.
• Playing lots of card games and watching TV. We were treated to the one-star classic of Big Momma's House 3. It was advertised as Mi Abuela es un Peligro (translation: My Grandmother is a Danger).

Ahhh, Chocolate... The name says it all.

It is hard to explain how the four of us can be when we travel; it is a real Perez family experience. We tend to tease each other during our vacations (heck, during any time we’re together) and usually stretch those “teasings” throughout the duration of our time together – think Saturday Night Live sketch again. Staying in the room together at the hotel was full of just such things – we laughed quite at bit; especially at the fact that this was the beginning of our gastro-intestinal “activities.” I will spare you the details, but during the course of the trip, this became another Peruvian “excursion” for some of us and the phrase “hey guys, I’m back to solids,” took on a whole new meaning.

Rock Stars!

The Perez Family Tour continues...

Next stop: Lima