The Village of Waiting

We just spent New Years in Barranca, a dusty, run-down little town bisected by the Pan- American highway. Our hotel overlooked the hughway, which was busy and loud without cessation through the night. Plans to go to Huaraz were scrapped in light of heavy rains and crazy bus schedules. So up the coast we go.
We spend 6 hours in a stinky town on the side of the road, waiting yesterday. Buses came and went. Dogs lay in the streets. Not much changed in those hours. We finally managed to get onto an upscale bus making the 8-hour journey to Trujillo; it pulled into the lot, and we ran towards it, along with 20 or so other people, hauling bags of fruit, luggage and children. We all needed to get up the coast, but in the end, the driver picked us, because we were going the whole way- and were able to pay. We pulled out the town with the rest of the crowd still glancing down the highway behind us, hopeful of another bus before dark came.
The coast is windswept and empty- a desert, flanked with blank brown mud hills, all blanketed in changing dunes of sand. After 3 hot, grateful hours on the bus, we were in Trujillo. The town was named after Pizarro´s birthplace in Spain, and stands at the base of the Andes, un a lush agricultural valley that gives way to the barren and sandy coast. We ended up staying is this weird hostel called the Chill Out, run by a Scotsman (Ex-surfer) and his Peruvian wife. It features signs such as "Professional Alchoholic" (I believe him) and "Tranquillo", and we woke up this morning to The Clash, Iggy Pop, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and incense burning at 8am, and had amaingly strong French-press coffee next to the owner´s hookah collection. Chill Out indeed.

We walked around Chan Chan today, and got burnt to little crisps. It was impressive, but the noon sun drove us out prematurely. Tomorrow we have a full day of body surfing planned. Some Cuba Libres and some fruit from the market will probably involved. After this, we head to Chiclayo, or to the mountains. Depends on how much sun we get here. Our hostel is just a few blocks from a wide stretch of beach, with incredible waves and one of the longest left-hand breaks in the world. Maybe I´ll finally get some surfing lessons?