The North of Peru, Part II - Lobitos, Peru
Lobitos, Peru
Where I stayed
Casa De Darwin
What I did
El Hueco, La Frontera, Piscinas, Petrol Peru Offshore Oil Rigs
So its been a while since my last entry. I've been putting off writing, I don't know, lazy I guess; I like the excuse of having surf and friends to spend time with better though. Haha..
Well, after Mancora, Kaylee and I decided to head over to Lobitos Peru for a weekend swell. We managed to make it easily due to some helpful pointers from friends back at Casa Mancora. We arrived Friday, November 15. Dave Grove, a friend we met staying at Casa Mancora gave us some advice on a place to stay in Lobitos, Casa de Darwin. We decided to stay with Darwin since they responded to our Facebook messages in a timely manner (something hard to come by here in Peru, even with e-mail). We didn't realize that Darwin is the owners actual name, and he and his "Casa," which I assumed was a hostel, was actually his family's home, out of which they rent rooms to travelers - mainly surfers. The greatest part about it, they speak as little English as we do Spanish!
So where was I... We arrived Friday afternoon, surprised that neither Darwin or his wife spoke English (even though their response on Facebook was in perfect English). Luckily, a small Colombian family of three were staying at Darwin's, and one of them spoke perfect English. He helped play translator for the time being while the Darwin family (Darwin, his wife whom I can't for the life of me remember her name, and their son Miguel) helped us settle in to the home. We were given the smaller room, which was perfect for Kaylee and I.
The Darwin house, to say the least, was an amazing place!! A rustic home with a creaky wooden porch with a wooden roof supported by two trees growing in the front yard. Hammocks hung in the corners of the porch for siesta time, and surf magazines littered a small coffee table perched in front of an old warn out couch. Inside the home the walls where decorated in surf memorabilia from old school surfer mag' cut outs, a case filled with surf accessories, a painting depicting all the different breaks in Lobitos, and a number of awesome photos and montages of Darwin surfing (needless to say, Darwin is an amazing surfer who knows every break, every peak, and everything else there is to know about Lobitos). The Darwin house had a shared bathroom, very spacious, and the shower walls where made of shells and other fun objects that could be found along the beach. Everything in the house was mostly made of wood, including the floors and walls, giving the place a very homely feel! Their dinner table was deep and wooden with a glass top through which you could see the makings of a sandy beach, with shells, rocks and other crustaceans. It was a fun useful tool for Spanish lessons during dinner and breakfast, Kaylee and I would guess the Spanish names of the different objects splayed within the table. The kitchen was small and quaint, enough for a family of three, with plenty of space to cook for guests. In the backyard you can find a surfboard rack, laundry wires and laundry units, a picnic table, a brick fire place used as a stove and oven for cooking, a outdoor shower, all encompassed by a large wooden fence with interesting murals drawn and painted into it. The Darwin house was an amazing place! The Darwin family made us feel at home, and in their best efforts, made our stay in Lobitos as memorable as possible!
After we arrived and made our introductions, Kaylee and I wondered over to Casa Tranqui, a local eatery that served all three meals of the day for which the same thing was always served, pollo or pescado con papas (the main vegetable) and arroz. Breakfast was bread and eggs, but might as well have been chicken or fish! Haha.... it was a funny little place, we spent a hefty amount of our time either eating, drinking, or wondering over to purchase drinks or snacks since it's also the local tienda for supplies including soap, wax, spaghetti, chocolate bars, cookies, canned tuna, and whatever else you could possible need in Lobitos. Most the places actually occupied in Lobitos (I'll get to the story of this little ghost town gone surf oasis in a minute) have a porch and main house. Casa Verde, our name for Casa Tranqui since it was easier to say and because well, it was green, served food and drinks on its porch, on which one of walls hung poster that described the history Lobitos. After lunch, Kaylee and I walked the long beach to the point to check the surf. We decided to go for an afternoon paddle, even though the eaves were pretty small, few and far between. I think our enthusiasm encouraged Darwin, because he came out with us in nothing but trunks. Although the water temp hovers around 68 or 70, the wind here blows hard out of the south/south west giving a deathly chill without a wetsuit (a good ol' 3/2 is the most common suit used). It was fun to get out in the water, Kaylee was first to jump on one. The current we noticed was rather strong, at least where we surfed that afternoon, La Frontera.
That night, the Darwin family made us an epic meal of home made pizza (remember the brick fire place mock oven!!!) It was dam tasty!!! We got to share the meal with everyone staying at the "casa." The three Colombians, a Brasilian couple, and the Darwin family. We realized this was going to be great opportunity to practice our Spanish, as well as sign language.
The next day, I surfed without Kaylee, she slept in. I decided to check out the break north of town, Piscinas. It not more than a short walk, but it is technically on military land and you are supposed to show some form of ID when entering; I never had to but I think that's because most people walk around the rock embankment to the break. It was a fun surf session, a lot less crowded, making it easier to score more waves. I realized that Lobitos was a hot spot for Brasilians, seeing as how Portuguese was the major language in the line up. I met up with Kaylee for breakfast at the Darwin house, a mix off scrambled eggs and chorizo con tostadas (easy, simple, but filling). The Darwin family often cooked most our meals during our stay in Lobitos; and I have to say, they were the best meals we had! So needless to say, we planned on lunch that afternoon with Darwin, but before that, Kaylee and I walked out to windy point again to snap some photos and see the point break called El Hueco (a surf break just in front of the rocky point that although extremely dangerous, produces the fastest barrel in Lobitos). Unfortunately, the swell wasn't large enough to really kick up a good set for El Hueco to break all the way through to the Point, but it was cool to see the waves smash against treacherous rocky embankment that lie in waiting for the unsuspected surfer or sponger that missed their barrel exit. After snapping some wind spattered photos, we made our way up to La Casona, a HUGE hostel perched a top the surrounding hills of Lobitos. It was somewhere we considered staying, but decided the S30 a night was a little pricey for a dorm room. We enjoyed a cold beverage in the company of other Americans and a Swiss we had ridden the bus with earlier in the week from Guayaquil to Mancora. The view from the hill was pretty stunning, and the front of the hostel must be the only safe haven from the wind of Lobitos (it seriously blows at least 15mph everyday all day in Lobitos -- offshore mostly hence the great waves and famous barrels). After the beers, we made it back to Darwin's for lunch (spaghetti with chicken and peppers; not your usual Peruvian fare, but tasty none the less).
Siesta time!! A quick nap, and it was soon to be dark, so I decided to head out for another surf session (the best decision I made as far as waves thus far). It was my first time surfing Lobitos Point, and for the first hour I caught 1 solid connecting wave, the rest of which were ended abruptly by no less than 2 other surfers or spongers dropping in down the line. I soon realized how tough surfing Lobitos was going to be... at least 50 or 60 heads in the water, all starving for a long punchy wave down and around the sandy and rocky point. I realized I was going tp have to start using my elbows if I really wanted to have fun out there, and after battling with a couple Brasilians and spongers, I managed to score some great waves. Its hard to say that all the waves were great because most the time you have to dodge a slew of bodies in the water and on the wave as you cut down the line. But all in all, Saturday night produced the best waves I got in Lobitos; head to head and a half, punchy, small barrel sections, and excellent ramps for slashing and making gouging turns. I surfed till dark; Kaylee bundled up on the beach to snap some great photos (thanks Kaylee!!). That night we ate a late meal with the Darwin family, our first time drinking a local Peruvian beverage called chicha morada -- a drink based from purple corn -- my new addiction!
The next day was supposed to be the best as far as what we heard for waves, but over night the wind really kicked up and blew most the punchy surf into fatter and flatter sectiony waves. I hit the Point again that morning, only to deal with the same crowd as the previous night. I wasn't up for the fight this time especially since the wave was smaller and weaker than before. I clamored out the water and headed to Piscinas, where to my surprise, I found myself surfing with only 5 or 6 other surfers! It was definitely a longer wait than Lobitos, but well worth it. The set waves had you carving out turns in the wave all the way to the barrleing close out along the beach, a 10 - 15 minute paddle back to the point. I scored some great rides, but eventually the wind picked up as well as the tide and the wave became a little mushy. I headed in for some breakfast, and was able to talk Kaylee into giving it a go! Unfortunately, the wind was blowing really hard at this point, and the rip along the beach was intense. The best place for Kaylee to surf was El Muelle (the pier) at the back of the bay/beach. The current, however, proved a little disheartening and strong, and so Kaylee never made it out to catch a wave. Fortunately, Rulo, a Chilean friend from Casa Mancora, was the only other person in the line up at the pier, so we managed to meet up with the group that made it over that Sunday. We decided to head back to Piscinas for some less aggressive current paddling where we met up with Oli from England, another friend in Casa Mancora group. I managed to sneak a couple waves, but I was pretty drained from the morning, so I sat on the rocks with Kaylee and others from Casa Mancora, protected from the grueling wind. After everyone had their fill of wind and waves, we decided to go check out our friend Dave (Casa Mancora 'aka' CM from now on) and the others kiting along Frontera. Man it was an awesome site!! Dave and a couple Spaniards staying in Lobitos and dam near professional kiters, Dave being one of the first to really help popularize the sport throughout the world. Our friend Oli from CM, had recently purchased a kite in Mancora before the trip over to Lobitos, and knowing how to kite, decided he'd give Lobitos a shot. This ended up being the worst, but probably most hilarious part of our trip in Lobitos. I'll skip the details, and just say, Oli ended stuck in the pier that afternoon, the Spaniards and Dave running to his rescue before tangled himself and drowned. What could have been terrible horrifying, is now an infamous event for Lobitos; that night at dinner at a small local joint, our host told us it's craziest accident involving the prior that has ever happened! Whether that's true or not, who cares, its still freaking hilarious!
After the near miss event, we all scampered over to Casa Verde for beers, chatting, snacks, smokes and chatting. It was great to reunite with everyone from CM, and was great meeting new friends as well. It was one hell of a day, and nice quiet night to finish.
The next couple days were really relaxing, the waves much smaller, but fun enough to get wet. We enjoyed eating out at a couple different eateries in town, and hung out with our British friends, Karin and Oli. Karin and Oli who have been
traveling for 5 months already (3 in the States, 1 in Costa Rica, and 1
thus far in Peru). They were planning to head south that week, so Kaylee and I decided to join. We had a couple more meals with Darwin family before our departure as well as some amazing sunsets! Kaylee was able to nab a few good rides herself on our trip! Having met Dave Grove from
Washington state (the avid and awesome kite board and now good friend from CM) Kaylee
has a new goal for extreme sports. Growing up wakeboarding, she
definitely has the potential to kick ass at kit boarding. Our next stop, one I never
anticipated on making, is Pacasmayo -- another little coastal fishing
village gone surf hippie hostel town. We departed Lobitos with a new
sense of the word localism and were able to make some lasting
connections and relationships. On to more waves, we hope!
Lobitos
Prior to arriving in Lobitos, we heard different stories about what to expect... but it wasn't until actually arriving and reading the story for myself that I really understood the mentality of the town.
In the early part of the 1900s, the United Kingdom and the United States, in an attempt to preserve its growing demand for oil, purchased oil rich land in the north of Peru from the then unstable Peruvian government. Alas, a conglomerate of offshore oil rigs sprung into existence as well as small villages for the families and workers maintaining the oil rigs. Lobitos, not the English name of the town but the local Peruvian name, became a major hub for workers and travelers. It took on the lavish lifestyle of western culture with the creation of western eateries, cinemas, and bars. Lobitos became a major stop over for political figures from major western countries while touring South America. Kings, Queens, and even Presidents of the United States passed through Lobitos at one point in time. All the glory and splendor did not last, however, for in the 1960s, the Peruvian government was overthrown in a cue, and within 4 years, all oil reserves in Peru were nationalized, and the foreigners were forced to leave. The town of Lobitos was quickly abandoned; houses, bars, movie theaters and all, left to rot. In the 1990s, the Peruvian government placed the land surrounding Lobitos and even the town under military control due to the current war with Ecuador. It has been estimated that over 6,000 military troops were once stationed in Lobitos at one time or another; all for show. The war lasted less than a year, and most of the military presence was deployed elsewhere. Upon there leaving, many corrupt soldiers sold off portions of the land to investors, even though it was actually owned by the government. Local Peruvians still living in the area plead the government to spare the land, and in the early 2000s, their cries were heard. The Peruvian government gave back the land to the locals, but only for the time being. As of now there are talks of selling the land again to private investors in an attempt to increase international popularity. To this day, the land remains barren and sand washed. Most the old buildings remain dilapidated and a portion of the land remains under military control. It is in some respects a ghost town. Broken down buildings, graveyards of old English and American imperialists and Peruvian soldiers litter the city; the horizon is dotted with both inactive or active oil rigs (at least 38 can be counted on a clear day). It is weird to say the least, that such a place with such history can be called little more than a hippie surfer oasis. Locals of Lobitos cherish the town and their pride. The long tattered history of Lobitos has given way to stern attitude, it can even been seen in the line up in the waves. People who live here love what they have, and wish more to come. Hard to get when most the land is owned by the government, the military, and the Peruvian oil companies. Many of the homes purchased in the area have been purchased illegally, no deeds or legal records exist. Most people live day to day anticipating an inevitable uprooting.
With that in mind, Lobitos is one of the sternest places I have ever surfed in my entire life. The people are hard, even in the water. To surf here, you must respect the locals, even to an unruly precedence. If they don't want you scoring waves, you won't. But all goes to show, Lobitos is probably the best barrel you'll ever score in Peru. Although the waves were a meager 3 ft on most days I was in Lobitos, there was still a constant groveling for waves. Having arrived on the backhand of what has been an epic winter of waves for the country, I still managed to score some great rides. Most the waves in Peru, including Lobitos, are left-hand point breaks with minimal beach break. Bodyboarding is a common practice (as if we were back in the 90s). As of now, Lobitos has produced the best waves I've scored thus far! I look forward to a possible return this upcoming year when I make my way back towards Ecuador.