The North of Peru - Mancora, Peru
Mancora, Peru
Where I stayed
Casa Mancora with Luis "aka" Pachi
What I did
Las Pocitas Beach Mancora
Hey we finally made it to Peru! A long day of waiting in the bus station, a 7 hour night ride and a boarder crossing later had us a little disorientated upon our arrival in Mancora, Peru. We planned to stay at Casa Mancora, owned by Luis Dupont, aka Pachi! I had met Pachi on couch surfers prior to our trip, and he seemed to be a real genuine guy, so we put on luck on staying with him while in Mancora.
We arrived on the bus around 4AM, an unpleasant surprise since we expected to arrive 3 hours later -- I guess the roads are less trafficked and easier to speed on at night -- but there were plenty of starving " tuk tuk" or moto taxi drivers awaiting at the bus stop to usher us off to our destination. Originally, we planned to just walk to Casa Mancora, but since it was dark, and both Kaylee and I had a mirage of bickering Peruvian moto taxi drivers barking in our faces, we decided to just grab a ride. One of the drivers knew how to get to Casa Mancora so we decided to go with him. Prior to leaving for Mancora, I had messaged Pachi that we would likely be in Mancora around 6AM, so when we showed up at 4:30, no one was awake to let us in. A little disoriented and uncertain about what to do, the driver of the moto taxi talked us into staying at a little place close to the beach. We stayed there that morning, getting some well deserved rest. After walking around town, a little delightful lunch and dessert, we found out that we had to pay for both the early morning check in and for the upcoming night. Seeing as how we planned to stay with Pachi originally, we packed our stuff and headed that way. After settling in, we were able to get out and about and experience the beach and the town of Mancora.
Mancora is one of those towns you can get lost in for a couple weeks or even months. There are enough shops, restaurants, bars, and of course the beach to explore each day and every night. The local crowd is very personable but also very stern. They have a reason for it. The coast of Peru is a desert! It's one of those places you prepare yourself for, but no matter how hard you try to understand or figuratively explain it, its utterly impossible to rap your head around it. It is dry, hot, cold, even freezing some nights! It is a harsh environment, with harsh living conditions. Potable water is sparse, and as such, a hot commodity. Electricity as well. Sometimes the water in the entire town is shut off due to drought or just because...I was never really given a certain explanation why; no one really could explain why, they just seem to deal with it as best they can; this usually includes a bit more partying (as if its needed) and drinking. The sun is almost always a guarantee the next day. Mancora is an interesting place, and well worth visiting, whether you stay a couple days or a few weeks, there something for everyone.
After hearing about some upcoming waves in Lobitos, Kaylee and I decided to part Mancora. Our time spent there, however, will never be forgot. Pachi was an amazing host, helping me with a surfboard repair, teaching Kaylee and I how to make Peruvian ceviche, and late night hang outs talking about our travels. Casa Mancora was an amazing place! We made some great friends, all we hope to see at some point in the future, as well as a couple travel companerjos that we are currently traveling with as we make our way south along the coast of Peru.