March 11 - April 8: Mancora (Peru)

After almost 10 months of travelling, it was time for us to do one of the things that Ace had been bugging Gen about the whole trip: settling down for a whole month in a little surf town somewhere in the middle of nowhere. With a little bit of research, we picked Mancora because it sounded like a place that wasn’t yet developed enough to have lost its charm, while still having more to offer than just good waves. Fortunately, our instincts were right and Mancora was a perfect spot.

We ended up picking a cute boutique eco-lodge to stay for the month. Tom, the owner and French architect about our age, did an amazing job of hosting us and even became a friend to hang out with while we were there. The lodge was very homey (even though it was made out of donkey dung and mud!), and there were usually no more than a couple other guests while we were there. The location was just far enough out of town to be peaceful, but only a 5-minute walk to the beach (although running back barefoot on the scorching hot sand following an afternoon surf session became the few minutes that Ace learned to dread everyday). Another big bonus was that Tom’s girlfriend was an amazing cook so we had yummy breakfasts and even home-cooked dinners when we were lucky. Plus we got to play with our newest friend Tofu, their adorable little dog.

Our days in Mancora were very simple (in a good way), with Ace usually going for a couple surf sessions (unless his shoulder wouldn’t cooperate, which happened often enough), Gen doing her Insanity workout, some reading by the pool or at the beach, possibly some yoga or a hard core massage (the local masseuse was amazingly effective, but incredibly rough… she must have been half German soldier, half sumo wrestler in a previous life), and being asleep by about 9pm. Our lodge didn’t have TV, which made for a nice change as it forced us to entertain ourselves in other ways. Oh – and we must not forget the multiple trips to the bathroom from our daily routine – we think Mancora must be the turista capital of South America!

Digestion problems set aside, the food was surprisingly good for a small surf town. Delicious cheap ceviche, Mexican burritos, and all the fresh tuna one can imagine - tuna tartar, tuna causa, tuna steak, tuna tiradito, tuna salad, tuna tuna tuna! This was a pleasant surprise as it’s fairly important when staying somewhere for such a long time. That said, maybe we’ve had enough tuna for the next little while J

So overall Mancora was a success, and we feel it was a great decision to stop somewhere and relax for a whole month before returning home to the real world in May. But we’re not coming back yet – the next month is packed with what we hope to be some amazing adventures: visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu, hiking in the Andes, sand boarding in the desert, lake Titicaca (the world’s largest high-altitude lake) and the surreal Bolivian salt flats.

Photos - March 11-April 8: Mancora (Peru)