That's it, I'm moving back to the beach!

I don't know where or when, but it's got to happen. It just feels right. (Wasn't that a Mazda ad or something?) After 2 nights on buses I arrived at my semi-destination of Trujillo, the real draw being the beach town of Huanchaco a bit to the north. When I arrived at Trujillo around 7am and peeked out the bus window,  I decided instead of stopping there it would be best to catch the first taxi and blaze right through to Huanchaco. And good thing, this place is awesome! Little beach town, tiny garages functioning as restaurants where the lady watches TV while waiting for customers, asks what you want providing suggestions but no menu and makes it on the spot. Went to one of those last night and was really tempted to ask if she wanted help with anything, because it felt more like being in her place than in a restaurant. The fish was great too.

 

This is no tropical paradise, I think it's even better. A real beach, with chilly afternoon breezes that lift the surf into long rolling waves, an endless curving coastline that disappears in the misty salt air, deeply warming noontime sun that makes it impossible not to relax, fishermen dotted along the beach with hand lines... Nothing to do but walk on the beach, lie on the beach, watch people surfing, run on the beach, sit on the beach, watch the sunset... Ahh, it's been a lonnng time - in fact years!!

 

I've been in quick-stop mode lately and trying to leave some extra days at the end of the trip in case anything interesting comes up, but this place was too good rush through, so I'm taking my time - even stealing a day or two from Ecuador just to hang here and enjoy it. I thought at first I might get bored being in one place with really nothing to do, but it's great!! I'm shelling out the big bucks - like 9 bucks a night - for a nice room with a balcony, big bed, private bathroom and TV, so I've been enjoying it to the max, sleeping in and watching really bad TV. Really bad - I've seen Gray's Anatomy twice already! The first time had subtitles so it was a little educational (subtitled TV, how half the world learns languages) but the second one was just dubbed over in Spanish. This was actually better because I missed all the stupid nuances in the stupid dialogue and didn't have to hear the stupid actors' stupid voices. [There's a reason I gave up my TV years ago, I turn to bad shows like passing a car accident - it's impossible not to stop and watch even though it makes the stomach turn.] I just wish here that they had little windows at the bottom of the screen with the Spanish speakers' faces in them, would be highly entertaining to see who was behind all those smoky and sultry hispanic voices.

 

Today I woke up late, went for a run on the sand, did some laundry, had ceviche and Inca Kola for lunch (ceviche was surprisingly great considering I've been happily avoiding fish for a few months; Inca Kola filled my year's quota - 2nd soft drink this month, yuck - but I had to try since it seems to be the national drink) then wandered back to the beach to daydream in the afternoon fog.

 

After spending piles of days on buses with relatively short stops between, losing track of days and hence sleep and meals from being in transit, and starting to feel generally kind of lousy a lot of the time, it took only 2 days by the beach to feel healthy, happy and great!! I think it's the fresh salt air. Being here brings back lots of living-at-the-beach memories too, I keep expecting to see familiar faces walking by. But perhaps the local experience will have to wait for the next beach town, one where I have a chance to stay a while and make it my own. Indeed the road will have me back in just a couple of days!