Puerto Chicama, Peru
As we packed and geared up to leave Huanchaco we were excited to keep on moving and exploring more north into unknown territory to us. None more excited than Ryan. Truth be told, Chicama was the main reason he wanted to even be on the coast here. Lucky for him, the surf forecast looked to be building and peaking for our arrival.
We convinced a taxi driver to take us the hour journey north to the Chicama Surf Resort where we made a reservation for the only open room they had for that night. Accomadations are somewhat limited there in the old dusty city. We were reluctant at first to stay in such an expensive place, but just happy to have a roof at least for our first night until we could find something else. We crammed into the tiny bare taxi and left Huanchaco in the dust. We made a stop in Trujillo for lunch, and then we were on our way. The drive north was the most nerve racking insane drive we have experienced. The taxi was the fastest way to get to Chicama for sure. At an average speed of 102 mph we got there in about half the estimated time and kissed the dusty desert floor soon as we arrived. 102 mph may not seem too crazy in controlled circumstances to some, but with no seat belts, on a two lane highway, heavily traveled by over sized freight trucks and possessed bus drivers, our little tuna can of a taxi would have easily been flattened to a pulp had we been in an accident!
Upon arrival we were pleased to find that the hotel we chose to stay at was actually quite nice. We were given a good deal on the room we reserved and after arriving found out that another few nights had opened up. So we decided after the first night to extend our stay and splurge a little. Since we were at one of our main destinations we really wanted to visit, we wanted to make sure to enjoy our stay. The hotel had all the luxuries you could imagine a modern resort would have. Spa and suana's, pool, game rooms, gym, restaurant.It was all a bit small but VERY nice compared to what we had been staying in.
The first evening we arrived and got settled in we watched the sunset and surf from our balcony to our room. Beautiful Chicama looked to be breaking as forecasted. We watched perfect 6-8 ft lines rolling in and start peeling as far as you could see along the cape's coast line making their way into the bay, eventually tapering off along the sandy beach below the cliff where our enclosed compound was perched on. Ryan didn't sleep that night because we could hear the waves crashing below the cliffs. He was so eager to get up and finally surf this break he had wanted to surf for so many years. He got to surf 3 different spot's along the Chicama break during our time there. Keys, El Cape, and The Point were the names of the spots Ryan surfed along the Chicama break, which covers more than 2 miles of coastline alone.
Our favorite day was the day when the swell had dropped in size a bit so we decided to bring the equipment out and made the long hike up the coast to the spot called El Cape. The coastline is rugged here and there was constant reminders along the way of how unforgiving the elements can be on life that survives out here. We named one section we hiked, the Boneyard, because for some reason there was an accumulation of different skeletons and dead animals. It was a weird gathering and we didn't stay long to inspect why all the dead things were hanging out together. Nancy did a really good job for her first time filming Ryan surf. We had a system down, where Nancy would stop at one point, as Ryan would walk as far as he could without losing site of each other. Ryan would paddle out and actually catch a wave long enough to surf past Nancy and continue on down the coast. He would be on the same wave so long that his legs would start cramping and he'd have to crouch down and kneel for a few seconds to stretch his thighs out. When he would get out, Nancy had a white towel she would wave in the air and Ryan would hold up and wave his bright blue surf board so we wouldn't loose site of each other. We were a little bit timid being in such a remote removed area where the only other people we saw was a lone fisherman on the rocks with his dog searching for mussels and crab. We didn't want to ever be out of view of one another for fear of getting kidnapped by those little creepy hill people from the movie Star Wars, or getting blown away by the relentless offshore wind.
There was an odd, eery, ghost town vibe there in the old port city of Chicama. Word was that it used to be a booming fishing village now all dried up due to over fishing in the recent years. Now the only trade that passes through the city is sugar cane and cotton. There is one small local surf shop that provides overpriced boards and wetsuits. We didn't go out much because we were told it wasn't a safe city to wander in, and there wasn't anything to do anyway, just surf. So we enjoyed using the hotels amenities, surfing and catching a lot of rays. When it was time leave, Ryan almost cried and couldn't say goodbye. He said he convinced himself we were just going to get lunch and we would be right back. Ha! We will miss our time in Puerto Chicama where we felt like we were the only ones within a million miles and where we finally lived out Ryan's dream of visiting this unique place!
We don't have fast enough internet to get the video uploaded this evening so we took a few screen grabs of some of the footage taken. Video to come later! Here's a few photo's of our Puerto Chicama visit:
It was hard to watch the taxi weave in and out of lanes.
Nancy saying her prayers...
Ever seen a truck loaded like this, going 95mph?
We thought this was so funny. It was nice to pass it up though. See the other truck making the pass around the overloaded truck? It was every few miles we dodged on coming traffic hurdling towards us in our lane like you see below. About lost our lunch every time....
Lunch
Lunch, Arroz y Langostinos. So good.
Old Chicama boats (picture found on internet)
Old rail system no longer in use (picture found on internet)
The Chicama Resort. We stayed in the 6th one down, 2nd floor.
Nice place right? We spoiled ourselves for a few days. (picture from internet)
Our room
Rooms were big, and kind of bare, but who cares. We were stoked to get a deal and have a clean nice place to stay!
Oh ya...nice bathroom was a plus!
It was nice to have easy access to internet to catch up with family and friends.
This was the evening we arrived. Things were hazy from the burning of some local sugar cane crops.
Swell nicely filtering in. Couldn't wait to get out there!
Puerto Chicama greeted us with a beautiful sunset and swell.
Our first night we ate dinner at the hotel's resturaunt...
Passion Fruit Chicken. Nancy enjoyed this a lot.
Don't get the chicken soup if you visit. Looks ok, but was pretty gross!
Ryan's fav. Lomo Saltado. He said he's had better but it was still good.
Mmm. Camote. A local sweet potato
We played this game they had in the lobby. We think it's called Sapo..? You toss brass medallions into the holes. Get it into the frogs mouth and it grants you 3 wishes.
One of the mornings we walked and explored the long empty coastline.
You can see what Ryan was focused on..the waves...ha!
It was SO windy. But it was offshore direction so it meant good conditions for surfing.
To give you some scale. Look really close towards the left and you can spot a tiny little surfer walking along the rocky shoreline.
Such a good dog. Guarding his owners bucket of mussels and fishing gear.
Such unique and rad landscape here.
Crabbie patties baking in the sun. We found a few of these that toasted too long and got fried in the brutal sun. All that was left was a hollowed out remaining shell that would blow away in the wind.
Looking toward the furthest western most surfing point of Chicama.
Lizard shedding it's skin. We watched these little carnivores feast on seagull and sea lion carcass.
Ryan walking out to a spot called El Cape. Paddle out spot just beyond these rocks.
Such a variation in sea rock and landscape. We enjoyed exploring it all...
Looking back from the waters edge. The wind would pick up and come blasting out of these desert valley ways. The wind blew all day everyday, grooming the face of the waves, making for some really fun surf.
Look close, this was taken from the hotel balcony. Ryan riding a wave with the zodiac boat waiting
to pick him up.
It was so windy! Up on the cliffs...
Looking back at the moon rising over Chicama. There was a huge old windmill that was out of service and stripped of any valuable components.
The next pictures below are all screen shots taken from video we took.
We will get the actual video up soon!
This is what brought us here. Really fun surf.
Shot some video of Nancy having fun flapping in the wind.
Nancy did a good job framing up and filming Ryan surf.
The walk after getting out of the water was scalding hot and rough. It sure was a long walk back after catching such long waves.
Worth it Ryan said...
Ryan attached his GoPro to the board for a few sessions. Here he is getting picked up by the zodiac.
Making the journey back to a spot called The Point.
Feeling around...
Trying to get out of the harsh sun for a little...
It's amazing how much joy one can have by picking a simple high line...
Ryan said he couldn't stop grinning after catching one of the longest waves he'd ever ridden in in his life.
Watching them roll in, one after the other, all day. It was like a machine this day.
So long, Chicama...You were good to us.. :(
Next stop... Cusco, Machu Pichu and the Inca Ruins! :)
