...you are only ignorant when you stop trying to learn..

"They" say that surfing dates back to somewhere in the Pacific, Polyensia, Hawai or South America, no one knows. But there is a place, which I have become very fond of, by Trujillo where they have been surfing waves for many generations and claim some right to the creation of the lifestyle. If I'm not teaching (learning English), learning Spanish, hiking in the Andes or painting, then you will find me here. Its a place I will miss allot if I leave Peru. There are amigos or just friendly faces around every corner and the best vege restuarant in Peru "Otra Cosa", not to mention the endless summer wave on your door step. Its a place that has taught me loads, the greatest lesson being the title....

...make your moments last...

After the big break up I decided to seek solitude with the gliding condors around the deepest canyon in the world. Its called the Colca Canyon. Getting there is as much fun as the hike. Its a dusty, back jerking, seriously tightly packed, 6 hour bus ride to Chivay. The locals on the bus do this like a sunday drive. They are great to chat to and are always smiling in there brightly colours hats, so all you can do is smile back.

The 3 day hike takes you down about 1500m on the first day to the first lodge in the bottom of the canyon.

As with most hikes while the scenary is the big draw, the people on the hike really make the experience one worth living. This one was no exception. Early on it became apparent that the characters where so diverse and interesting that Dickins or Twain would have had a tough time trying to get their descriptions right.

The first lodge was definitely the most "eco friendly" place we stayed with no painted walls, straw roofs , mud/cemented walls and doorless toilets and showers which made for some seriously memoriable throne time. The second day was meant to be a liesurely stroll in the bottom of the gorge. However the group had a vote and decided that 4 hours in the hot springs in the afternoon was too much and they would prefer to tackle the 1800m climb as soon as possible. I was keen to do this with the sun rise at 5 am but for some reason I was alone in my feelings of "crisp sunrises are the best". So after a quick dip we set out on what I can describe as two Batoga Gorge climbs in one. So after 3hrs of straight up hill, we staggered into the "only" hostel in

Peru with no hot water. (The Peruvian travellers will know how much of a joke that is). However all was not in vain as a couple of us discovered two very unique and special Peruvian attributes.

The first was a quiant, musky, dark (except for the candle light tables) bar, which had a small wood fire kilm in the corner and served warmed spiced wine. The atmosphere was like none I have experience in Peru before and was quiet unique even on a global scale.The second attribute was the discovery of the economical Peruvian wine called "Gato Negro". This stuffs great, as it comes in a 1 lt or 2 lt carton for the brave foke. Hint take it with a 2 lt bottle of "sin gas agua". Needless to say I awoke feeling very glad to be at the top of the canyon. We then headed to see or should I say gaze at the condors. I say gaze because thats what ones does when you see something which gives you a feeling of relaxation/soothing/chilliness or in spanish simply,"tranquilla". The birds were huge and the very relaxed and their gliding attitude seems to rub off on you. When you up on the edge of a 1800m cliff this is probably not ideal. I found this out the hard way when my slop decided it was his turn glide.

...sometimes despite all odds you just have to keep paddling...

After arriving back from Cusco the surf camp was definitely on the wind down. Christen had caught the stiff winged bird north to her homeland and Marc was considering the comfort of a warm shared bed. Yes the surf crew was slowing heading back to "real life". So as one must always do, we planned the last few trips together to say goodbye. One trip took us to Senoritas and Caballeros, which is where the world champ "Sofia" hangs out. Basically she has the coolest house over looking one of the point breaks. We were trully privileged and I think we did some justice to the waves that day. These were definitely the biggest I've riden. Fernando performed a stunt that was worthy of any Rip Curl or Quicksliver centrefold when he dropped in on and landed a good 3 m olas only to be done over afterwards though. Sarfice to the gods I say.

...best to have dreams, better to chase them...

After a serious amount of fun in the classroom and in the "mar" (ocean), I decided it was time to perform one of the most symbollic events of the quest. To watch the sun rise over Macchu Picchu. Its a symbolic event because the old man and I, had planned to do this together sometime. However his carbons have since been dispursed, so I figured I better get there before I'm fish food too. I had decided this was best done alone due to the difficulty in emotions shared which are usually held so tight. The strange thing was that I ended up sharing them in so many ways along the way, which was exactly what the witch doctor ordered. TC in Topgun " sometimes you´re holding on to tight and you just got to let it go" - TC I concur. As the Inca trial is what I describe as a beaten track, I opted for the Salkantay 4 day trek, which takes you over a pass 4800m above sea level. One would like to believe I had learnt my lesson about doing treks the day after surfing. But some lessons need relearning. The first day took us up to 4800 in 3 hours. Needless to say Peaks was bringing up the rear. I shared the Salkantay Trek with 10 Israel amigos, so much hebrew and history was learnt along the way. Due to the slow pace though we ended up peaking the pass at sunset, which was the first blessing of the trip. A sunset at 4800 above the clouds is one unforgettable spectale. The second blessing came soon afterwards as the stars came out to lead out way down the pass surrounded by the glowing snowcapped mountain tops. The number of stars in the sky rivalled the gazing we had on the boat across the altantic, so the star constellation knowledge came in handy. Before I mentioned about letting it go, well as always, Tommy P took this to extremes and let it all hang out, back to our routes, nature´s way. Do something "muy loco" everyday I say. Lucky no frontals as it was a wee bit nippy up at 4000. While this was not "the Inca Trail", it was a Inca trail and the scenery was the 3rd blessing. Opting for the rough and tough option, Peaks decided that there was no bus ride up for him on the final morning and 4 am saw him racing up the 1500m path to catch that much dreamed about sunrise. It was everything anticipated and a whole bunch more. Adios Papa catch you on the flip side!!!!

So much to write, I don't know where we start. But start we must......

After a month and a bit of playing, (can't call it working because its been too much fun for that) at Alto Trujillo Escuela, I decided to take a break in and get my butt around Peru. We headed north to a place called Pacasmayo, where the second longest left hand wave has been known to show its self rather consistently. On my limited travels, I've found that there are two times of visitors to Peru the ones who hit the big sites (which I intend on doing soon) and those who come seeking adventure, olas, swells and lifetime rides. There travels take them on two contrasting trips. This trip was the later, as usually the waves are in locations where there is not allot else but the wave. If there is a town, the town is a place where gringos are exetremely scarce. The clue is, when you walk around the streets people film you, ask for photographs with you and just generally want to talk to you because you are not the norm. Pacasmayo fits into this category. It was once a bussling fishing town, but due to the ever depleting fish numbers, there are many buildings on the main drag that remind me of a war stricten structures in Cambodia. But in stark contrast, the building next door will have tapped into the surf market and be bussling with the viby life of surfers still glowing with the energy of the waves they caught that day. The olas were muy baco on our arrival day, so we quickly tapped into the local knowledge and sourced a ride to a secret spot about 40 minutes away. There were two ways there. The first was along the beach at low tide on a "tok tok". The only problem here was not knowing how to return when the tide was high. Hence we opted for the second route down a dirty track, round the sand dunes and through the desert for about 30 minutes. So at about 5 in the morning before sun rise, we found ourselves looking out over a break infront of some rocks. Behind us there was a small fishing village, we think, as there was only one fishing boat and a couple of tortoras. We watched the sun rise, performed a small ritual for the "olas dios" and then braved the raging seas. After a cheeky run with a big white foamy and a rock, we found ourselves in the big blue sharing the waves with the herons and wind. It was a special morning and the rides, while not the best were definitely the most challenging of the trip. Yes I will not forget our trip to Poemape.