Resort Life (Máncora, Perú)

One week thus far in Peru, in a beach town that the Lonely Planet travel guide calls "Peru's worst kept secret". I'm staying at a hostel called Loki which is more like a fancy beach resort than a hostel. Hammocks, sun beds, large pool with volleyball, Internet stations, life sized jenga, connect four, and battle ship, a huge fully stocked bar with rum n vodka slushies to drink under the blazing sun, and a lively discotech every night with themed parties. All for ten bucks a night! Amazing.

Every night is jam packed with the guests dancing on tables, mixin n minglin the night away. Ten metres out the door lies the clean and bustling beach, the surfers, the vendors, Peruvian and Latino families building sand castles, and stray dogs chilling under whatever shade refuge they can find. And, what would a beach be without all the bars lined up next to each other, serving booze and food throughout the daytime and pumping the tunes at night. If you don't like the song playing in one bar, walk 10 metres and check out the other bar.

So, needless to say, I'm exhausted from all the partying and dehydrated from the scorching sun. Did I mention we are in the dessert?

My friend Leticia has decided to volunteer here as a bartender for a month. I coulda done the same but decided I've done enough work in Quito and wouldn't be able to handle all the drunken customers. So now I must decide what's next on my agenda. More beaches? Remain here? Go inland? Hopefully my wifey will meet up with me eventually.

The cool thing about Mancora is that there's lots of young Peruvians here on vacation, so I've made a few friends that I can visit once I start traveling again.

Ahhh... So nice. Did I mention that I'm only spending $10/night?

As a sidenote... I can't believe I've quoted the Lonely Planet. I'm not a fan of this guide book. I exchanged my "Lets Go" central america book for a used, outdated Lonely Planet south america one back in Colombia. I have decided to not use it and left it in a town back in Ecuador. Meh, who needs a guidebook anyway?