Máncora, Peru

It was our last week in South America, and after the Inca Trail and a spell in hospital, we both fancied a little R & R...

Having said our goodbyes, we flew north from Lima to Piura. From there we managed to share a cheap taxi with a couple from our flight to reach our destination - the small beach town of Máncora, close to the Ecuadorian border.

Neither of us had much of a tan, given that we'd been in South America for three months, so we'd been hoping for some sunshine. Thankfully the weather was absolutely scorching (32°C +) and we did nothing but sunbathe, eat, drink, read and play ping pong.

With our funds running a little low, we opted to stay in a surfer's party hostel. It was very lively, with music all night long, copious amounts of beer, dogs and kittens.

We did, however, take advantage of the nicer facilities at a 5 star hotel right on the beach. Jo discovered a penchant for their frozen lemonade, while Sam got a taste for the local beer. We treated ourselves to one night there, so the employees recognised our faces and didn't question why we were using their pool and sun loungers everyday!

     

The beaches were beautiful; relatively secluded and lined with palm trees. The waves were perfect for surfing and full of pros making it look easy. We were tempted to give it a go, but our sun loungers were far too comfortable!

     

We also found some amazing seafood restaurants, one of which was so good we went three nights in a row! We'd both lost weight over the duration of our trip, so we didn't feel too guilty tucking into their amazing apple crumble and ice cream - we were even given them for free on our last night, since we'd been such good business for them!

     

The perfect way to finish our three months in South America.