Peru: A Month in Zorritos, Tumbes (Week Three)

The hotel pool is peaceful at this time of the morning - there’s panpipe music in the background, and apart from the staff and I, it feels like the world is still asleep. A double-decker bus just pulled in, I guess they’re having breakfast here. Sometimes they stay a few nights, sometimes we hear the music and laughter from our rooms and by the time I come out, it’s quiet again.

I just heard the word “promociones”, which is a bit like an end of year school camp. There must be at least 70 people in the restaurant, inside and out - even the hotel manager, Cindy, is in the white Pinamar t-shirt. Feeding people is serious business in Peru. Maybe I should have had breakfast earlier!

Yesterday marked my third week in Zorritos - and I have slowly ventured away from the hotel to try some of the locals’ hangouts. I tried a new restaurant called Pollo de Anthony which serves pollo a la brasa (Peruvian rotisserie chicken) - I ordered 1/8th chicken, which was served with fries and salad for 9 soles (NZ$4). The pineapple juice pushed my meal to 13 soles (NZ$5.85). After dinner, I walked to a nearby bakery, ordered a few sweet treats to take back and share with the teachers. It was essentially someone’s house with a display cabinet at the front. The woman was so nice and patient with me, speaking clearly to explain the cost and the different portion sizes. I walked away with slices of chocolate cake and local biscuits.

Peru: Máncora - Surf, Sunsets and Dusty Shoes

Oliver had a date with a Peruvian woman, and I had a date with steak. Máncora is only an hour away and makes for a nice weekend getaway. Yet, the trip over can take a lot more - that’s because we planned to take the public minivans to save money. Let me explain, in rural Peru, this is the cheapest way to travel, but there are no timetables. It costs 10-12 soles one way (NZ$5.40), which is the same price as a local’s lunch menu. Is it safe? Yes, and because of the language barrier, most people just leave us alone. Just smile, and if you don’t understand say politely,
“No hablo español.”

Are there alternative transport options? Definitely, but you will pay a lot more - like the taxi driver that wanted 80 soles ($36). I haven’t been on the buses, but I do know they get stopped for longer at the “checkpoint” between Zorritos and Máncora. The minivans get stopped too, though because they have less luggage, generally they don’t stop for long? What are they looking for? Anything illegal I guess, these buses often cross the borders so maybe it’s their equivalent of local customs agents...Peruvian style.

Peru: Máncora - Beach, Sun, Ceviche and Cremoladas

The minivan stopped as traffic came to a standstill, now adding to the snake of various vehicles making their way out of town. It’s never a good sign when your driver gets out and starts to have a chat with someone on the road. You know you’ll be awhile. There is only one road to Máncora from Zorritos, and being only an hour away made a nice getaway for us TEFL Zorritos students.

Máncora is a surfing town. Popular with locals and tourists for its clean breaks and great weather, it reminds me of the vibe in Mount Maunganui before they built the beachfront high rises. Any town that draws in tourists also means tourist pricing. We didn’t stay overnight to party, but I have heard of cocktails at 30 soles, which can be price of dinner for two.

Peru: A Month In Zorritos, Tumbes (Week One)

Zorritos is a small town in the province of Tumbes – a 2.5-hour flight from Lima and a world away from the one I was living in just a week ago. Even though Whakatane has roughly the same population as Zorritos, there is a vast change of pace and lifestyle. Where there were pine trees, I see coconuts and papayas. Not all roads and footpaths are paved, and without regular rain, dust nuisance is something you have to accept as a fact of life. I can’t say there has been much of a culture shock (except for the language barrier), because there are many towns in the Philippines that look just like this one. Maybe it will be an advantage, or it could hit me later.

¡Hasta Luego, Nueva Zelanda!

If travel is a go to metaphor to describe how to embrace change, then airports teach you patience. Everybody and everything is in constant transition – people you meet, your interactions, sometimes, even your final destination changes. Nothing and no one in life is stationary, even if it feels like it. This blog post spans over 30 hours of travel and transit, the beginning of my planned eight-month adventure in Peru.