My time in Huanchaco

I've been in Huanchaco for two weeks now and am planning to move onto Huaraz on Sunday with some people. Huanchaco was a great start to my trip. Before I left for this trip I was so busy all the time with everything in Toronto, so I've been very lazy here so far. I'm currently sitting on a cliff overlooking the town watching the waves and people trying to catch them on their boards. The sun is shining an not a cloud as far as the eye can see. I must say, it's super enjoyable. This is the second day of sun in a row, which is rare this time of year. 

Laura was volunteering with Otra Cosa and there is a group of about 15 of them doing different projects around the area. They are all really awesome people and I've spent a fair bit of time with them here. The town is small enough that you can just walk around and run into a few people you know wherever you go. Between these people and all the locals I've met, it's hard to be lonely around here. A lot of people don't have cell phones so you have to put in more of an effort to see people and go knock on their doors, or hope you see them in the street, which you generally will. Most of the locals we know are involved with surfing here, so it's easy to go down to the beach and find anyone lazing about. It's also handy being friends with the surfers because lessons are much cheaper. Surfing is quite hard, but a lot of fun. I feel like it's something I could get good at if I had more time. Walking around Huanchaco is very interesting because there is a ton of street art around the city. 

One of the projects Otra Cosa runs is a skate ramp park up in the shanty town of El Cerrito. It's basically just a giant ramp in an area that was probably a house at some point. I've gone up to help out a few times since being here. I basically just entertain the kids that don't skateboard. I usually bike up there, so they immediately ask to borrow my bike when I arrive. The bike is taller than some of them but they still manage to get on the bike and go up and down the street. The skate ramp itself is quite large and the guy running the program wanted to build a smaller version for the littler kids to learn on. The end product ended up being a little steeper than he wanted it, but the kids still use it anyways. It was interesting to watch the kids being super resourceful when building their ramp. Tomorrow the volunteers are organizing a run for charity that will end up at tr skate ramp. There will be a small skate competition for the kids to show off their moves after the run. Hopefully the weather can stay nice for one more day!