Mancora

Christmas was spent making our way from Cuenca in Ecuador, across the border to Mancora in Peru. The change in scenery from the green leafiness of Ecuador to the barren coast along Peru was quite dramatic.

Not all Peruvians had embraced the spirit of Christmas either: we were ripped of at the border by taxi drivers who initially agreed to transport us across the border town (which should've been called Banos - it stank!) for US$7 per taxi, then pulled over in the middle of nowhere and demanded US$7 per person instead. Even the normally reserved Andreas said at the end of that trip that he felt like spitting on someone.

We managed to catch the only bus to Mancora, and arrived earlier than anticipated at about 3pm. Our hotel was right on the beach, and we had a ground floor room at the front which gave us a fantastic view of the ocean. I've decided that I love hammocks and that we'll be getting one for our balcony : )

We went for an early morning walk along the beach the next day, and were adopted by a dog who impressed us with its ability to dig crabs out of their holes. He kept us company for the duration of our long walk, and even waited patiently while we had a long conversation with a Swiss expat. He then slept quietly at our feet while we had a huge breakfast (we each had a stack of 5 pancakes, hash browns and juice for AUD$3). Warren rewarded him with some pancake. Pity we couldn't take him with us.

That night, we went to a local bar and danced some lambada to reggaeton which is commonly played here. After a couple of dances with Warren, one of the locals asked me to dance. His version of lambada was quite different to what we're used to, and put my following skills to the test. I had pinched a nerve in my neck previously (a combo of poor sleeping posture on buses and strange pillows) and he did so many cambres my fingers were numb at the end of two dances. I had to beg Warren to take me home so I wouldn't have to dance with him again!