Mancora, Peru
Places to Eat:
The line of 4 ceviche resturants on the way to the beach:
The recommended course of action as soon as you arrive in Cochabamba is to engage in a two week assignment through Water for People´s World Water Corps. The assignment will lead you to places you would never otherwise have seen, introduce you to people you will never forget, and provide a welcome boost to your spanish speaking frecuency, knowledge base, and comfort level.
Getting there and away:
From Cuenca, Ecuador take the 10:40 bus to the border, it takes a while and the bus will randomly let you out on the side of the road and dump your bags next to you. Through some quick conversing with a man wearing a walkie talkie you will figure out that you are supposed to wait, under the tent with the street vendors hawking fruit salad and otter pops, for another bus, ETA undertermined. Eventually people will start telling you, in what some might identify as a raised tone of voice, that your bus is coming and that you better be ready. The bus over the border, and to Mancora, will swoop onto the side of the road and will give you just enough time to load your bags and jump on board before it begins its rapid southbound journey once again. This bus will be packed but do not fret, you will only have to stand up (and hold on for dear life) for about an hour before people begin deboarding allowing you the opportunity to sit, at first randomly squeezed against a Peruvian tourist, and then finally to stretch out luxuriously as you become the only people on the bus.
From Cuenca, Ecuador take the 10:40 bus to the border, it takes a while and the bus will randomly let you out on the side of the road and dump your bags next to you. Through some quick conversing with a man wearing a walkie talkie you will figure out that you are supposed to wait, under the tent with the street vendors hawking fruit salad and otter pops, for another bus, ETA undertermined. Eventually people will start telling you, in what some might identify as a raised tone of voice, that your bus is coming and that you better be ready. The bus over the border, and to Mancora, will swoop onto the side of the road and will give you just enough time to load your bags and jump on board before it begins its rapid southbound journey once again. This bus will be packed but do not fret, you will only have to stand up (and hold on for dear life) for about an hour before people begin deboarding allowing you the opportunity to sit, at first randomly squeezed against a Peruvian tourist, and then finally to stretch out luxuriously as you become the only people on the bus.
Places to stay:
When the one campground in town (that you were eyeing from the get-go) is full up, don´t fret, more adventures are in front of you.
Hospedaje de los Angeles:
When the bicycle taxi man then offers to take you to the cheapest place in town, even though it is dark and you are tired and hungry, use your previous experience and your promise of ¨never again¨ and refrain from taking him up on his offer. Otherwise you will wind up in a smelly, dirty, mosquito infested room with a bathroom that has not been cleaned in years (although cable TV is available). The bed is a worn, holey mattress on a concrete slab, the windows don´t shut and the neighbors might as well be in the room with you. The mosquito net has holes and will drape on your face the whole night, but hey, its located "en la playa".
When the bicycle taxi man then offers to take you to the cheapest place in town, even though it is dark and you are tired and hungry, use your previous experience and your promise of ¨never again¨ and refrain from taking him up on his offer. Otherwise you will wind up in a smelly, dirty, mosquito infested room with a bathroom that has not been cleaned in years (although cable TV is available). The bed is a worn, holey mattress on a concrete slab, the windows don´t shut and the neighbors might as well be in the room with you. The mosquito net has holes and will drape on your face the whole night, but hey, its located "en la playa".
Hospedaje Desperado:
This place is the cat´s meow. The young female dueña (Mariela) will let you store your bags in her closet until the room you so desperately need opens up during midday. The place is small, 3 rooms, clean, and low and behold, even cheaper than the dump you stayed in before. Your own room, bathroom, and no mosquito net required... all for under 5 bucks a night. AHHH. If Spanish speaking has got you down Mariela´s older buisness and life partner, Hans is a breath of fresh air. He lived 18 years in the Bronx (hence the english speaking abilities), plays internet poker non-stop, and might even ask you for help around the house in return for a couple beers and a home-cooked spaghetti meal (Mariela has an Italian specialty). One of the biggest pluses of this laid back and friendly place is the couple´s 7 month old daughter, Daiax. Full of belly laughs and kicking feet, always a source of entertainment.
Places to Eat:
The line of 4 ceviche resturants on the way to the beach:
For $1.25 you can get a fresh squeezed juice, a plate of fresh ceviche and a platter of rice, meat, potatoes, salad etc. Good food (although the set meals tend to get old fast), super cheap.
The sandwich place which is randomly open, and thus far unnamed, that is next door to the Desperado:
AMAZING!!!!! Huge, delicious, ridiculous sandwiches and pretty freaking good smoothies as well. The only downside is the fact that as of this posting it was only observed to be open once and the storefront was otherwise completely void of any identifying marks making those who consumed food there previously feel as though they may have made it all up...
The Asian restaurant at the southern end of town:
Fried wontons (with vegetables cooked in special sauce)! Spring Rolls! Beer! This restaurant is always full and the scent from the street is intoxicating. You will want to come back over and over again, but your poor wallet will think better of it.
Pluses:
This place flat out rocks. There are thousands of feet of undisturbed beach which provide the perfect vantage to watch the surfers slide in and out of the break along "La Punta" all day long. Days turn into dusk while staring in awe at a maze of kite-surfers catch air and magically not colliding with each other or their kite-less counterparts. Year round sun shines down on stretches of beach where the water is calm a mere 10 meters offshore, but still provides top-notch body-surfing as the waves break onto the sand. The local cuisine is diverse and topped-off by daily boatloads of fish. People come here and never leave.
This place flat out rocks. There are thousands of feet of undisturbed beach which provide the perfect vantage to watch the surfers slide in and out of the break along "La Punta" all day long. Days turn into dusk while staring in awe at a maze of kite-surfers catch air and magically not colliding with each other or their kite-less counterparts. Year round sun shines down on stretches of beach where the water is calm a mere 10 meters offshore, but still provides top-notch body-surfing as the waves break onto the sand. The local cuisine is diverse and topped-off by daily boatloads of fish. People come here and never leave.
Minuses:
In the afternoon the wind can pick up, making swimming a little less inticing. Aside from that, the nearby "thermal baths" will leave you wanting more than the 40 square foot mud pool has to offer. Also, moto-taxis are not ashamed to honk at you to solicit fare. Your patience will be tested as you are honked at from every direction, all day long.
In the afternoon the wind can pick up, making swimming a little less inticing. Aside from that, the nearby "thermal baths" will leave you wanting more than the 40 square foot mud pool has to offer. Also, moto-taxis are not ashamed to honk at you to solicit fare. Your patience will be tested as you are honked at from every direction, all day long.
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Getting there and away:
From Mancora, take a bus to Lima. Spend the night in a hostel in the center of the city (GI problems have been known to arise at this point, taking you to the bathroom every half hour). From Lima, take a bus to La Paz (for information on border crossing into Bolivia, see the section entitled Americans Crossing the Bolivian Frontier). From La Paz, take an overnight bus to Cochabamba. If you mistakenly book with the cheap company because they are the first ones you talk to (there are probably 30 different outfits that run the route), bring a blanket or two. Without climate control, travelling up to 15,000 feet in elevation, sitting next to a door that seems to open every 20 minutes, things can get a bit nipply.
From Mancora, take a bus to Lima. Spend the night in a hostel in the center of the city (GI problems have been known to arise at this point, taking you to the bathroom every half hour). From Lima, take a bus to La Paz (for information on border crossing into Bolivia, see the section entitled Americans Crossing the Bolivian Frontier). From La Paz, take an overnight bus to Cochabamba. If you mistakenly book with the cheap company because they are the first ones you talk to (there are probably 30 different outfits that run the route), bring a blanket or two. Without climate control, travelling up to 15,000 feet in elevation, sitting next to a door that seems to open every 20 minutes, things can get a bit nipply.
Water for People Bolivia: Monitoreo
The recommended course of action as soon as you arrive in Cochabamba is to engage in a two week assignment through Water for People´s World Water Corps. The assignment will lead you to places you would never otherwise have seen, introduce you to people you will never forget, and provide a welcome boost to your spanish speaking frecuency, knowledge base, and comfort level.
More info to follow...
