Arriving in Huanchaco I wondered if we’d really want to stay
for a month but after just a few days it became a home away from home and it
was so difficult to leave. Here’s why…
1. We stayed at Casa Amelia which was a gorgeous house,
overlooking the sea with a dog, cat and two parrots. Our cosy little room had
two floors with the bed upstairs and there were plenty of hammocks to laze
about in and listen to the waves crash onto the beach. Paul and Renee, who ran
the place, were so friendly and Paul’s pizzas and apple pies were incredible.
2. Despite a challenging start to volunteering (involving
Chris working at a school where the teacher essentially used the children for
child labour and my project basically not existing) we finally met Coco . Coco is one of the
most inspiring people I have met. Without the long story she has ended up in
Huanchaco and in January she opened a new school in a deprived area near the
town. We both volunteered there and had such a fantastic time. We helped out in
lessons and later taught which was terrifying but really fun. The kids learn
English, art and sports. Chris did sports coaching and ‘rustic’ cementing of a
wall and I had loads of fun making animals out of shapes and creating finger
print farms. Finally showing my artistic side Dad! Following the children
having photography lessons we organised two exhibitions, one for the families
of the children at the School and the other in Huanchaco for tourists. Both
were great and we raised lots of money selling the photos and t-shirts. It was
impossible to leave and when one of the children gave us a toy as a present
(bear in mind they have next to nothing) I finally lost my bet to Chris and
cried, a lot!
3. We (sort of) learnt to surf. We have met many surfers on
this trip and it was time for us to give it a go. We did a lot less than we
hoped but absolutely loved it. Our teacher Chicho was hilarious! An amazing
teaching but never on time for our lessons and once didn’t even show (we’d seen
him the night before in the pub!) Unfortunately we have no evidence of us
standing but I’d say we looked almost professional.
4. Living at the beach rocks. It was so wonderful having a
sea view, falling asleep to the sound of the waves and drinking wine on the
beach at sunset. Super tranquilo as they say here.
5. The Polleria: probably Chris’ favourite place in the
world. We often found ourselves at the Polleria eating chicken, chips and salad
with the free Inka Cola (tastes like bubblegum and is luminous yellow!) The whole
month Chris aspired to order a whole chicken and share it. Our chance came on
our final night. With the help of Gonzalo we conquered a whole chicken, the
biggest pile of chips in the world and a huge plate of salad. I think the other
girls at the table were horrified at how much I managed to eat!
Smith
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