Northern Peru has some great surf towns. Who knew? After several weeks traveling through the mountains, I found myself on the Pacific coast.
The town I was staying in (Huanchaco, Peru) is known for handmade reed boats, called a balsilla or tup.
These boats have been used by local fishermen for hundreds of years.
The tups are about 15 feet long and about 2 feet wide. The sailor straddles the top of the boat and paddles with a long, wide piece of bamboo.
When the Spanish arrived in Peru, they named the boats caballitos (little horses) since the sailor looks like he is riding a horse!
I decided to give one of these little boats a try.
The locals make it look so easy! Paddling with a piece of bamboo, at least for a novice, isn’t an easy task! And I managed to tip the entire boat more than once! Fortunately, I finally made it back to shore!
And then decided to try a more modern (but no less difficult) watercraft. . .
I’m a mid-west girl. I’ve never lived near an ocean. So I’ve never had the chance to try to surf. But, in Huanchaco, I decided to take surf lessons. Why not, right? They have small waves and an area of the beach devoted to beginners.
I certainly wasn’t a pro, and it didn’t come naturally. . .
But I did manage to stand up eventually!
I’m not sure when I’ll get a chance to surf again, but it seems a lot less scary now that I’ve had 3 hours with a board!
No comments:
Post a Comment