PERU
After one week spent in the middle of nowhere it was time to leave and head back to LA before flying to Peru for the next leg of the International Windsurfing Tour. I drove back again with Simeon, we were both still buzzing from Baja. It felt kind of weird to get back to normal life, but trust me, to have a hot shower again was awesome! Of course my phone was packed with messages, everybody was super interested to know how the trip had been. I then spent 3 days in LA as a guest of a friend of mine, both to recover from the infection and also to enjoy the city’s vibe, which I loved!
I’d booked an Uber XL to bring me to LAX airport, but when the guy arrived and saw my windsurf bags he didn’t want to bring me there. My human relationship skills and a good tip were enough to make him change his mind though! Once I arrived in Lima I had to take a second plane from Lima to Trujillo. Everyone had told me to fly instead of taking the luxury bus from Lima to Pacasmayo, which was the other option. In hindsight it wasn’t the best decision, as between the price of the ticket, the excess baggage and the taxi I had to take from Trujillo to Pacasmayo, I spent way more money and had way more stress than the luxury bus option! It wasn’t a big deal though; with a good attitude and positivity everything went the right way.
At first I was really surprised by Pacasmayo, as I thought it was only a windsurfing spot with a few hotels and buildings around. I was totally wrong! It’s a proper city, with a really nice centre and many restaurants and shops where you could feel the Peruvian vibe. I stayed for 2 weeks in the “La Terrazas” Hotel, as El Faro Resort was fully booked. It was a good and cheap place to stay and only 100 metres away from the launch spot.
Those 2 weeks in Pacasmayo were really special for me, as during my stay I probably had the best setup I ever had between accommodation, people, food, vibe, training, windsurfing and attitude. Something was happening in my mind, I was feeling completely focussed and having a great time sailing the long, perfect and fun waves. Those 2 factors were probably the reason that I gained my first international event win. I still can’t believe it happened and I’m so grateful to all the people that helped me achieve the result. Besides this, I really recommend Pacasmayo as a ‘must visit’ to anyone that loves windsurfing and especially wave riding. It’s the funnest, longest and easiest wave I’ve ever ridden. Riding those waves for hours and then having a cheap and good dinner out with friends talking about it, I could do that every day! Big shout out to Jaime and El Faro Resort for helping organize the event and being so kind to all the riders.
