The Ecuadorian-Peruvian border on the Pan-American Highway is infamous. When you read about it, you get the feeling that you're traveling to the worst area of South America. And indeed, there are strange characters here, but they mostly just want to earn their money harmlessly. $30 with a private taxi across the border seems to be a lucrative business model. We choose to skip it and take another taxi to the border for five dollars.
Romantic moments are free while waiting at the border post. Border areas have something special. They provide a stage for many scenarios that you would not otherwise see. Apart from a few moments in Colombia, the tragedy in Venezuela seemed far enough away. Not here. Upon arrival at the border, we are greeted by a long line of people, from the midst of which Venezuelan passports shimmer again and again. People between 20 and 30 years old in front of us. The woman next to us stares at our passports. I am getting nervous again and look for a way to chase after her, which could be a bit complicated upon closer inspection of the surroundings. 'She has been waiting here for two hours,' she answers my companion's question. Her husband is taking care of the entry formalities inside. The visa for refugees. The immigration counter in front of us. The sign on the counter says Peru, with the 'e' missing, which amuses me a little, and then it comes. How many times have I said the sentence, but now it feels strange for the first time. Por turismo? the officer asks. Si, por turismo, I reply, as I do every time at the border, always with the feeling of being welcome. In the knowledge that any airport here can take me home safely, to my family who is waiting for me. Where the young couple behind me is heading is unclear to me. Definitely not home. Tumbes, Peru's first city across the border, is primarily one thing: a loud, hectic border town. The group of young tourism students who ask us about the tourist feeling in Tumbes seems a bit lost. Because there is actually nothing here except noise and mosquitoes. Most tourists don't stay here longer than one night. And yet, as always with a spirit of discovery and slightly high from the overdose of mosquito repellent, I enter the dragon's cave in search of hidden gold. Holy jesus!!! Oversized statue of Jesus in Tumbes Church in the main square of Tumbes Following Peru's coast to Lima, along the famous Pan-American Highway, it is difficult to rave about it, because here you are presented with a rather barren sandy landscape instead of breathtaking nature. And yet, there are opportunities along the way to plan for a short or longer stay. I surf, therefore I am! Peru's coast is a small mecca for cool surfers and blissed-out yoga fanatics. If you don't surf or smoke, and therefore don't stay in any of the overpriced #surfyogaveganimsohip hostels, you can enjoy the Pacific Ocean at sunset in Huanchaco while sipping on a cheap pisco. Sunset over Huanchaco Mancora, the small village two hours after Tumbes, offers great ceviche and a cozy, unobtrusive hippie vibe. Felipe, the friendly masseur from the beach in Mancora, still did not show up at the agreed meeting point. 30 minutes late, not bad for Peruvian standards, I finally lay down on the massage table in his office, which looks like a scene from a bad horror movie. Why the hell is the giant freezer in his living room and why are there creepy pictures of saints everywhere?! But his hands skillfully massage away my newly intensified tension. 'Do I believe in God?' he asks me while my neck muscles seem to turn into pudding. And as his bear hands dangerously approach my neck, I decide to answer 'Of course!'. My neck cracks and for a second I feel relieved of all the pain I've ever had in my life. We chat a bit more about priests, saints, demons, about how the US President is probably a reptile in human form, and how Jesus has the master plan for everything. Yes... Peruvians are believers! We naturally end the massage with a shared prayer. One thing is clear, my muscles are deeply relaxed and I have a few more bonus points with the old man up there. Pisco Sour on the beach in Mancora I thought it was still winking at me Evening sky in its most beautiful form Archaeological sites near Chiclayo. The big sandbox for adults. The sand mound used to be a temple. And what Lima has to do with cats, I'll tell you next time.
