Semana Santa and Surf Lessons!



Procession during Semana Santa

In many Latin American and European countries, the week before Easter, called Samana Santa (Holy Week) is often more celebrated than Easter day itself.  This was definitely the case in Peru!  Starting with the Sunday before at Palm Sunday Mass, the priest described parade after parade that would occur in the upcoming week.  Thursday and Friday before Easter are considered National Holidays, so most businesses were shut down as the people flocked to the coastal towns to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and fabulous festivals.  The most interesting part, however, is that on Easter Sunday itself, most businesses opened back up and resumed life as usual! 

The parades were amazing to see, with gorgeous displays of the Crucifix, huge marching bands, incense, and people following the procession as they walked for miles.  One specific procession walked over 15 miles, from one end of Trujillo to the other.  On Easter Sunday, my family and I went to the Cathedral in Trujillo for mass.  40 minutes later, the mass was over (if you have EVER been to a Catholic holiday mass, or any mass for that matter, you will know this is not normal!) and life continued as any other normal day.  It was a change from the celebrations that I am used to! 


Sunset in Huanchaco, Peru

Since Amber was able to get the Thursday and Friday before Easter off of work, we went to Huanchaco, a town 25 minutes by car from Trujillo.  It is well known to be a surfer's paradise.  Amber has recently become an avid surfer, so she convinced myself and her friend Kathleen to take surfing lessons.  One more fabulous thing about Peru:  it's affordable, if not downright cheap.  A two-hour surfboard lesson, wetsuit and surfboard rental coast only s/35, or about $12.  After learning, in Spanish, that I am a "goofy" (a universal word!) and how to balance on the board on land (not as easy as it sounds when the instructor is pushing you back and forth to mimic waves!) we headed out into the ocean!  First wave came... and I caught it!  Second wave came.... success again!  By the third wave, I thought I was a pro!  It was 4th through 35th waves that got a little ugly.  :)  Let's just make this fact known:  Surfing IS NOT as easy as it looks.  However, equally as true:  Surfing IS as fun as it looks!  Although I swallowed gallons of delicious sea water and attracted many stares as a ridiculously horrible Gringa surfer, it was a fabulous first experience surfing!  Next weekend we are going to another well-known surfing destination in Peru, so hopefully I can try it again!



Picarones in Peru

After a fun day of surfing, we were starving.  Peruvian street food deserves an entire blog post of it's own, so I won't go into too much detail.  Amber, Kathleen and I shared some amazing Peruvian delicacies called Picarones.  Picarones are essentially deep fried dough made from squash and sweet potato. It is served in a doughnut form and covered with a syrup made from chancaca (solidified molasses- way yummier than it sounds).  If you aren't drooling, you should be.  They are perfectly brown and crisp on the outside and soft and warm on the inside.  Topped with the sweet sauce, you forget that you are on earth for a few moments and drown in deliciousness.  Mmm... A perfect end to a semi-successful day at the beach!