This is me: Northern Peru Adventure - Part 4

After arriving back from Tumbes with bait I decided to try a little fishing - the tides were right for late in the day so I made a few casts. The sea here was much calmer than Huanchaco too, so I felt that it could be promising, and second cast I got a bite and pulled in a Bullseye Pufferfish!!

Bullseye Pufferfish - named after the "target" on its back

Not the biggest fish I have ever caught but nice change from the Bagre in Huanchaco

I had a few more nibbles, but the fish didn't really seem to be feeding so as the sun set I packed up.

With a view like this the fishing is secondary!

Once the sun had dropped below the horizon

Fortunately the kitchen staff had agreed to put my bait in the freezer to keep (in a marked plastic container I provided) for another day.
I hadn't mentioned this before but the hostel has a wonderful restaurant - there is usually a very reasonably priced special of the day (one night it was grilled prawns, which was excellent) - and the food was so good I rarely ate out, even taking lunch there (generally a snack) on days I wasn't away. The only complaint I have is that the food was really - and I mean really - slow in coming out of the kitchen! The grilled prawns I mentioned earlier, which was served with a salad, took well over an hour, and most meals - even the "specials" - took at least 45 minutes. Breakfast, which was coffee, fruit juice, bread rolls and jam, used to take at least 20 minutes as well! Not having to go out to find a restaurant made the waiting almost worthwhile, but a couple of nights I did venture into Zorritos for dinner.
The next morning I was going to explore some of the places I had passed through on my way North, and the sunrise was spectacular

While waiting for breakfast I walked down to the water's edge and was rewarded with this sunrise over the beach shelters

This large wasp's nest was on my little verandah, but they left me alone for the duration of my stay!

Wasp's nest on my verandah

One thing I was looking for on this trip was the opportunity to do some deep sea fishing, but I had a limited budget, and this stretch of coastline attracts game fishermen from all over the world, so trips tend to be extremely expensive, and I was hoping to find something cheaper. My first stop was Punta Sal, one of the places many fishing trips sail from, but unfortunately it was the low season, and nothing much was happening.

Punta Sal - almost deserted beaches

A few boats out at anchor

Local fishermen go out on these bamboo rafts a short way offshore

Fishing boat on land till the next season

Next stop was Mancora - party town of the Peruvian North Coast - and a major tourist spot, so I was hopeful that one of the travel agencies might have some fishing trips organised. I was to be disappointed, though - again I was told it was low season and there weren't enough tourists wanting to fish, so I would have to charter a whole boat if I wanted to go out!

Mancora was much busier than anywhere else I had seen

... with jet-skis for hire, as well as "banana" boats, kayaks and surfing gear

Plenty of eating places, including some that tried to cash in on more famous logos!

Somewhat deflated about the lack of sea trips I headed back to Zorritos, and another beautiful sunset.

Amazing colours in the clouds

The sun was down but the afterglow continued for some time.

The next day I decided to head back to Tumbes - I was told there were some agencies there that might have fishing trips on as it was a bigger place than Mancora, and I also wanted to visit Puerto Pizarro, a fishing port a few miles from the Ecuador border, which I had heard was spectacular.
When I reached Tumbes I headed straight through to Puerto Pizarro, which wasn't as easy as it sounds! Although the road I needed was the Panamerican Highway, as always, signposts are pretty much non-existent, so I was unsure if I was on the right route, and when I came to a very big, and very busy junction at the outskirts of Tumbes, I was almost relieved I was stopped by a Police checkpoint so I could check on directions too! Once through Tumbes the road heads straight to the Ecuador border, but the turning to Puerto Pizarro is only 10 kms from the border. There were a lot of people milling about at the junction, and a lot of buses and taxis, too, and I found out that the local prison is located there, and these were people waiting to visit their incarcerated loved ones!
I love Puerto Pizarro! It is a small fishing town surrounded by mangroves, and the air is full of Magnificent Frigate birds!

I looked for some shade for my bike and parked under a tree by the harbour

Pterodactyl-like Frigate birds hanging in the air over the fleet

Some boats careened for repairs

Hundreds of fishing boats

There was an observation platform - a nod to the fact that it is also a tourist destination

The covered boats were part of the fleet that ferries visitors around the mangroves

Magnificent Frigate Bird

Many of the birds were hovering over the harbour and fish market

Decorative square next to the observation platform

I took shelter from the sun in one of the thatched seating places, and had a swift watching my every move

Observation platform

Where the catch is landed - the Frigate birds were hoping for some scraps

Fiddler crabs

It was low tide so some of the boats were beached

Greater Egret looking for a meal

I took an early lunch of Conchas Negras (Black clam) ceviche, a local speciality

The egret seemed to be having some luck, too

Frigate Bird

I kept being offered boat trips round the bay, to visit the Frigate Bird nesting sites and a local crocodile sanctuary, but as the tide was very low I decided to save that for another day (and a post of its own!), and headed back to Tumbes. I didn't manage to find anyone offering fishing trips at the moment, but did enjoy wandering round taking some pictures of the wonderful sculptures and decorative constructions.