We made it out of our oasis in Los Organos and spent the day in the more popular town and beaches of Máncora, Peru. There are no taxis here, only mototaxis, but our last ride via mototaxi from Máncora to our bungalow was a bit rough (and expensive) for the route. We were told that we could ride-share with others wanting to go to the same destination in someone's personal vehicle. They usually take up to 5 passengers at 2.50 soles/pp (~$1/pp) or 12 soles (~$4) to hire the entire car. We noticed that these drivers usually congregate at a certain place near the center of Los Organos town on the Pan-American Hwy. We walked over to this area and started asking the drivers. Some were going to Tumbes and other places, but we found a driver headed to Máncora. Lucky for us, 3 more locals walked up for a total of 5 passengers, so we didn't have to wait at all! About 10 minutes later, we were in Máncora. This was much better than the 30 minute mototaxi ride, getting nearly run over by semis and buses, worrying if we would have to get out and push the cart up some hills.
Máncora definitely offers more variety of bars, restaurants, and hotels that cater to the Americans. We saw hamburgers and pizza joints, as well as at least one vegetarian restaurant. There was plenty of souvenir shops and places to take surfing, kite/wind surfing lessons. The beach was full of mostly tourists. We hardly saw any Peruvians vacationing in Máncora, except for the occasional group of young Peruvian guys checking out the blondes in bikinis, and getting pictures taken with them (no joke.)
After walking the town, we settled into a few bar/restaurants along the beach for an afternoon of relaxation.
[Below: Tiradito, similar to ceviche, without the red onions. Still marinated in lime juice. Usually comes with ají amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili) sauce. Accompaniments included roasted corn nuts, yucca, beans, and sweet potato.]
We were highly entertained by the translation FAILS, as seen by the signage below.
Getting back to Los Organos was a bit more challenging. It seems there's not as many people wanting to go this direction. We ended up hiring a car for 25 soles (~$9) to get back. So, if planning to trek into Máncora more frequently, it would probably be best to just stay in Máncora. We enjoyed our day, but preferred the tranquility of our Los Organos hideaway.
