Piura and Colan Beach

I decided to visit my crazy roommate Carlos in his home town, Piura, along the northern coast of Peru. He had been there since I had left for Chile (leaving me alone in the apartment) and was working with his uncle on their fruit concentrate business. He had informed me that he would like me to meet his family and that there was a big party Saturday that I should go to.

I arrived in Piura to be met at the airport by Carlos, his brother Rafael and their cousin Alfredo. Both Rafael and Alfredo seemed more down to earth than Carlos and both spoke better English. Rafael had even worked in Atlanta for 3 years as a car salesman. They escorted me to their home on one of the main avenues of the city. Apartently their extended family owned most of the mansions on this street.

Their family was very nice and I was offered my own room. The huge corner house had been one of the first built by British colonials to which their liniage could be drawn. They shared with me old family photos of their British grandfather playing field hockey and graduating university. They also had an old manuscript that traced their family name "Leigh" back to English royalty. I saw that all this was clearly very important to them, especially in maintaining their sense of social status.

Despite their affluent history, the family seemed to be in a bit of a slump, or at least the kids had been cut off from the money flow. I found that I ended up covering all the expenses, from tax rides, to alcohol, to entrance into the party. I guessed that, as happens with rich kids in the US, these guys might have abused their privileges and were being reprimanded, or sent off on their own to grow up, by their parents. Afterall, they were in their 20s and early 30s. I wondered if Carlos had just invited me to cover his weekend expenses.

The party Saturday night was on the riverside. It was very nice and $10 openbar, all-night party. Carlos somehow had disappeared shortly after we arrived, but I was having a good time getting to know his younger brother and cousin. The night included a beauty competition (a scheme to attract the good-looking girls of the city, I figure) and lots of dancing. Rafael and Alfredo eventually invited me to Colon the next day where their family had several beach houses.

Colon was a small beach town with character. Supposedly it was where Hemmingway spent time fishing and was inspired to write "Old Man and the Sea". It was also the location of the first church in Latin America. Pizarro had landed here and established it (see picture above). When I made it to the shore, I was struck by the way the water collided with the houses. Climate change had definitely taken effect here and I was told owners had to spend hundreds of dollars a year for rocks to reinforce the barrier between their homes and the sea.

In all, I was very happy to have visited Carlos' family, despite becoming more suspicious of him personally. I enjoyed spending time with them and getting a taste of the lifestyle of the northern coast. The cebiche (raw fish salad) was excellent as well!