Christmas in Peru - On the beach in Chiclayo -

Christmas Day Juan picked us up about 10:30 and we drove to the ocean to spend time on the beach and eat lunch, another Christmas tradition of many.

The beach was already getting crowded when we arrived.  There were many umbrellas or shades available to rent.

There was a very long pier that extended out to deeper water, probably for the larger fishing boats.

We were immediately attracted to these reed boats. We learned they are made from the totora plant, which is only found on Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia, on the middle coast of Peru (where we were), and on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. The people of the Peruvian coast have used totora to build their "caballitos de totora" (little totora horses), which are small rowed and straddled fishing boats, for several thousand years. The Uru people, an indigenous people predating the Incas, live on Lake Titicaca upon floating islands fashioned from this plant. The Uru people also use the reed to make boats, as do the natives of Easter Island.

Here is a full view of the reed boats. The fishermen sit straddled on them and put the fish they catch in the open area.

There were lots of these boats on the beach. They were probably being left out in the sun to dry in order to maintain their buoyancy in the water.

We started to notice that these boats were coming in from the water with their catch of fish and selling them on the beach.

A larger group gathered around this fisherman. It appears he had several different kinds of fish.

Here is a boat just coming in from the water, being helped by a friend.

Another catch.

When there is food, who shows up? Some hungry pelicans.

Could this be a "boat built for two"?

Ah yes, the moto-taxis--they are even more common in cities along the coast.  And there were a lot of them at the beach.

Following our stay on the beach, we went to a seaside restaurant and had an excellent meal of corvina (sea bass). Our beach adventure would not be complete without a sunburn story. See the following photo.

Marilyn sat under the beach umbrella most of the time we were at the beach, however her feet were just outside of the shaded area. She had sandals on and they offered little protection. This picture was taken 9 days after her exposure and the feet are still reddish, but she says they don't hurt anymore. Another Christmas memory from Peru!