We had never heard about Mancora until we got to Quito. But it’s one of those places backpackers rave about and insist you visit – particularly if you’re heading south from Ecuador to Peru. So Mancora became our next destination.
We stayed at the Loki, which has the most ridiculous facilities of any hostel I’ve visited with a big pool and beachfront location. Loki is a chain of hostels throughout South America and people tend to love them or hate them. Loki has perfected the gringo hostel experience with good food, reasonably priced drinks (8 soles rum slushies!) and lots of drinking games to act as icebreakers for the Westerners so they’ll party all night long. While it’s not the most cultural of experiences in South America, it sure is a lot of fun for a few days.
Swimming with turtles at a nearby bay and sampling amazing fresh ceviche are good options once you manage to drag yourself out of Loki. The surf is supposed to be good too, however the waves were dead while we were there so I still can’t lay claim to title ‘grommet’.
Ryan and I were tempted to stay and work for a few weeks at Loki (in exchange for working at the bar, you get a free bed, a free meal each day and discounts on food and booze). But after three nights of partying and a pretty bad hangover we thought it best to get out of there. Although now it freezing in Bolivia and the idea of partying at the beach where it’s 30 degrees every day sounds like a dream!
Chasing the Cheese 