2017 Peru Crew  L-R Phil, Tom, Jeff, Erwin

 One of the most rewarding things about my trips to Peru, is knowing that the waves here are good enough for my friends and family to think it is worth returning.    With his last trip in 2013, my brother finally joined me on this trip.   My great friend Jeff pulled some strings with the family, and was also able to make his second Peru run.   Finally I can always count on my traveling partner Tom to make it.  

The rallying cry this year was “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome”.    When we arrived, Peru had just gone through a catastrophic El Nino event.   Thousands were left homeless, and sections of the Pan American North highway had washed out bridges, sections of road under water or destroyed.   The  trip hung in the balance as we worried we may not even make it up North.  However, when the time came, we all “Improvised, Adapted, and Overcame”.  

 This year was fantastic.   Head high + waves everyday, great friends to share the good times both in and out of the water, sunsets that will always be remembered, and a warm welcome from all my Peruvian friends.   Also, because of the El Nino, the water was warm.   In fact, Jeff and my brother trunked it every session.   If there was one bummer, it was the mosquitoes.   With all the rain this year, they were out in full force in the morning, and evening.   Not fun, especially when Jeff had an allergic reaction to all the bites.   Even with all that, the waves made up for all the mosquito misery.