I have spent about 5 days here in Huanchaco and it has been delightful. The population is around a few thousand and there a few travellers mixed in the bunch.

Most people come here to surf because the waves break to the left if you are facing the beach while in the water. For whatever reason a left break is not common and found here on the northern coast of Peru. The town of Huanchaco is a fishing town and many people make their living through catching and exporting of fish. Fish are caught by strong tan man who ride a 12 foot boat that they have built out of reeds. The boat is shaped like a cone and the fisherman paddle out through the surf break to catch their fish. The restaurants and bodegas serve cebiche which is raw fish with lemon and onion. It is pretty tasty but is probably responsible for most of the gringo´s travellers diahrea. Tomorrow I plan to be on a bus for a full day heading to the mountains where I will spend 3 weeks learning spanish and volunteering. The town is called Ayacucho. If interested in seeing where Huanchaco is on the map press the following link.   http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-8.08257,-79.12038&ll=-8.08257,-79.12038&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
All the best

Felipe