Santa Barbara Hiking Trails - Rattlesnake Canyon

Santa Barbara has some of the best hiking trails in the US... not only are the views and scenery amazing, but the weather is perfect for most of the year. The images shown here were taken at Rattlesnake Canyon. The trail name doesn't necessarily mean that you'll encounter a rattlesnake (although, I guess you could)... but rather refers to the curvy nature of the canyon/trail (which resembles a rattlesnake). The hike is moderate for most of the way. However, it gets a bit challenging and steep if you steer off the main trail and go away from the creek. Before you get to the steep part, there was a beautiful little meadow with thousands of yellow flowers blooming. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Last Night in Boston - Sunset, Night, & Dawn

This series of photos was taken from my hotel room (in the Hilton) during my last night in Boston. I remember the evening quite well... had my last dinner in the North End with a really good friend and ate my last tiramisu at Mike's Pastry. I was sad to be leaving friends and work colleagues, but was also excited to move back to California and pursue a new opportunity. It's only been about a month since I've moved... and it feels like time has slowed down. When I was reminiscing about these photos and my final night in Boston, it felt like it happened about a year ago. I guess when you're meeting so many new people and learning/experiencing so many new things, time can slow down... which is good when you enjoy what you're doing. I'm sure that I'll eventually settle into some sort of routine (will start cooking food for myself again) and time will start flying by... but I'm definitely going to enjoy myself and make the most of this new life. Cheers!

Peru - Non Surf Photos

Staircase up to Chicama Surf Resort

Finally adding the rest of the photos from my Peruvian adventure back in May. This set features a bunch of random non-surf photos that I took over the course of two weeks. Peru is an incredible place. Everything about it is massive in scale... waves whose length can be measured in miles, giant mountains, barren desserts, lush jungles, and friendly people with big hearts. I really enjoyed my time in the country and look forward to returning.

Isolation 

The coastal town of Chicama. The Chicama Surf Resort was one of the top employers in this area... and also one of the only businesses offering year round employment. At the far end of the town was a fishery that's open for just a few months out of the year. When the fishery is in operation, there is a massive influx of men that pour into the town looking for work (it was closed when I was there). After the fishery shuts down for the season, all the men move on to the next town/job... and apparently, leave a bunch of single mothers behind them. I was told that this was quite a big problem for the area. However, they were hoping that more businesses like Chicama Surf Resort can offer year round employment.

Contemplation

Post-surf enjoyment. Cristal and Cusqueña were two of the local beers... they were quite good. 

The beautiful Chicama Surf Resort

A super friendly Brazilian surfer I met during the trip. 

On the cliff looking toward Chicama. 

The coastal areas of Peru receive less than an inch of rain per year... and it causes the landscape to look like the surface of the moon. The ground is a mixture of sand, rocks, and dirt. Never before in my life had I seen so many rocks! One interesting thing I did while staying in Peru was take a walk into the desert. When walking in the dessert and not having anything to use to measure scale, everything ends up being much farther away then you anticipate (such as that mountain in the background). On this particular day, there was a lot of wind gusts blowing (as is common for this area)... and as you walked up and down hills,  you would get blasted by the wind. It was rad to stop in between hills where the wind was blocked and just listen to the sound of nothingness.

The road leading out of the desert and into the town.

The coastal areas of Peru receive an incredible amount of wind... and apparently, this windmill used to power the entire town. However, it broke about 2 years ago. Instead of trying fix it, the government decided to bring in power from elsewhere. It seemed like a waste to not use such a plentiful and renewable natural resource. At least the windmill made for a good back drop on the photos. 

Action Surf Shots!... at Chicama

So... based on these photos, it looks like I can actually kind of surf. These photos were taken in early May by a super friendly Brazilian guy staying with us at Chicama Surf Resort in Peru. The waves on this day were on the small to medium size... and this is me during the mid section of the wave (have about 300ft+ more to go). It was definitely not my biggest or best wave of the trip... just the only one that I was actually photographed. Luckily I didn't hit myself in the face with my board on this wave (which I managed to do twice this trip)... or have a bad wipeout.

Speed Blur!

Peru - "El Brujo"

In reading/seeing my previous posts, you can judge that my main purpose for going to Peru was to surf. However, the country has a unique history and culture... and I felt that I needed to visit a couple places with historical significance (since I didn't have a chance to go to Machu Picchu). I was also exhausted from surfing non-stop and needed to relax my body. Lucky for me, there was a major archeological site close to Chicama called El Brujo.

El Brujo is a series of temples built on top of each other and then covered with dirt. If you were driving or walking past it, it would have just looked like a hill. The reason Peruvians built temples on top of each other was to signify a change of government... and so that they would literally be ruling on top of their ancestors (the ancestors would be buried in the temple underneath). The temples served as the main worship area and the rulers would stay there. If you've ever seen the Mel Gibson movie Apacalypto, you will also know that the temples were used to conduct a massive amount of human sacrifices. Blood was very significant to Peruvians.

Inside the temple were intricate carvings and paintings (I also saw a mummy). However, the most interesting/spectacular thing to me was El Brujo's location. As you drive you through the coastal areas of Peru, it feels like you're on the surface of the moon. The coastal areas get about a half of inch of rain per year and there is absolutely no life... just a lot of rocks and sand (A LOT OF ROCKS!!). Every 50-100 miles though, you would come across a stripe of green that would stretch from the coast to the mountains. This stripe of green is where the rivers would come down from the Andes mountain range (it was also where all the towns were). The archeological site of El Brujo is situated on a patch of desert between the ocean and a lush green area (where a river comes down). It was striking to see the contrast of desert, green farm land, and bright blue ocean in one area. These are a few photos I took from El Brujo (what you can't see is all the wind that was trying to blow sand inside my camera and face).

Peruvian Gold - "Beer O'Clock"

Every night around 6:o0PM, the guests at Chicama Resort would gather on the deck area for "Beer O'Clock". The second (or third) surf session will have just finished, the sun is about to set, everyone is in a good mood (but exhausted), and beers/stories start flowing. It was one of my favorite times of the day because you could relax and reflect on a day of surfing amazing waves with new friends. Also, you just happened to have an amazing view overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

These are a few sunset photos I took... I don't have anything else to say other than "ENJOY!" & "VISIT PERU!"

(recommend to click on the photos to view in full size)