Caballitos de Totora – Little Reed Horses

Caballito is Spanish for sea horse and these reed fishing boats are ridden like horses into the water by fishermen in Pimentel; a small rustic village on the coast by Chiclayo, Peru. This technique predates any European contact – though the addition of styrofoam in the stern probably came later. I talked to one fisherman who told me that they land anything from anchovies to shark.

That morning a more practical form of fishing was rolling in the surf and selling its catch to those that gathered on the beach; including a few expectant pelicans who did get a share.

We ended up in Pimentel after a vague call to “sleep on the beach” after an ugly haul away from the border. We rode 400 miles down the PanAmericana highway which here is straight, windy, hot, and boring across the coastal desert and the “fast group” hit upon a camp that was a cross between the Whole Earth Catalogue and Burning Man. Some decided that their tents were a safer flea-free environment than the pyramids. If Peru has a Spring Break equivalent, I bet it’ll be happening here.

Most astonishing was the fact that our host produced the best meal we’ve had so far – couple of fresh fish cooked two different ways and chicken and salad and BEER.