Living Large at Casa de Carlos!

After spending a week in Lima, I felt ready to get out and escape towards a smaller city. I found refuge in Trujillo, another coastal city which, at 1 million or so people, is much smaller than Lima. I came here to check out some ancient ruins, but it was Carlos who stole the show and made Trujillo worth the visit.


This blog is part travel blog, and part biopic on Carlos!

Carlos and his charming dog Fritz!

I found Carlos on Couchsurfing. He kindly came to pick me up at the bus station. Immediately, he treated me to a classic local dish at one of the nicest restaurants in town.

Trujillo's famous pork chop breakfast!

There he happily talked away, sharing his life story. He grew up in Lima but spent most of his life in Los Angeles in the States. There he was able to establish himself through a home renovation project with a good friend who he calls his adopted father in LA.

From that work, he earned himself a portion of the home which he operated as a bed and breakfast and, later on, let out through AirBnB. His 500+ references on AirBnb combined with his impressive profile on Couchsurfing means that accommodating people is not only a joy for him, but it is a part of his life.

Carlos is also a freelance photographer, and an activist back in LA, speaking out on behalf of Spanish minorities in support of their struggle. But in his spare time, he really lived the LA dream. He met musicians and actors and partied in style and glamour. At some point I forget where we switched from him telling stories and me listening with fascination, to vice versa, but I wish I had asked him more questions, or saw more of his photos.

The main reason Carlos is back in Peru is because he hates Donald Trump! It's not as if he is directly threatened by the president in any way. He simply feels such strong anger and shame about him that he decided not to be in the country until 2020 when he gets voted out of office (ugh! Three more years).

A "procession" shuts down the main street in Trujillo, Peru

I took one day in Trujillo to rest my ankle, and the other to walk excessively. The walking day included a visit to the Chan Chan ruins, my original reason for coming to Trujillo. Carlos, in his electric blue ocean themed van, dropped me off in the city centre, and I took a bus to reach the ruins. Call me snobby or over travelled, but the ruins were slightly underwhelming. There was very little information on the history, which is what I care about just as much as the artifacts.

ChanChan ruins of Trujillo, Peru

Back home, we combined culinary forces, as his dad cooked a wonderful rice dish with pork intestines, and I cooked my family's traditional dish of cauliflower stir fried with tomatoes.

Carlos's home in Moche near Trujillo; also available on AirBnB

Cooking and eating dinner at Casa de Carlos

When Carlos and I weren't doing something, I was playing with his charming dog Fritz. I'm usually a cat person more than a dog person, but I absolutely fell in love with his dog. Apparently, Fritz was left to Carlos by an ex-girlfriend. But he certainly treats him as if it were his own.

Carlos's driver. *Ahem*, dog

Carlos's friendliness and enthusiasm for life was the highlight of my visit to Trujillo. We shared lots of laughs and jokes, and beyond that, he kindly shared his space. His generous hospitality and gregariousness was a joy to have, and his apartment, situated just outside of Trujillo, in a town called Moche, was cozy.

Carlos validates why Couchsurfing is awesome. Unfortunately it's getting commercialized and attracting too many users who don't embody the spirit of Couchsurfing, ultimately diminishing its spirit.

A short exposee on a half finished Peruvian district

While this has given rise to alternative free accommodation websites, Couchsurfing can still be rewarding to use by following this simple rule - take your time; make it personal! Take your time to write a thorough profile - look for hosts who have done the same. Write considerate requests to your potential hosts - look for the same from requesting surfers.

Happy surfing!