Cabo Blanco

From late morning on the winds kick up in Cabo Blanco, blowing sand into small dunes. The fishermen have come ashore, their boats anchored in the steely-blue waters. Against the backdrop of the clear sky soar the bright chutes of paragliders surfing the waves.

Few come to this small fishing village, located 29 kilometers (17.5 miles) south of Máncora. For many decades this was the stomping grounds of the richest US families, the Rockefellers, DuPonts and Firestones. The famous came also, sports great Ted Williams and Hollywood elites like Carole Lombard, Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy and Jimmy Stewart. The most famous guest of the exclusive Fishing Club of Cabo Blanco hide-away was Ernest Hemingway, who had stayed here a month during filming of his novella The Old Man and the Sea in 1956. (The movie was shot at a number of locations. Almost 10 minutes of footage from Cabo Blanco made it in the final cut.) The Holy Grail they all came in search of was black marlin. Because of the meeting of the warm El Niño and cold Humboldt currents, the sea here is rich in plankton, thus drawing the much-prized sports fish. Many over 1000 pounds (455 kilograms) were caught. The largest was by ¬Alfred C. Glassell, Jr., weighing in at 708 kilograms (1,560 pounds). Yellow fin tuna is another big catch here for sport fishers.

The Fishing Club has been closed since 1992. Plans are to open the renovated hotel Easter Week 2009. Room 5 — Mr. Hemingway’s quarters — will be a museum showcasing the typewriter and other items he left behind. At present, the hamlet has only one lodge, Hotel El Merlín (Tel.: 856-188, URL: www.geocities.com/hotelelmerlin. Double room $26.70 in low season).

During the summer vacations (mid-December through March), Cabo Blanco has many visitors. At the end of the year, Billabong hosts a major surfing competition here. Mid-March is neighboring El Alto’s Tourism Week and Founding Celebrations, with regattas and other events taking place in Cabo Blanco. The Southern summer is also the best season to try your hand at landing one of those prize black marlins. Yate Cristina out of Los Órganos offers these deep sea expeditions (257-600, E-mail: hangaroaperu@yahoo.com, URL: www.vivamancora.com/cristina). In the low season, though, few arrive. The fishermen continue to haul in their catches, now mostly albacore. North of the fishing pier is a cove where boats are dry-docked for repair. Windsurfers come to practice their sport.

While in Cabo Blanco, stop by Restaurant Cabo Blanco, owned by Hemingway’s bartender Pablo Córdova. While serving you an absolutely exquisite chicharrón de mariscos (or any other seafood delight), he will tell you all about Papa’s stay at the Fishing Club (daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tel.: 256-121).

Population: 212, Altitude: 29 meters (94 feet), Phone Code: 073