Paracas and Huacachina, Ica

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To get to Paracas I got a bus from Lima and arrived early evening. I stayed in the tiny little village overnight and spent the evening playing with kids who seemed to live at the hostel. I think that rather than paying for a room I should have been paid for babysitting as their parents dissapeared! But it was really good actually as they taught me lots of Spanish, including my numbers (the shame of being taught your numbers by a 4 year old who clearly thinks you are really thick!) which is useful for bartering in shops! They also taught me lots of games they play in school which will come in useful when I get to the orphanage.

I was up late as there town has an election on Sunday and the main candidate gave a rather jovial performace, fancy dress, singing and dancing all included in the main plaza! Maybe Gordy should consider this as a method of overcoming voter apathy... or maybe not!

In the morning I got up early and I went on a tour of the Ballestas islands by boat which was absolutely amazing. I saw literally thousands of birds, including pelicans, penguins, and the Peruvian booby (actually its name!!) and also loads of sea lions basking in the sun. Every seven years the locals come to the island and collect the guana to sell to the local farming industry! I should have had the sense to wear a hat as there was a lot of flying poo, but fortunately the aim wasn´t good enough to hit me!

When I got back to Paracas I got straight on a bus to Ica, which took about two hours. I arrived in Ica and got a taxi out to Huacachina which is about 3km away, Ica is in the dessert and Huacachina is an oasis, it used to be a holiday place for the Peruvian elite before the international travel boom, and you can tell as the architecture is much nicer than surrounding areas which are clearly quite poor.

My hostel was the cheapest in town and was stunning. For about three pounds fifty a night I got a private room and bathroom, and there was also a nice swimming pool. In Huacachina I went dune buggying and sand boarding, the buggying was possibly one of the scariest things I have ever done, but sooooo much fun! Next stop is Nasca tomorrow to see the famous Nasca lines!

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