http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Peru , Ica , Ica en-us Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:43:20 +0000 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:43:20 +0000 Hi AllJust a short update here. I've had a very nice and relaxing weekend including many trips to these amazing fruit shops all over Ica. The fruit salad is like nothing you can find in the US with a mound of very fresh fruit topped with yogurt and a little cereal. Then I had my 2nd adventure with the post office today and barring any catastrophes I think that a bunch of you will be receiving http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-415143.html Hola Were in Ica for the weekend and I apologize ahead of time the keyboard is falling apart and in Spanish. I am good Sunday we traveled to Huaytara on a sick double decker bus and we the group going to Huancavelica with me got front seats on the top it was great. We drank coca tea and saw the coast before climbing up some serious elevation but nothing compared to what was to come.I felt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-410563.html 270509Today we are having a more leisurely day as we wait for our bus to paracas at 200.Got onto the internet and started of learn some Spanish so as to have a better understanding of what is going on around me. I would highly recommend learning some Spanish before you come here it will make your trip enjoyable and you are less likely to be ripped off.Went to the bus which was delayed by 45 m http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-404731.html .. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-394096.html Finally I got Lima... tomorrow I'll go to Ica I planned to visit Huacachina then the Nazca's Lines I'm taking my camera so I hope I get good pictures of there... and just a couple of nights I realized there is a Festival there La Vendimia... so this will be really fun http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-380324.html On leaving Huacachina with our english speaking companion we went on our winemuseum tour of Ica. The museum had many alien like skulls and nasca line pictures according to the guide and the many following american tourists ew. Next was the wine tasting at the pisco manufacturing place where there was a group of school children on excursion to the winery. Also at the second place we found some k http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-351230.html Peru 3 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-345140.html Peru 2 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-345136.html Peru Part I Buses Bodegas and Boarding by GeorgeIf Family Fortunes asked 100 people to name a tourist attraction in South America you'd be in the money if you guessed Machu Picchu. With our increasingly relaxed attitude to planning we'd allocated 2 weeks to Peru and the only fixed thing on the ToDoList was a hike to the former Inca city.We'd left Loja on a night bus for Piura in the north http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-325346.html Leaving Lima on our southbound bys we pass through the ghetto onto the the Pan American highway which follows the entire coast N S and thats alot of road. Southbound its a never ending stretch of coastal desert and the scale is extraordinary. Our destination Ica is about 250km or 5hrs on the bus. But the seats are well comfy Angelina is being Lara Croft on the TV so the boys on the bus ar http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-318598.html I've again fallen behind in my blogging. And I may not come through on my promise for pics just yet. Seems like no matter how much time I think I have I have half that. On Wed we checked out of the hotel in the morning and took off for the Pueblo Jovenes or slums. The area is a picturesque camera shot from the paved park in Lima but actually consists of dirt roads running water and elec http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-312616.html After returning from the Nazca lines the three of us decided to go sandsurfing in the nearby dunes. The sand dunes in this area are considered the largest in the world. This was the most fun EVER Sandboarding standing up proved a bit too tough for me so I opted for the laying down kind. I ate SO MUCH DIRT And there was sand in every where possible but WHAT A DAY I can not even imagine whe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-291796.html I got a case of the traveler stomach this day. YIKES I had hoped to do many cool things in Nazca on the first day but instead I spent it mostly sleeping. I caught a bus from Lima to Nazca at 430am arriving at 1130am. I checked into my lodging and fell asleep. I stayed close to the facilities and slept on and off until 7pm. At long last I was able to move and had some matte de coca. Basi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-291793.html INCA TRAIL 2 xxxxxx http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-291712.html INCA TRAIL If you are interested this was our itineryIt was so so tough but we loved it it is one of my main highlights of my gap year it was such a challenge to myself was such a good feeling when i reached machupichu it was unreal I would advise anyone int the world to do the inca it is really something out of this worldDay 1 Arrive Lima Day 2 Cuzco Cuzco is the continentrsquos olde http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-291710.html En route pour Pisco on est passes par Ica faire du buggy et du surf dans le sable La maradeOn our way to Pisco we stopped at Ica to do some buggy and some sandsurf. What a laugh http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-290108.html Steve Our next short stop was Ica this was just for the day as we had a night bus booked for the evening to take us up to Cuzco. We booked an afternoon of dune bugeying and sandboarding which i think Kate was secretly dreading. We got there early and we were able to spend the day at a local hostel which had a pool so we got a bit of tanning inEarly afternoon we got picked up by out driver an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-281859.html Day 5 Lesmahagow to Peru.This morning was a trip to Oasis Huacachina for some riding of the sand dunes and a dabble at sandbaording. Sand is now firmly lodged in all places imaginable and unimaginable But is was fun. And no bruises to report either. Does this now officially make me an extreme sportspersonToday was the official opeing of the Ica boys' home Casa Girasoles. It was a truly http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-251998.html Day 4 Lesmahagow To Peru.Well I survived the bugs and 'fruit bats' of Kawai. However the insect repellant coils need to come with a warning in bigger writing to advise a person to make sure that they are not burning 2 instead of 1. Take it from me not a good thing to do. No fear of any mossies or bugs though. Inhalation of considerable poisonous fumes but no bug bitesThis morning we tr http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-249263.html Nach Nasca treffen wir in Ica ein. Da ich schon einmal etwas ueber die Steine von Ica gehoert hatte machen wir uns auch sofort auf den Weg dorthin. Mehr als dass es ein Haus in der Naehe des Hauptplatzes des Ortes geben soll wo ich mehr darueber erfahren kann weiss ich auch nicht. Nach einer etwas langwierigen Suche werden wir fuendig. Eine alte Tuer mit ein paar Schloessern und ein Name den http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Ica/blog-243986.html