Blogs from Huacachina, Ica, Peru, South America - page 9

Left Cusco, it was time to get away from the cold, it had been raining and the house we had rented had walls about 2 foot thick so it was freezing cold all the time, time for some sunshine to warm the old bones, So our motley crew John Heidi and myself left on Cruz del Sur on the night bus bound for Ica. Of course we were in a hurry and got nothing to eat before we left and no time to buy snacks, Heidi did so she got mugged by us and we all settled down for what was to be an uneventful trip. From Ica we took a taxi (5 soles) to Haucachina, it was a bit of a comedy moment when the taxi driver in his matchbox daewoo strapped our gear to ... read more

letzte Etappe... nach mal wieder einer nicht enden wollenden Busfahrt von Cusco nach Nasca bin ich dann doch noch irgendwann angekommen. Mein Aufenthalt in Nasca beschraenkt sich allerdings auf ein paar wenige Stunden. Das heisst also ab zum Flughafen, rein in die 5 sitzige Cessna C206 und die Aussicht von oben geniessen. Also Copilot musste ich natuerlich sicherstellen, dass wir einen angenehmen Flug hatten. Die Landung war dann mein Part (Spass!). Von oben hat man eine wunderbare Aussicht auf die Nasca Linien. Die Linien, Flaechen und Tierdarstellungen wurden erstmals 1550 erwaehnt, aber ihre wahre Bedeutung ist bis heute nicht eindeutig geklaert. Nach einer halben Stunde in der Luft hab ich das Meiste gesehen. Und dann gehts auch schon weiter mit dem Bus in eine kleine Oase umgeben von Wuestenlandschaft= genannt Huacachina. Ein hervorragender Ort, um mal ... read more

We arrived in Huacachina, Peru on the 25th following a short 5 hour bus ride. Huacachina is a very small town (approx. 200 ppl) just outside of Ica and is the place where tourists come to sand board and dune buggy (the town is literally surrounded by sand dunes). We did just that on our 2nd day here and it was so much fun! Braeden learned that it is much easier (and faster) to go down on your stomach as opposed to standing up - apparently sand boarding and snowboarding aren´t as similar as one would think. Dune buggying was crazy and our driver made my stomach hit my throat a couple times throughout the 2 hour trip. Fortunately there was only 4 of us so we were able to get in more boarding than those ... read more

It is 11 am on Day 3, i´m in this beautiful true oasis in the middle of a sand dune desert. I little lagoon surrounded by palm trees and beautiful hotels and restaurants. This little spot used to be the gettaway of Lima´s rich and famous, with dune buggy and sand boarding adventures leaving town constantly and little pelicans to paddle around the lagoon. It was a whirlwind couple of days. Day 1 was a tired cruise around Lima´s best sites, followed by a christenning of a cat? at a nearby hostel. We were up at 5 am on Day 2 to catch a bus to a seaside town Paracas and jump on a boat tour to Peru´s "Galapagos" Islands which were coverred in various birds including Penguins, Cormorants, Boobies and of course Pelicans. Jumping around ... read more

After a long bus journey and a short taxi ride we arrive in the oasis in the Peruvian desert. Our taxi driver is trying to charge three times the fare. Putting on his “innocent old man” face when we don’t buy it. Better luck next time. Despite being an avid traveler, my experience with deserts in general and oases in particular is very limited. Oasis; overrated English rock band with a few hits in the 90’s. Also; green area in the desert, presence of water. Or; something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast. Huacachina is far from rock’n’roll, but definitely meets the other criteria. A square-shaped little lake, palm trees bordering the waterline and providing shade, mighty sand dunes towering up on all sides. Sleepy hotels and quiet restaurants surrounding the water. This is a ... read more