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We left Nazca early on April 5th, heading straight for Ica and the desert oasis at Huachachina, 300km south of Lima. Most of the group were feeling a little hungover so the journey was quiet, but we all perked up at Huachachina, as the possibility of both relaxation and adventure stirred us either way. We could relax by the pool and enjoy the sun or go sandboarding on the huge dunes nearby. Guess what we did!
Reaching these unbelievable sand mountains was via heavy duty buggies, and riding in them was like a rollercoaster ride! Racing over the dunes at fast speed, reaching the top of one and not knowing if there was anything the other side...luckily our drivers knew the area well! We then stopped at three different dunes to have a go with the boards. We didn't really have time to learn how to sandboard like you would snowboard, so instead of standing on them we laid down head first and just flew down the hills. The last dune was about 100m high, so we managed to build up quite a bit of speed. Something completely different and great fun! Approaching Huachachina on the way back was amazing
Ready for the dunes
Preparing to leave. - it really was a tiny oasis surrounded by desert in all directions.
We relaxed by the pool for couple of hours before heading up the road to Ica, and to a local vineyard to try some Pisco and see how it was made. It was the last tour of the day so the guide seemed a bit drunk - not too surprising seeing as we were given about 8 different Piscos to taste! Guess who preferred the taste test. Carina wasn't a fan of the strong stuff (about 43%), whereas Chris quite liked it. We ended up buying a small bottle of Pisco Sour mix to send home!
From here it was about an hour to Paracas, where we would be spending the night and enjoying a delicious dinner on the seafront. The following morning (while Chris had a lie-in!) Carina got up early for a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands, known for being a miniature Galapagos. Heading out on the three hour round trip, she passed by the candlebra, a giant carving in the rock similar to those at Nazca. Arriving at the islands you are immediately bombarded by huge numbers and varieties of wildlife,
from the common gull to the Peruvian Booby. Literally thousands of birds filled the skies, creating a magnificent sight. There were also sea lions, penguins and, the highlight for Carina, dolphins swimming near the boat.
She arrived back at the dock and we all headed to Pisco, where we would be taking the 'chicken bus' (so called because they cram as many people on it as possible) to Lima. Certainly not as luxurious as the other buses we have taken!
We arrived in at our hotel in Lima at around 4:30pm on April 6th, our last night of the GAP tour. We enjoyed our last dinner together at a traditional Peruvian restaurant (no alpaca steak this time though!) and headed out in the Barranco district of town. Being a Wednesday night it was hardly rammed, but we enjoyed several cocktails and some dancing before heading back to the hotel.
The next day our guide for the previous 3 weeks said a quick goodbye and we were on our own again. Well, sort of anyway - six of us headed to the same place, a wonderfully friendly and innovative circus-themed hostel in Miraflores, one of the nicest parts
of Lima. We had five nights in Lima before our flight in to the amazon, so we used the time to relax a bit. Having just passed the halfway point of our travels we were feeling a bit drained; seeing as some difficult travel in the jungle awaited us we thought it best to recharge the batteries. Spending a few days with friends, shopping and cooking together, added to our enjoyment of Lima.
We had heard from many people that Lima was not very nice and that we should not spend much time there. However we found Lima very pleasant, and Miraflores itself was very clean, friendly and safe. It was more like London than anywhere else we had been, which was a shock seeing as a lot of Peru lives in poverty. The economic divide here is unlike anything you will see at home, a stark reminder of how harsh and unfair life can be on this most diverse of continents and how ignorant we are about it.
We filled our five days wandering amongst the markets and wonderful art shops, stopping for donuts with our Kiwi friends and enjoying the amazing supermarkets. Enjoying supermarkets might not
sound like much, but they gave out a lot of free food, so we tried to see how much we could eat! We also took a trip in to the city centre, and to the water fountains at Parque de la Reserva. Every night there are colourful shows, where crowds of people gather to see the spectacle and stroll around the thirteen very different and imagintive fountains. Perhaps the most romantic of parks we have visited!
Larcomar, a shopping and restaurant complex overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was a great place to spend time and eat ice cream. It had a good view of the sun set (though Lima's legendary fog often doesn't permit that) and the walk back to our hostel along the coastline was picturesque.
We enjoyed our time in Lima immensely - and not just because we were due a good rest. The hostel was great and the people we met were very accommodating. Lima has a bad reputation, but it certainly exceeded our expectations.
On April 12th we took a taxi to the airport at Callao, the port area of Lima which reeked of fish, to catch our flight to Iquitos, the capital of
Peruvian Amazonia, and our first stop in the world's largest rainforest...
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