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South America » Peru » Ica » Huacachina
July 1st 2008
Published: July 1st 2008
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Finally I get to see some sun! I am now in Huacachina which is a lagoon resort in the middle of the desert. It seems the Peruvian elite used to come here but now it is a dedicated backpackers resort.

I left Lima yesterday afternoon after the lovely hotelier rang round to sort out my bus tickets. It seems I was being too casual thinking I could just turn up at the bus station and all the luxury backpacker buses were already booked up. Fortunately the hotelier rang round the other companies and found a budget bus company which had spaces. It was a bit like having my own Peruvian mum to sort me out. Actually, that isnt true, my real UK mum would have told me to phone them myself... As I was leaving she was telling me to have a nice time, take care etc etc... and write a review of the hotel for her on Tripadvisor! I like a woman who knows her marketing!

So I took the 5 hour bus down to Ica. It was an uneventful journey but I did see where they are hiding the poor of Lima as the drive out of the city took us through miles of shacks. They were showing DVDs on route which I thought would be a good way to pass the time but it turned out to be a Jean Claude Van Dame triple bill. zzzzzzzzzzz. I took a taxi then to Huacachina and checked into a place which had been recommended to me, and which is really nice. There is a pool out the back, the hotel backs straight on to the sand dunes and everything is new and nice.

This morning I was up at 6 to travel back up the PanAmerican highway to Paracas to catch a boat out to The Islas Ballestas. My travelling companion today was Simon. Not my favourite Simon sadly, but he was good company and as he is getting to the end of his trip he was able to give me some good tips. The island trip was good, plenty of wildlife - penguins, sea lions, dolphins, inca terns, Peruvian Boobies (ha ha), vultures etc. Simon was staying on in Paracas so my driver then brought me back down to Huacachina - he was a real character which made the journey good fun. If he thought anything was funny he took both hands off the wheel and clapped them and slapped his thighs repeatedly while huge buses and lorries missed us by inches. We ended up pursuing a bus around Ica so we could pick up a fare - some Israelis who had turned down his offer of a ride over the cheaper bus option.

Anyway, journey over I am back at the hotel and about to go exploring the sand dunes and find me some lunch. This afternoon I am going on a dune buggy and sandboarding trip which I have heard is quite terrifying.

Tomorrow I need to head back up to Lima in the evening and I am hoping I can sort out a flight over the Nazca Lines for the morning - an hour or two south of here.

Alrighty back to the sun! x


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1st July 2008

Your favourite Simon? I'm honoured!
OR did you mean another one? I hope that you're taking plenty of interesting photos my lady. Love love love x
2nd July 2008

My favourite...
Of course it´s you silly xxx

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