Chincha

Tuesday. For 20 soles we took an Uber to the bus terminal. The ticket was bought quickly (15 soles) and after 10 minutes we set off. Transport is cheap in Peru, food and overnight stays are possible if you search a bit. The bus isn't modern, but neither of them are. The drive itself was like meditation, you look left and right of the Transamericana and observe Lima and then the landscape. At some point it gets boring, the desert on the left and the ocean on the right. You can't get around really quickly with these buses, people are constantly getting on and off, but there is no alternative to the bus. 10 minutes before Chincha the bus had an accident and crashed into a truck. Unsightly, there were a few injuries, I only have a bump and minor scratches because I didn't sleep like most people. Nothing to worry about, it could have happened anywhere. Another bus then took us to Chincha. In Chincha, Freddy picked me up on his scooter and a few hours later we drove back into town to get my luggage; that came later. That day 3 cyclists stayed overnight at Freddy's and another traveler lives there, Jose from Brazil with Polish roots (which you can tell from his last name). Also an old dog named Chillo (or something) and a cat named Covid, guess when it was born. Not much else happened that day, there was cooking and a lot of chatting. The cyclists are crazy, 100 km a day through the desert. Well, whoever likes it. I have a little hut for myself. There is everything you need, shower, internet and bicycles.
The garden is very beautiful and large, all kinds of fruits grow there. He's proud of his blackberries, and the stuff is so rampant here. I love the passion fruits, they grow right above the common area and you can always pick one, so delicious. Freddy lives on the property and has his workshop there; he makes picture frames and the matching glass. A very helpful and warm person. It's a shame that I can't speak Spanish, he said a lot and I only heard a little of it. But I can slowly learn a few words and sentences. The next few days were similar. Breakfast, help with construction projects, go to the bakery and do small things. But really only 2-3 hours with Jose. Around midday there was a siesta and when Freddy came back from work there was lunch. Most of the time his wife cooked for us and he brought it with him. His family lives in the city center. Freddy's profile said that he lived with the family, but that wasn't the case. Who knows what's going on there. In the afternoon we went on short trips into the city and to the beach, which is good for non-touristy areas. A few dolphins showed up. The city is nothing special, probably a typical Peruvian city, with a lot of traffic and unfortunately also a lot of garbage. It's not that easy by bike; you could build bike paths here. In the evening we cooked and we travelers chatted, played and sometimes drank. Every now and then Jose played the guitar and Freddy told one or two stories.
During a trip the bike chain broke, very annoying. It could be repaired for 7 soles. But it took a while until we found a bike shop. It feels like everyone says something different and sends you in a different direction. On Thursday there was another magnitude 5 earthquake 30 km away, I felt it clearly, it's normal here. The street dogs here are very annoying, you have to pretend to throw stones at them. Still annoying beasts. And a new record for the UV index, 15, is torture.
I get along wonderfully with Jose, I like him a lot. He is 27 and has been volunteering in South America for 1.5 years after his marriage broke up. I've heard stories like that two or three times. He uses Worldpackers, which works much better than Workaway in South America. Such a relaxed person, nothing can upset him. He is traveling with a small backpack containing two shirts, two pairs of pants and a pair of shoes. Interesting lifestyle. After he's been to Colombia he wants to fly to Europe and when he's in Germany he wants to visit me. If that happens, who knows, I would be happy. On Friday, Jost, a young German, joined our group; gave plenty to talk about as he was traveling in the opposite direction.
On Sunday (Day 9) we took a trip to the Huacachina oasis in Ica, probably the largest in South America. The drivers of the sand buggies shake you up quite a bit, sandboarding was quite okay. Can't get close to skiing. After sunset we went back. It was quite tiring with the collectivos, taxis and buses from Chincha to Ica. But it was worth it. Tomorrow I'm going on to Paracas, the others are staying longer and going to Lima and then to Ecuador. It was really worth it, hopefully I'll meet a few more travelers like Jose and Jost and hosts like Freddy.