Peru (3): HUACACHINA

09.01.
6th day

The bus goes all the way to Ica and then we continue by taxi. I am in the taxi with a German girl who is currently working with orphans in Cusco. She gets kicked out in Ica. I continue to Huacachina. Since there are no more free beds in the hostel I originally chose, we ask in the lodge next door and the rooms there are not only much larger, but also much, much cheaper. Jo. Karma. There is a fat turtle strolling peacefully by the pool. That's motivating and we jump into the pool first, with loud music and colorful lights creating a pool party atmosphere.

The hostel is still under construction, but it will be awesome when it's finished. With a bar inside the pool and so on. The chairs are already standing in the water and that's where we sit and freeze - a short bathing fun. We want to grab a bite to eat somewhere, but we are already very late, we walk to the oasis, but everything is closed. A small store, which is currently clearing all the tables and chairs, takes pity on us and lets us have a little something to eat. The store already has some interesting decoration.

We thought we ordered chicken, but apparently it was pork belly fat. There are still bristles in the crust. Includes dental floss. Well. Hungry. And surprisingly, the whole thing was very delicious. The potatoes, at least. Back to the hostel. Good night.

10.01.

7th day

I actually wanted to go sandboarding today, but I need to catch up on a lot of sleep from the previous nights, so I only manage to go out in the afternoon to look for something to eat for breakfast. But it's obviously too late again. Restaurants only offer lunch from now on. Why everything else can be fried from 12 o'clock onwards, but not eggs, I don't know. Together with Max, I go on a search for an alternative and we finally find a place where we at least get pasta, coffee, and orange juice with a nice view of the oasis. Well, that's something.

We try to find a second helmet everywhere so that I can ride with Max on the bike to Ica to exchange money. But they want as much for renting a helmet for 2 hours as for a whole buggy tour. No. In the hostel, they tell us that we don't necessarily have to wear a helmet here, no one cares. Well, okay. He should be able to handle it... so we ride to Ica in the shopping mall to exchange money, run up the escalators against the direction of travel, and look for USB cables that apparently don't exist. Laden with shopping bags, we then head straight back to the hostel because I got a raindrop on me. But that should be it. It simply doesn't rain here. Ever. Okay. Before it gets completely dark, we decide to drive to the dune to watch the sunset over the oasis... that the sun sets on the other side, well, one could have guessed that... Never mind.

We briefly try to move forward on the motorcycle in the deep sand but fail after the first few meters, here you can only make progress with the very thick buggy tires. So we park and walk up. I haven't done any sports for a long time.

Somewhere up there with a nice view of the oasis, we sit down, drink a beer, listen to music, and enjoy the remaining sunset sky on the wrong side.

Hostel, pizza, and then back to the bunk bed, already dead tired.

11.01.

8th day

I get up early to walk to an agency to book the bus back to Paracas. I've decided to go back for 2 more days as I feel like I didn't have enough beach time before I head into the mountains. I love being able to do everything spontaneously.

After a self-cooked coffee and breakfast on a gas stove with tomatoes, ham, onions, garlic, and some rolls with avocado (better than any breakfast I've had in Peru so far...), we pack up, go to the pool once more, and then take a motorbike taxi (tuktuk) towards Ica.

Here I get on the bus again to drive back to the coast.

...continue reading at Peru (4): PARACAS