'I have always loved the desert. You sit on a sand dune. You see nothing. You hear nothing. But something shines in the silence... ''It makes the desert beautiful,'' said the little prince, ''that somewhere it hides a well.'' I was surprised, suddenly I understood this mysterious glow of the sand.'
From: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 'The Little Prince'
Sand dunes in Huacachina near Ica If you are worried about traveling on the Pan-American Highway by night bus and missing out on something nice, I recommend doing it. In summary, it can be said that the coastal region consists of two sights. Sand with stones and sometimes water. Bay in the national park near Paracas The journey from Lima to Paracas takes a comfortable four hours. We chose the small fishing village below Pisco as our very own New Year's party hot spot. The less beautiful part of Paracas. Behind the curtain is the small coastal desert village of Paracas, mostly dry, hot, and a huge ugly construction site. At the bus station Saulo welcomes us. The presumably native Paracas resident tells us that he is a travel agent (just like half of the residents) and can offer us good prices. His sweetish smell of cannabis does not bother much, as he actually has not too overpriced prices for Paracas. Sandboarding in Paracas No man's land. The national park of Paracas can be visited on a quad tour. With the giant buggy, you whiz over the dunes in 2 hours. An absolute adrenaline highlight, as long as you disregard your environmental conscience for a short time. Beach promenade in Paracas shortly before New Year's Eve. The calm before the storm. Every year, everyone from Lima storms into the small town to spend New Year's Eve here. Peruvians love going to the sea, which brings two problems for us. First, prices skyrocket. And second: cars! On December 31st, you have to think twice about where and whether to cross the road on the beach promenade. Because a metal avalanche rolls through the village unrelentingly, accompanied by honking concerts, bustling parking space sellers, beer-drinking tourists with big bellies behind the wheel, loud music, and exhaust fumes.
Beach promenade in Paracas on December 31st at noon
Paracas on December 31st shortly before midnight Our initially cozy beer drinking on the beach was over at the latest after the Pisco party in our small hostel with celebrating Peruvians and a French couple, and with that, a cheerful awakening into the new year. From Paracas, a stone's throw of just under an hour away, lies Ica and inconspicuously - conspicuously the oasis Huacachina. A tourist spot of the extra class. Small, crowded with hotels and restaurants, in between a slight sewer smell from the presumed overloaded canal system. Countless huge sand buggies, which thunder into the desert at minute intervals, provide the appropriate noise. Front oasis, back city. If you think Huacachina is relaxation in the solitude of the desert... think again. Mad Max Part 1 Mad Max Part 2 Unfortunately overrun by tourism. Dunes adorned with plastic waste, overpriced prices and crowds of people frolicking on the sand mountains or around the oasis or racing through the desert in buggies, but a really cute little puddle in the middle, once everyone is back in Ica and only the sun glitters on the water. If you're looking for fun, grab some skis or, well, a sandboard and zoom down the dune for about ten seconds. But besides tourism, the desert still offers something magical. It doesn't take much to make the ordinary extraordinary. Hit the road Chäfi! Luckily, Chäfi doesn't need water! Fine traces in the sand And then I sit on the sand dune, looking towards the sunset. For a brief moment, and I remember Hoffmann's poem. 'A song is asleep in all things that wait continually. And the world begins to sing when you speak the magic word' I don't know the magic word, but somehow now the whole thing has its magic. Maybe you just have to wait a little longer here until the much too bright spotlight of the day goes out to see the true glow of things.
