Huacachina, Peru

Thursday, April 10 was our last full day in ICA, so instead for starting the day off at 7, we thought we would give our amazing parents a break, and have a sleep in, and hang out by the pool kind of day. And this was how we enjoyed yet another sunny day, the ladies stayed mostly poolside with our books and beer, while the gentleman took a stroll to Ica’s Plaza de Armas for a traditional menu del dia and a hair cut (for Phil). At four o’clock, Janet and Carlos once again picked us up for our tour, this one to the oasis town of Huacachina and it’s surrounding sand dunes. We wanted to watch the sunset in the desert, but given our nerves from yesterdays airplane news, Phil and I had asked Janet to organize a more relaxing tour of the tunes. However, when we arrived in at the oasis we boarded a huge dune buggy, with an exposed engine, flip rails, and yellow sunglasses for each passenger, and we took-off over the first dune into a sea of sand, and it was then we realized we were in for a rollercoaster ride into the sunset, and practically going fast was the only way to get up and over some of the dunes we encountered. Before finding the perfect sunset spot, with a great driver, we explored the dunes, which were mesmerizing. We also stopped a few times to sand board! This sand boarding experience was a little different from the Atacama Desert, because the dunes seemed twice as high and we were encouraged to just fly down the hills on our bellies. So, Phil and I, and Karen and Graham all gave it ago, with my parents cheering us on. We flew down three hills, which progressively got bigger, while my parents took the dune buggy down, which was just as wild of a ride, in my opinion. It was all very fun, fast and hilarious, and by the time the sun was turning glorious shades of orange and pink, we were on the top of another dune that overlooked miles if dunes until they touched the sky. And there we sat, appreciating the vast world from a new perspective and a new appreciate of sand.

Although the post should end there, I do have to mention that we went back to Huacachina, traveling by night on the dunes, found a place to enjoy yet another Pisco Sour by the Oasis, and then headed back to town for an Italian dinner by the Plaza de Armas in Ica. We then headed ‘home’ for our last sleep in the middle of this amazing desert, that has treated us so well.