Huacachina, Paracas y Lima
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We were both super excited for Huacachina as a change up from the mountains, altitude and cold. It seemed like we were heading away for a quick play in the dunes, which is basically what it was. We also felt like we had gotten a bit mature and boring for our age so were keen for a bit of a “blow out”.
We had two nights in Huacachina, where we stayed at Wild Rover (any travellers will know this is where you stay if you want to party). The first day we just relaxed by the pool, explored the tiny town, and walked up to the top of the dune behind our accommodation, no drinking this night.
On our second day we had our buggy and sand boarding tour which started at 3.30pm in the afternoon, and took us through to sunset. This was soooo fun! Our buggy driver was absolutely mental, and we even almost tipped/rolled twice! I think it was a great start to get the adrenaline pumping.
Then it was time to start skiing down the hill which did not get off to the best start, in fact I almost had a little cry haha. I don’t think I quite expected to be so freaked out about re-injuring my knee (first time back into sport in 2 years). Firstly, skiing on sand is quite hard, it’s very resistive so you actually need a bit of speed to be able to turn. The first slope we went down I was too scared to try my first turn so ended up just sidling down it. Bit embarrassing, but by the 3rd run I was into the swing of things thankfully. Lucas of course made it look super easy from the get go.
After the 5th run we went a bit further up the sand dunes and watched the sun set which was a lovely way to end the tour.
We got back to the hostel after that feeling super excitable, a great way to be before a night on the beers. We spent most of the night with a guy from Melbourne called Lachie. Also with a slightly angry British who lived in NZ for almost a year, but who only had stuff to complain about (like I said, bit of an angry guy haha).
We woke up feeling pretty fresh all things considering. We got a one hour bus to Paracas on the coast where we stayed for two nights. Unfortunately because it was Easter holiday over here it meant all hostels were booked out, and the Airbnb we did book was quite pricey for what we got. Anyway, we headed out that evening for a stroll and dinner which was lovely. The beach was packed with holiday-goers. We also ended up getting a trio of standard dishes of the area including ceviche, fried fish, and a seafood chaufa rice. Sooooo yum!!!
The next day we set out to the Paracas peninsula where we walked from La Catedral to Playa Mina (12km roughly). It wasn't the most exciting walk but it took us to some nice places, and was cheap of course. We had a well earnt dip and sunbathe at Playa Mina before heading back.
We actually went out for dinner that night at somewhere called Waiki pizza bar which was playing LAB, Katchafire, and other kiwi artists, as well as sold a “Kiwi Burger”. After a quick google we figured out the owner was kiwi would you believe. Great vibes there and yum food!
Off to Lima we went with absolutely no idea of what Lima was going to be like. It was a lot fancier than expected, at least the area we stayed. It felt like we were in a completely different country, even continent. The waterfront had a mall built into the cliff basically, with all the classic brands on display. We finally found a gelato shop after having to wait since Chile/Argentina!! It did not disappoint.
I went for a morning walk while there and every man and his dog was out for a run, probably similar to Bondi Beach at 5am on a week day.
We didn’t do a whole lot while in Lima other than walk around the streets. We did go to Huaca Pucllana though which is an archaeological site discovered sometime in the late 1900’s when construction was about to be built right through it (it was buried, making it look like a hill).
The site was a temple built and used by the Lima culture, built around 400 AD. Lima culture occupied it for over 1000 years before the Incan people were even around. It was abandoned and covered over before Incan could find it. The structures are built using mud bricks and have lasted the test of time, including earthquakes.
Lima was definitely a pleasant surprise, but I do think the two nights we had there was enough. Off to Huaraz next where we will get back into the hiking, high altitude and cold lifestyle again.
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