Peru Part 1: Lima-Huacachina

After two transfers and sleepless night, I arrived in Lima. Anxious as I am with Peru with all the talks about how unsafe it is for a single female to travel around, I choose an airport bus transfer (way cheaper) than a taxi/transfer offered by the hostel. From my experiences in the past month, it’s safe until I made the situation unsafe. My instincts have serve me well so far.

Lima was congested, reminded me of Bangalore with the constant honking from every vehicle in every direction. The memory made me smile and I was only in town for a couple of nights, so it’s all good. The walking tour was amazing and I think it’s a lot to do with the guide we had, Gladys. We went to the market in Miraflores then took the bus to downtown Lima to walk around and finishing up at the pub that, apparently, invented the recipe for Pisco sour. This is where I first tasted Pisco and oh my, it’s strong! On this tour, I met the lovely Mickey and Manon who are travel buddies.

Next destination was Paracas and the landscape on the way there was a drastic change from the tropical landscape I’m used to in Central America. Desert-like and sand everywhere. Towns on the way to Paracas appeared like oasis in the midst of the dry land and my thoughts were running through questions like ‘why here?’.

Kokopelli Paracas hostel was one of the best hostels I’ve been, free walking sunset tour with a difference by Gufi and beach cleaning that I very much appreciate. The destination has two main attractions, Ballestas Islands and the National Reserve. The tour that was pre-arrange for me was good but not as good as the one I went with Sabrina and George by sand buggy.

In the Ballestas Islands, we saw the impact of climate change too with the reduction of penguin population due to the change in water temperature and El Niño. The number of species of birds on the islands, impressive as with the sea lions. Very important to remember that they are not seal, they are sea lions.

The National Reserve features beautiful beaches and impressive cliffs. A dip in the sea is a must and it was freezing yet refreshing after a while. With the hot weather, the cold water was kinda nice. I’m mesmerised by the flight of the pelicans and vultures, graceful and effortlessly gliding with the wind. The beauty in this world we lived in never cease to amazed me.

After three days, it was time to say goodbye to new friends and the charming Paracas to head over to Huacachina. I was looking forward to the sand boarding and some down time for reflection. The journey there was pretty short and the sand dunes as I approached the destination towering over in all directions. Now I know why they are one of the highest sand dunes in the world.

The fun on the sand board plus the downtime to get my thoughts together was just what I needed before I head over to higher altitude, in preparation for the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. I decided to skip Nazca on this trip and head straight over to Arequipa.

My focus from here onwards is to get back in shape for hikes and treks at altitude after being at sea level doing almost no intensive physical activities. Silently, I was praying and hoping that I can handle the altitude and focus on getting in shape.

Next…Arequipa!