brouwersanchez, 3 August 2010
Peru , Huacachina 19°

Oases in the dessert

Dear friends and family,
Today we are writing you from a very small oases in the dessert, called Huachina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huacachina), where we have finalized our honey moon during the last 3 days. But before we get to that we´ll have to share just a little bit about our flight over the Nazca lines (see our last update). We took a flight with a very small airplane fit for max. 8 persons. We could see the lines very clearly and it was very impressive to see the work of the Nazca Indians over a period of about 1000 years covering an area of aproximately 350 square km. While Adreina was really enjoying the flight and loved the feeling of the turbulation in her stomach i was suffering serious illness because of it. I just desired one thing; get off that freaking plane. After visiting just another museum we decided to leave the same day to Ica. However, while standing at a public phone to make a reservation for a hostel, some dude started to get involved (which is quite a normal thing to do for strangers in Peru) and told us we should go to Huachina (3 km distance) instead. I read about it before and the idea of palm trees, sun, swimming pools, and giant sand dunes really spoke to us. Making a reservation didn't work out and we decided to just go there and find a place to stay once arriving there. It was only the fourth hostel that turned out a suitable one for us. Besides spending three afternoons at the pool we did some more than that as well. We took a tour with a giant buggy (with quite some horse powers) for a bumpy ride through the sand dunes of hundreds meters high. It was a real adrenaline rush going up and down those dunes. We also went sand boarding which explains the sand that has been sitting in our ears for the least few days.
Yesterday we went to Las Islas Ballestas, a number of islands, few km of the coast in the pacific ocean. We saw an uncountable number of birds, penguins, sea lions, pelicans etc. Today we got to see two different vineyards and found out how the famous Peruvian Pisco, a distilled liquor from grapes, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco )as well as wine is made. We visited two different wine houses; El catador and Tacama. We got to taste many, many different Pisco´s and wines and of course i could not help but buy a few bottles as well.
We both have really enjoyed our honeymoon and most important each other. For me it has been great to discover Peru for myself and of course to get to meet Adreina´s family and friends. I also got to meet two of my own friends (Rosana and Mercedes) i hadn't seen for several years which was really fun.
Tomorrow we are traveling back to Lima (5 hours) where we will be staying for 9 more days in a hostel downtown called Pariwana (http://www.pariwana-hostel.com/pariwana-hostel-lima.php) (dear Peruvian friends and family please visit us ).

Kind regards to all of you,
Mark and Adreina

Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=463336&id=814600407&l=0b9237a0ed