Dune Buggies & Grape Stomping

     Finally making our way south of Lima!  In order to break up our journey to Cusco, we opted to stop in Ica for a couple of days.  The bus ride from Lima was one of the most unappealing rides I have ever been on - it all seemed like a vast wasteland full of shacks, garbage and dirty dunes.  As we approached Ica, the wasteland was beginning to turn to Oasis.  There were signs for local wine bodegas and roadside boxes of giant mangos.... we knew that we would be satisfied for atleast a little while:)  Our final destination for the day was Huacachina, an oasis just outside of Ica.  We grabbed a few mangos and then hopped on a motor taxi out past the sand dunes.  Huacachina is a strange little tourist trap, but undeniably beautiful.  Going with the flow of the scene - we signed up for a Buggy tour of the dunes.  I feel the same way towards buggies as I do snowmobiles..... I hate the look, sound and smell of them in beautiful outdoor environments - but, I have to admit, they are incredibly fun... It is truly a love/hate relationship.  Anyway, the dune buggies were just like a roller coaster without the tracks - we both had a white knuckle grip on the handle bars as we flew up and down the white sandy dunes.  

These mangos were AMAZING... it makes me sigh just thinking about them:)

     On top of the dune tour, we were able to try out 'sand boarding'.  I was particularly excited for this since I was missing out on the snowboarding season.  There are some people that take sand boarding pretty seriously and they have the exact equipment as an avid snowboarder would (minus the winter gear of course).  But the group we went with were on the cheap side so they gave us wood boards with velcro straps.  I was pretty confident at the beginning - thinking that I was the only one with any snowboarding experience, it should be a breeze.  As everyone else used their boards as sleds down the first dune, I strapped in my feet and hoped for the best.  Sure enough, it was hard as hell to turn with the board in the sand and I had a beautiful wipe-out.  Sand was in every crevice for quite some time!!  With a few practice rounds I got the hang of it!

Emily perfected the 'luge' technique and was by far the fastest one down the dunes!

     After a bit of convincing from eachother, we pushed ourselves out of our sun-dazed Huacachina scene and went with a group to celebrate the wine festival at a local Bodega in Ica.  We were hesitant because the way it was advertised, it seemed like it was just going to be a bunch of tourists.  But, we were happily surprised to find that our small group of 6 were the only outsiders.  The evening was full of dancing, grape stomping, wine & pisco (distilled wine) tasting.  They even fed us all a dinner at the end of the night (around midnight), which was much appreciated after a belly full of sweet young wine and stiff pisco.

The anticipation built for what seemed like hours as we waited for the Harvest Festival Queen to come out and begin the grape stomping.  The young girls and boys were in dazzling outfits and had a little Shakira shake in all of them.  After the stomping, everyone showed of their skills in a large dance circle - it was the highlight of the evening!

Finally our turn!

Supposedly if you were able to blow the horn you had royal blood..... Both Em & I had great performances and wowed the locals :)

The tasting room was like an old museum with random artifacts scattered throughout - each one a tempting toy!

To taste each wine, they dipped in a bamboo shoot that  had one section  cut out

The wine and pisco were stored in large clay vessels - a centuries old practice.

Rain or Shine

     Many people advised us against trekking during the rainy season - but, being from the rain capital of the Northwest, we had learned the important lesson of never allowing 'rain' to hold back our outdoor adventures.  With the mountains calling our names, we made our way to Huaraz - a small town at the heart of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.

After yet another over night bus trip, we stepped off the bus with blurry eyes and smiles as the crisp morning air accentuated the bright blue skies and dramatic snow-covered peaks around us.  We found our way to our hostal and thoroughly enjoyed the first of many treats from the amazing bakery conveniently located across the street.

    Although our stay in Huaraz was relatively short, we were able to squeeze in two amazing day hikes and plenty of exploring within the small dusty town. Initially, we had our hearts set on some overnight trekking, but the reliable and heavy rainstorms were coming in around 2pm and not leaving until early the next morning - so we opted on the $6 hostal instead. For our first full day, we set out in a taxi with two other girls to Laguna 69.  The drive itself was amazing - as we passed small villages and jagged mountain vistas.  But it was only a small teaser for the incredible hike to come.  Although the day started out overcast - the wildflowers lit up our path in the lush valley and the multitude of waterfalls made the entire valley very surreal.  The long and strenuous hike was more than worth it as the turquoise waters of Laguna 69 emerged around the last grey corner.  The clouds parted at the top and we soaked up every last bit of the 15 minutes of sunshine.

The following day we took a hiking tour to the nearby Pastoruri Glacier.  Although the trip was a bit more on the 'touristy' side - in the end we were able to break off from the group and climb to some incredible areas overlooking the glacier and surrounding area.

Tall Puya Raimondii plants can reach up to 10m high!

Colorful sulfur springs along the way

A picturesque homestead and brick wall in the mountains

Our journey into Peru has begun!

 

 After travelling on a rocky night bus from Ecuador, we arrived safe and a little less sound to Piura, Peru.  Piura is a bustling city in the middle of the desert - the kind of place where exhaust mixes with dust and immediately sticks to your sweaty body.  Not only were we half awake, hungry and not exactly ready for the beauty pageant, we also didn't really have a plan for our first move in Peru (which meant we had T-40 min. until our peppy and usual optomistic attitudes went sour).   We had been waiting to hear back from a friend (John) who works in the Peace Corps in northern Peru, but alas - after several days and a couple of phone calls we didn't hear a thing so we had to make a decision.  The beach, the mountains, the jungle.... there are just too many options sometimes - but finally we landed on the decision to just head south for a few more hours and see how we felt after that.  About 15 minutes before departure we got the long awaited phone call from our friend John who happened to be in Chiclayo (a coastal town a couple of hours away), so luckily we were able to take the same bus and just get off two hours earlier.

Only in Peru

John was a great host for a couple of days in Chiclayo as we toured the markets and went to the beach with some of his fellow Peace Corps friends.  It was the perfect start to Peru as we were able to get a lot of information and hand-drawn maps from the group.  Although we didnt know exactly where we would be staying, we had a long list of what food we had to sample along the way. 

Chiclayo's large & crowded market included an entire section dedicated to the brujos (witch doctors), curanderos (healers), and shamans.  Here you could find tonics, teas, aromatic herbs, hallucinogenic cactus, amulats and much more.  All of the ancestral knowledge that Peruvian healers are known for has definitely peaked our interest.... but these sort of things will all come in good time, for now it was just interesting to see the plethora of things strung and tucked away in each tiny stall.

The Caballitos lined up to dry

      Along the coast in Chiclayo we were able to see hundreds of the hand made reed fishing boats called Caballitos de Totora (little reed horses).  This ancient technique of fishing has survived the test of time with only slight changes to the boat structure (a tiny bit of styrofoam is used in the stern for added buoyancy).  The fisherman ride atop their Caballitos like a horse and use a single board of bamboo for their paddle.  The fisherman often work in groups of two or three and use techniques such as gill nets and hand lines for jigging.  The catch is then brought in and given to the women (most often) where they descale and sell the fish of all sizes.

A fisherman brings in his catch at sunset

Baños

On a last minute whim we decided to make a few last stops before leaving Ecuador, we ended up in Baños which is a small town nestled below a large volcano, that is still relatively active. It´s last major eruption was in `98 and the whole town had to be evacuated, but even while we were there there were minor eruptions and we could see big clouds of steam coming out when the clouds parted, which wasn`t often. Baños is known for its communal thermal baths and outdoor recreation and after our time in the hot sun on the humid coast, the cool mountain air was just what we needed. Our first day there we rented mountain bikes and did a tour of lots of local waterfalls. Everywhere we went there was some kind of zipline or canopy tour or what is called “puenting” which is kind of like bungee jumping, only without a dynamic –elastic rope, you just put on a harness and either jump or are pushed off a bridge. It looked like a recipe for whip lash to us and we steered clear of it. We did however indulge in another zipline, since we were able to get the young teenage boys who were operating it to let us go for half price.  The zipline crossed a large gorge and ended by flying over two twin waterfalls. They also hook you in on your back with your feet up and your arms out so you really feel like you are flying.  

Ari choosing which shower to take

The flying bug stuck with us and by the end of the day we were dreaming of bigger flights, and decided to look into paragliding.  Of course after we looked into it briefly we figured there was no way we could pass it up.... especially after someone in our hostal described the feeling as god`s hand lifting you up by your ass and allowing you to fly like a bird.

So this is it? As our guide untagles the tiny cords that will hold us aloft.

Ari ready to fly in her sweet new jumpsuit!

Tungurahua Volcano

GOODBYE ECUADOR!

      Peru is so close I swear I can feel it vibrating, calling us onward, towards our next adventure. Tonight we will board a bus that will carry us through the night and into Peru. The long bus rides are an interesting circus. Every bus company tries to get you to ride with them, and, we have discovered, will tell you most anything to get you onto their bus. "Oh," you ask, "there are buses that go to Vilcabamaba all through the night?" "Yes yes of course" comes the hasty reply "All through the night" And then you get there at 1am and find out the next bus doesn't leave until 5am, and you sigh and settle in for a long game of rummy. We try to go by the Rule of Three whenever possible, get three answers for any question, and be sure that at least one of them is a woman. 

      Every town we stop in brings a parade of peddlers onto the bus. They sell little platino chips, water, colas, handmade ice creams, and whatever little hot local delights they have - yucca breads, little plastic bags full of beans and salsa, pig skin chips, fruits, coconut milk, empanadas, chicken skewers, sweets, what have you - it is a great way to sample the local street food as you cross the countryside. Then the religious folks come on to lecture about not being a drunk and beating your wife or whatever and try and sell you Christian movies. Then the guy comes on with all the pirated CD's trying to sell you those. Then the children selling packets of gum. And on it goes...I get really good at gazing blankly out the window or pretending to be asleep when they come by.

      Ecuador has treated us well, and we have filled our heads with dreams of all the places that we must return to, but for now we shall bid a fond farewell to this sweet country, and look with bright eyes toward what lies ahead. 

Our absolute favorite snack! Grilled Platinos with cheese and chive mayo in the middle.

Cuy (guinea pig) dancing/roasting on the spit.... a delicacy in Ecuador