°LDU. ODSA. ACGS. Part 2°

Day No 65

My last day in the Paradise Pariwana hostel started early. I just could not sleep. So I went out, checked my e-mail and went for breakfast. I was there just on time to see Hans and Garrett and the girls before they left for their Inca Jungle trail thing to Machu Picchu. We exchanged hugs and kisses and they left.

I still had a lot of time on my hands and not so much things to do. So I went for a little walk around the city, went to the market, had a lovely lunch for one dollar. I bought some things for me for the long 15 hours trip in a bus to Nazca, went back to the hostel, read my book and waited for my bus.

I grabbed a cab for one Euro to the bus terminal and there I met Andreas – the same guy we bought the tickets the day after. I have to tell you in advance – if you think you ever met a crazy person or you are one – you may wanna hear this guy’s story and probably change your mind. He is Swedish, but he does not look Swedish. Dangerous is what he looks like: well build, shaved head, strong look. If I met him in the street alone and in the dark – I would be scared. But we met in the bus station and it was fine.

We got to the bus and started our journey to Nazca. We talked a little, I read a little. On our way the was a sharp sound and then the bus stopped? Blown tire was my first guess. Some dog – was the second. Turns out, it was the tire. And very well blown I may add. It took them almost two hours to repair it in the middle of the road in the dark.

All the rest of the night I kind of slept. Kind of, because after the last night bus and my camera gone missing I could not sleep normally. I was picturing someone taking something else from bag as well.

Day No 66

We arrived in Nazca and got a wave of heat. Comparing to Cuzco it was hell on earth in that city. There is nothing much to do there so first things first – we got a hostel, got a room and decided to take a flight over Nazca lines. It was supposed to cost me 40 dollars. Damn, that’s a lot I thought, but, it’s a one time in a lifetime kind of a thing, so I figured – let’s do this. My excitement faded fast enough when a guy said `no no, 80 is for one person, not for two`. Ok, so I am not going, I declared, but Andreas still wanted to do it, so he went for the plane and I went for the mirador. A place where you can get a glimpse of the Nazca lines and see two, three if you are lucky, pictures of those lines.

It cost me 3 Soles to get there, 2 soles to climb up the tiny mirador tower and 2 soles back to the Nazca. Honestly, I found nothing special in there. Some people say aliens drew those things and I just don’t buy it. So anyways – if you are into this kind of stuff – do it and take a plane. If you are more like me – mirador and those two pictures are more than enough.

Once back in a hostel we met again, went for lunch, went for tourist information, got loads of information of where to go and what to do [although it was pretty pricey since you had to take cabs everywhere]. We decided to skip most of it and just go to some old cemetery.

Half an hour cab drive to the place and back cost us 50 Soles [for both]. It was a little, not so big place with maybe 12 graves and bones with mummified bodies and clothes in there. It was interesting, not `worth dying for` interesting, but it was nice. I would not go to Nazca just for that, but once you are already there, you may as well do it.

Once back to the city we went for a little shopping [for him, not for me], ended up buying some beers and drinking them as we enjoyed the terrace in the hostel. There was an American guy there, we talked with him for a while. Then he left, we stayed just the two of us. Then one of the workers from the hostel joined up. A little but very nice gay guy. He even called some shaman, because Andreas was interested in those to meet up with us in Ica [it was midnight] and stayed with us till the end.

Once we finished the beers, we finished the night as well. Another day was about to come again.

Day No 67

We woke up pretty early in the morning, got some breakfast, packed our stuff and took a bus to Ica. He, of course, slept all the way to Ica and I was just reading a book.

We went to the museum in Ica. I wasn’t that interested in there, but Andreas was obsessed with `there is a head of alien in there`. So we went to see the skull of alien apparently. It was creepy alright, you can google `peru alien skull` and see it yourself. All the rest of the museum was just a very small and nothing special. The guy who worked there started hitting on me though. `oh you are very beautiful` and similar things he told me while keeping an eye on my possible `boyfriend` who has a dangerous look, since in these countries if you travel together, it means you are a couple.

From Ica we got a taxi, that was driven by a woman and took us to the small village 5 kilometers away. I do not remember the name of it, but it is in the middle of the dunes. We got in to the hotel [price was the same as in hostels] with a pool in it and registered ourselves for sand buggie and sand boarding that same day.

We still had some time on our hands, so we rest a little bit and went for lunch. I ordered pasta with pesto and I was hoping for a good old pesto taste. It was different. Still green, but different taste. Anyways.

We got back to our hotel – Casa de Arena and soon enough it was 5p.m. and it was time for our adventure with a sand buggie. We got on it and rode up to the dunes. The driver took as there pretty fast, so the ride was bumpy but real fun. It was like riding a roller-coaster except that you had this amazing view of sand dunes everywhere.

Once we stopped we took the boards, got a little explanation of how to do a sand-boarding and started. First dune I went down on my belly. It was fun. For the second one I wanted to try doing it on the feet. I was a little afraid it will go just like my first skiing experience – way too fast and landing on my butt, but I knew I wanted to try. It was just like I predicted. I landed on my ass after maybe 3 meters but it was still fun. The third dune went a little smoother, but I still could not make it without falling down.

The last part was three more dunes, but bigger ones. So the first two I tried to concur on my feet but once I saw the last one – it was no way I can do THAT big of a dune on my feet. So instead I went on my belly again. Fun times.

After the sand boarding was over we still had some roller coaster drive in the buggie, that ended up in the panoramic view of the village and we got back to the place.

I had sand literally everywhere. My pockets were full of it too. So I took a long decent shower and got out of the room. Andreas was there already with Canadian girl that we met in the buggie, so we just sat at the pool and having a beer. Some drunk Columbian came to us and tried making friends. He was so annoying that I just wanted to throw him in the pool. After Andreas had `a talk` with him, he went out and never came back. It was a relief.

After a little while Andreas went out with a Canadian girl and I stayed in with a local guy. We had fun talking and ended up going out as well. We played some games in one of the bars, walked a little around the lake and finally I was in my bed, sleeping.

Day No 68

I woke up in the morning and found that Andreas was not in the room. He wasn’t even sleeping in the room. I got worried. I don’t know where exactly he went last night and I could only hope he was ok.

At around 9 a.m. he got back. Turned out, he was hanging out in the other hotel and slept in one of the beach chairs next to the pool. We went for breakfast, said goodbyes to Canadian girl and we had the day of doing nothing in our hands.

Andreas wanted to do `San Pedro cactus`. Before you get all suspicious and that, it is legal thing in here and it is not considered to be a drug, but a medicine as well. Shamans are using that here in Peru all the time. He offered me to try that too, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was tempted to try, but a little afraid as well. Finally I gave in.

He gave me the powder that you are supposed to mix with water and drink it. I did what he said. It was awfully looking green stuff that tasted like dirty socks. I am not kidding. But, since I was on it already, I drank it. It is supposed to give you an affect of a brighter colours and nice feeling that’s all. It gave me nausea and I just wanted to sleep. So I stayed in my room and waited for it to become better. However, after some time my stomach decided not to hurt itself anymore, so the whole green thing came out of me. Andreas told me before that it is completely normal especially for the first time to throw it all up, and I started to feel much better after I did.

So then I got out of the room, took my book and went to sit at the pool. It was finally that nice day of doing nothing. I did not feel any effect of that San Pedro and I am not trying it ever again [one time is more than enough to me] but I was kind of happy about it. I just wanted to enjoy reading my book.

In the evening we stayed at the hotel, because there was a barbeque with `all included` offered for 20 Soles which is a really good price for that. We had that and we kept on talking to a very strange [in a good way] German guy. I learned so much about him and especially about Andreas that I am not going to reveal in here, but oh my, you would not think it is possible until you experience that.

After German guy went to sleep, we joined 3 Swedish guys, talked a little bit to them, went out to the night club, which was half empty, stayed there for a little. Once Swedish guys went to sleep, Andreas found some new friends, local 18 years old kids, we spent some time with them. Finally, I gave in. We had to wake up around 6a.m. the next day and I really needed my sleep.

Day No 69

I woke up for the shower and learned that Andreas once again wasn’t in the room or slept there either. I got worried again, but when I looked from the window I saw him talking to some girl near the pool, so that was a relief.

We got ready and went out looking for our pick-up. We went to the Ballestas islands. The bus took us to the port, from there we took a boat and went for it. It was something similar like islands in the Chile, with a lot of birds, some penguins, sea lions and rocky islands. Except that this one smelled really really bad. You had to breath carefully if you did not want to vomit.

I have to say, if you have seen it before – the sea lions and penguins and stuff, you might not want to go to these islands, because it is just the same. And it takes only two hours and.. well, do it and see for yourself.

Once back in Paracas we tried to find a bus to Lima, but it was only expensive one, so instead Andreas found a friend, we took a taxi who took us to another city, we caught the bus to Lima and went there. Andreas was sleeping and I was reading a book.

Once in Lima he called his friend, I called mine and then we separated – I went to look for a yellow bus No 48 and he stayed waiting for his friend.

I got out of the bus station and got a lot of offers `taxi, taxi`. One taxi driver showed me my direction and I went for it. Yellow bus came almost right away, I got in and started my trip through Lima. Unfortunately the driver told me the wrong bus stop I had to get off, so I got off and waited for my friend from CS. He was nowhere around, but some woman came to me telling me how pretty I am and asking me where I was from, what I am doing there and so on. I asked her about my bus stop and she told me it is the next one. So I went there.

There Ulises, my new found friend from CS was already. He took me to his house that was still `under the construction`. That day we just talked, went for the market, bought some food, went back to the house again, had a dinner, talked a little more and turned on `Avatar` to watch it. I did not even realize that I fell asleep at some point, but my guess is that at the point in the first part of the movie. He woke me up and I just went to sleep. After 3 hours of sleep the last night I just could not keep my eyes open.

Day No 70

We woke up in the morning, had some breakfast and went on a tour around Lima on bikes. First we went to the coast and to the port. It was a nice area with old houses and all that. But at some point some policemen stopped us and told us that we don’t want to go to the direction we wanted to. `there is a was between drug gangs there` he said and since we did not sign up for dying that day, we decided to take a safer road a little around that area.

On the way back from the port we stopped at the market, had some lunch and went back to his place for a little rest. After that we took the bikes again and went to the city.

Here comes the traffic of Lima. All I could think about was – ok so if I did not die on the death road on the bike, I will definitely die in here. They are crazy and they drive unbelievable. No one cares about anyone and it is a miracle that they are all still alive, the ones that are on the road. There are no bike paths, so you have to go with a traffic and let me tell you – it is not easy. I think I used a lot of my luck points there in order not to get killed.

We went to the old town, watched the main square and cathedral, we went to some other squares. We biked to Miraflores – the most popular place for all the gringos, we went to the `park of Love` or something like that. We went to the area Baranco of the city and had a little walk there too.

Finally we went to his friend’s place to take another bike but that was broken, so we just went home and to see some pyramids on the way. At the end we were back around 11p.m. so I basically biked 8-9 hours that day. Fun. Here went my cardio for the day.

We ended up on the roof with a beer and some stars. And then the day was over again.

Day No 71

Lima is one of the cities that has nothing much to offer – honestly. So I woke up, had my time with breakfast and all that and finally, since Ulises did not feel so well, I went to the city by myself. I first went to the market, bought some fruits and rolls and took a minibus to the center. I got off a little too early, but I still managed to find the coast line and a park. I went there and it was so foggy that you could not see more than 5 meters away. So I sat down for reading a book.

I went for a walk a little later, took my turns and found myself in the same Love park kind of thing. I met a Danish guy there, gave him all of the information about Cuzco that I had, went for another walk around and finally got back to the market and then Ulises’s place.

Some German CS was already there, but we did not spend so much time together, since I packed and left.

I got onto the bus to Fiori, which was supposed to be a bus station for the Northern destinations. And there he was – a guy who was working there. Looking just like Sascha, but a little more tan. He looked like him, smiled like him and reminded me a lot of him. Funny, I thought, how people sometimes are not that different after all.

He was very nice, he told me where to get off and where to go, since once you get off you cannot see the station very clearly. I went to the station, found a bus and a ticket for myself, purchased it and went to wait for the bus.

They were showing some movie in the bus, so I watched it and drifted to sleep. The day was long enough already.

Day No 72

Since the bus dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and there was no public transportation to see, I settled for a taxi. He took me to the place where I had to catch a little bus to go to Huanchaco, the little village on the beach. It was fairly easy, I stayed there couple of minutes and then it arrived. Once in the place, I searched for the hostel I found on internet, got in, got some roommates that were still asleep, so I went out to have some breakfast [I still had my fruits with me] and read a book.

Back to the room I learned that my roommates are Irish and we talk a little bit about this and that. Then they went for breakfast, I stayed for a shower. After that I went out, found a market, bought some fruits and went to the beach. I found my new Irish friends and joined them.

It was a day dedicated for doing nothing. I needed that day, so I just stayed there, read a book and enjoyed my time. After `a little too much of sun` I got in, had a little rest, waited for my friends to come back and then we went for the sunset. It was a nice, but very fast sunset. We made pictures, we talked and we had fun.

We went looking for a place to eat and I met Justine and Mat – the guys we separated in Cuzco. So we talked a little, but since they were staying in that town for a while, I figured I will probably see them again, so we went keep on looking for a place to eat. We ended up in a very nice vegetarian place with a very tasty food and good prices for it. We had the meal, we had couple of beers and finally we went to sleep. Being in the sun actually makes you tired more than you could maybe imagine.