For those who don't know, Peru is made up of 25 regions and one province. This weekend, we had a little getaway to Ica, an area south of Lima on the coast. Friday morning we left bright and early for a five-ish hour bus ride to Ica. Our first stop along the way was a restaurant/vineyard. We ordered lunch then took a tour while we waited for our food. It wasn't a wine vineyard, but a Pisco vineyard. Pisco is a type of alcohol native to Peru and the Pisco sour (Pisco, egg whites and lemon juice) is a local drink. The tour lasted about 10 minutes and after which our tour guide gave us a taste test (aka we got to try six different shots of Pisco) Not exactly my drink of choice, but when in Peru...
Anyway, we arrived in Ica, had some time to relax by the hotel pool and rest before a big night of karaoke and dancing. The next day we headed to Huacachina for a sandy morning. Huacachina is a small region near the city of Ica. The actual town is built around a small lake in the middle of the desert, and the village is surrounded by these massive sand dunes that spread for miles. We were lucky enough to take a crazy dune buggy ride through the dunes where we stopped a couple times for pictures and sand board rides. Even though I'm still washing sand out of my hair, it was worth it. And probably one of the coolest things I've ever done.
After our morning, we headed to Cachiche another village outside the city. I would compare it to Salem, Massachusetts. In Cachiche, many people were tried and killed for witchcraft. There are legends and stories about the witches that still haunt the village and to be honest, it's a bit eerie.
Sunday, we spent the morning in Paracas. It's a region in Ica right on the ocean. We took a boat out to one of the Paracas Islands where we saw Peruvian penguins (didn't know those were a thing) and sea lions. We also got the whole boat singing some classic hits like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" of course.
Afterwards, we went to Chincha Alta, another village. Here we went to a house in town where a family puts on a show. The mother introduced herself and told us about her 15 kids (seriously!) most of whom were in the show. They proceeded to blow my mind with some crazy dance moves and some awesome music. I can't even explain how incredible it was to watch. Everyone in this family was incredibly talented and it was amazing. They gave us some lessons, but I definitely need a lot more practice.
I have to say this was one of the most amazing weekends I've ever had. I never in my life would've thought to take a dune buggy ride or go sand boarding or go watch a dance show in a random woman's house, but I'm glad that was the plan for our Ica trip and I hope some day to go back.
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