I had one of my closest friends, Kelly visiting me the past two weeks from Canada so I took some time off from the hustle and bustle to spend with her. We managed to cram in quite a bit of touristy things during her short visit here including a trip to the South Coast of Lima.
We started off in Lima and took the bus along the Panamerica Sur to Ica where the largest attraction is the opportunity to go sandboarding (think snowboarding on sand) in Huacachina desert. Huacachina is an oasis in the middle of the desert about 10 minutes from Ica. The lagoon is lined with hotels and restaurants and street vendors. We stayed in this beautiful hotel with a swimming pool for $20 a night!
The sandboarding was awesome! They take you out in this oversized dune buggy. You're strapped into the buggy like on a roller coaster ride and that's exactly what it's like. I was squeezing Kelly's hand so hard I'm surprised I didn't hurt her! Once you arrive at a good spot the guide shows you how to hold your body so you don't hurt yourself and then he sends you flying. We had a Grandmother, Mom and son on our dune buggy and the Grandma was the first one down each time - which made me feel like a chicken when I refused to do the last one. It looked like a 90 degree drop!
From there we made our way to the nature reserves in Paracas. There are two nature adventures you can go on there and of course we did both! The first was the National Park which was pretty cool with some scenic views and lots of pelicans. We stopped at this gorgeous fishing village which reminded me of Hall's Harbour because it was just boats and restaurants. I could have stayed there all day watching the birds and the kids enjoying the beach.
The n
ext day we hopped on a boat tour to the Ballestas Island. It was incredible. There were so many different kinds of birds all living on that one tiny island alongside hundreds of seals. As we were sailing back to Paracas we were pursued by thousands of birds who eventually passed us!
It was an amazing adventure and made even better since it was shared with one of my favorite people. It's incredible how comforting it can be to have someone you love visit you when you're living abroad. I just wish she could have stayed longer!
