That dinner was great. Etienne whipped up spaghetti for six and even some dessert. The three French people, one western Canadian, two Quebecans, two Australians, and myself talked late into the evening about the Middle East and the seven wonders of the world. Machu Picchu will be my first one...the first of seven. The next morning the four of us bussed to Ica and taxied to Huacachina. It´s a cute little laguna (pond oasis) with a bunch of hotels and restaurants surrounding it by a promenade. I took a tour of a bodega with a nice German fellow and even did a little tasting. They make wine and pisco by the old methods of stomping and pressing. Instead of wooden barrels, they have 120 liter ceramic canisters. And the pisco cooks in gigantic ovens while fermenting.
Between the bodega and the sandboarding, I had about two hours to kill. I walked the promenade and found a biblioteca! I talked with the girl that worked there the whole time. She said the library was started by a famous poet from the area and holds a lot of philosophy books. I asked if there are any libros de botanicos and she perked up and said, "Ohhh! ¿Te gusta botanicas?" Turns out she works at an office in Ica that is involved in planting native plants in the area. She told me all about the huarango trees. They are important because they have a very extensive root system that prevents the erosion of the vast sand dunes which is important to, in a word, keep the desert out of Ica. There are few left so her office plants them and provides lots of information about Peruvian plants to any interested person. She invited me in on Monday, so I will try to return to Ica tomorrow afternoon.
Then the sandboarding! It´s loads of fun. The sand dunes surround Huacachina so the good spots are just a short buggy ride away. But the drivers take advantage of the dunes and send us for awesome roller coaster rides up and down and around and all over. The wooden boards are shaped just like snowboards with velcro bindings. Our first taste of them was on our stomachs. The heaviest of us went the fastest and farthest. Our driver took us to three consecutive slopes where we did the sandboarding standing up. Snowboarding skills are only minorly useful on the dunes. (not that mine are any good.) I think I´ll have sand in every nook and cranny of my scalp and pores for the next week. I love Peru!
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