Unwinding in Huacachina

South and inland from Paracas is a small, gringo-filled oasis in the midst of enormous sand dunes that seemed to be a good place to unwind for a night in a nice hotel. Moments after stepping from the bus, I shrugged off the many people trying to sell dune buggy tours, sand board rentals and a guy high fiving me not too subtly, "if you need anything at all, let me know" and made my way toward the only lodging I could see with a pool. I splurged on the $25 a night room with a tv, this was wine country after all.

The desert oasis of Huacachina as seen from the dunes above.

I tried my hand at sand boarding on a homemade board with Velcro straps that wrapped around the top of your feet and ankles to mount you on the deck. It was fun, but not even close to the rush of snowboarding.

Homemade sand board with the latest in binding technology, Velcro straps... A wipeout left my pockets and shoes completely filled with sand.

After a very anti-climatic wine tour the next day, which included a stop in a "witch's village" (looked no different than any other town I've seen), I decided one night was all I needed here.

Dunes with no signs of plant as far you could see...

I have since visited the beautiful colonial city of Arequipa 12 hours further southeast and flown back to Lima for some surf, but haven't had a chance to load the pictures yet... Tonight I begin an 11.5 hour journey north chasing swell for a few days. Another update to come soon!