It was a very difficult day yesterday, but, I also had probably the most fun since I have been here. I am in Ica, a town notoriously known for theft and crime. It is a dirty and ugly city. However, just a few miles away lies an oasis of tourism called Hauacachina. It is a popular gringo getaway, and for good reason.
There are literally mountains of sand here. Some call them dunes- but they look like the rocky mountains to me- only made of sand. It is a complete desert, the only exception is a small lagoon in which the town/ resorts are centered around. (pictured) The best part about these sand mountains is that you can go sandboarding on them! They take you out on a dune buggy and really go to town, take you to some really cool vistas, and stop for several rides down various difficulty level dunes. It was awsome!
Although very different from snowboarding...I think mainly because of the boards that they give you- which are much smaller, and your feet are closer together, and also because the sand acts a little differently than the 
snow. Mainly in the fact that it hurts more when you fall. And I fell....a lot. I can hardly sit to write this thing right now.
That was the fun part- the debacle started when me and another girl decided to attempt to go to Paracas, a town just maybe 60 miles away or so that is famous for some beautiful islands just off the shore which are protected by a park system. I thought since we were right here it would be cool to see. Well, we waited until the evening to go to the bus station and buy ticketts. There weren´t any. The only bus option was going to be to go the next day- in which case we would not get there in time to catch the ferry to the islands that only leaves early in the morning. Another option was to take a taxi. Although, it just so happens that our hostel had posted a sign in our room that day stating ´there have been reports of people being robbed and left in the middle of nowhere by taxi drivers, the hotel does not take responsibility for....blah blah blah´ This was enough to thouroughly flip me out. Oh did I mention that the last bus to Ayacucho (home) was full. As it turns out there were three options, take our luck with a taxi, take a bus to Pisco (a town half way to Paracas- famous for the inventing the spirit that bears its name) right away, stay the night there, and take a taxi from Pisco to Paracas early the next morning, or stay another night in Ica and kiss the islands goodbye.
After appoligizing a million times, we opted to stay the night in Ica, and forget about the sea lions- I´ll go to the zoo when I get back. It seems like a no brainer the way I write it, but I was alone in not wanting to take the chance on the taxi. And I felt bad not going, but I knew it was the right decision.
This situation was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Those of you who know me well, know that I value my independence. In fact, sometimes it does my mind well to go somewhere when no one knows I am there. It is theraputic for me....I´m not sure why. This is much the reason why I thought the trip would be so healthy for me. I was wrong. I feel like I just got married to 15 strangers. We work together, sleep together, eat together, and travel together. Everything we do is a group decision, and it is impossible to do anything quickly. This is driving me crazy. And this is my awakening.
I pictured myself as a person who could adapt well to others, and adopt other points of veiw and ways of living. I thought this part of me was what made me good at relating to people. Well, as it turns out I am not. Last night I became frustrated to the point of meltdown. I just couldn´t take it anymore, and after the shutdown, it was hard to make even the simple decisions. I just wanted a safe place to sleep, a drink, and a ticket home. All of which was accomplished, save for the ticket home. But I did get a ticket to Ayacucho- which leaves tonight.
The day had quite the swing of emotions for me. It was a day in which I had some of the most fun, and encountered the most stress of my trip thus far. I´m sure there is more to come of both!
There are literally mountains of sand here. Some call them dunes- but they look like the rocky mountains to me- only made of sand. It is a complete desert, the only exception is a small lagoon in which the town/ resorts are centered around. (pictured) The best part about these sand mountains is that you can go sandboarding on them! They take you out on a dune buggy and really go to town, take you to some really cool vistas, and stop for several rides down various difficulty level dunes. It was awsome!
Although very different from snowboarding...I think mainly because of the boards that they give you- which are much smaller, and your feet are closer together, and also because the sand acts a little differently than the 
snow. Mainly in the fact that it hurts more when you fall. And I fell....a lot. I can hardly sit to write this thing right now.That was the fun part- the debacle started when me and another girl decided to attempt to go to Paracas, a town just maybe 60 miles away or so that is famous for some beautiful islands just off the shore which are protected by a park system. I thought since we were right here it would be cool to see. Well, we waited until the evening to go to the bus station and buy ticketts. There weren´t any. The only bus option was going to be to go the next day- in which case we would not get there in time to catch the ferry to the islands that only leaves early in the morning. Another option was to take a taxi. Although, it just so happens that our hostel had posted a sign in our room that day stating ´there have been reports of people being robbed and left in the middle of nowhere by taxi drivers, the hotel does not take responsibility for....blah blah blah´ This was enough to thouroughly flip me out. Oh did I mention that the last bus to Ayacucho (home) was full. As it turns out there were three options, take our luck with a taxi, take a bus to Pisco (a town half way to Paracas- famous for the inventing the spirit that bears its name) right away, stay the night there, and take a taxi from Pisco to Paracas early the next morning, or stay another night in Ica and kiss the islands goodbye.
After appoligizing a million times, we opted to stay the night in Ica, and forget about the sea lions- I´ll go to the zoo when I get back. It seems like a no brainer the way I write it, but I was alone in not wanting to take the chance on the taxi. And I felt bad not going, but I knew it was the right decision.
This situation was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Those of you who know me well, know that I value my independence. In fact, sometimes it does my mind well to go somewhere when no one knows I am there. It is theraputic for me....I´m not sure why. This is much the reason why I thought the trip would be so healthy for me. I was wrong. I feel like I just got married to 15 strangers. We work together, sleep together, eat together, and travel together. Everything we do is a group decision, and it is impossible to do anything quickly. This is driving me crazy. And this is my awakening.
I pictured myself as a person who could adapt well to others, and adopt other points of veiw and ways of living. I thought this part of me was what made me good at relating to people. Well, as it turns out I am not. Last night I became frustrated to the point of meltdown. I just couldn´t take it anymore, and after the shutdown, it was hard to make even the simple decisions. I just wanted a safe place to sleep, a drink, and a ticket home. All of which was accomplished, save for the ticket home. But I did get a ticket to Ayacucho- which leaves tonight.
The day had quite the swing of emotions for me. It was a day in which I had some of the most fun, and encountered the most stress of my trip thus far. I´m sure there is more to come of both!
5 comments:
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn."
P.S.
After you've described sand boarding I still don't see myself trying to learn any time soon.
OH! Sandboarding. You are my hero.
hero, really? wow- I´m flattered
Ha! It's just that sandboarding was at the top of my list of things to do. I'm impressed!
Ha, dude this entry just spirals into despair! Don't fret, you've only been there for a short time.
Call it a personal challenge. Getting yourself through a difficult situation is the best way to grow, pal.
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