We
decided to stay in Huacachina rather than the big town of Ica, 10 km away. A
very good choice.
It is a beautiful
oasis surrounded by huge sands dunes.
The
major sport around here for the tourists is racing around in sand buggies with
names such as Sand Warriors…. One can hear the roars of these peculiar machines
in early morning taking the punters over the dunes for about 15 km, disgorging
the youngsters with boards so they can sand board downhill to be picked up at the bottom. We passed on
that one.
Can’t resist to inspect
Our
hotel is very pleasant with a swimming pool just in the event we might decide
take a rest, swim and sunbath.
Such a joy to see free birds in the hotel garden
We
toured a couple of vineyards this
afternoon. The first famous is for its wine (not quite to French standard and
taste), the 2nd for its Pisco Brandy.
The
backdrop if the Famous Tacama Vineyard is the Andes, where the water to irrigate
the grapes come from.
The
tradition of making Pisco Brandy has not changed in this vineyard for 3
generations. The brandy is made
from grapes.
Pisco Sour
is the famous Peruvian drink made of brandy, lemons, sugar and beaten egg
whites. Very nice too…
It is
extraordinary to have the cross together with various offerings hanging above
the pipe from which the brandy pours.
Is
there in the hope of a better Brandy or for forgiveness for such a decadent
drink?
The full
array of drinks made there. We sampled a few!
The
next stop was the on the edge of Ica to the ramshackle suburb of Cahiche, made famous throughout Peru as a
traditional sanctuary for white witches
.
This
monument was erected in 1986 in honour of a white witch
When
she died, for curing a powerful Congressman of a terminal illness.
An
other excellent day
