MAGIC OASIS

Scorch of Wessex
Chris and Geraldine HANCOCK
Wed 8 Oct 2008 02:33

 

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

 

 

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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

 

 

                     

 

 

 

                                                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris & Geraldine