Ica and it's surroundings

During our break from classes for Semana Santa (Holy Week), 5 friends and I took a trip south of Lima to Ica. We had a great time and it was very relaxing. The weather was much warmer than in Lima, which surprised me since we were moving farther away from the equator, my only idea as to the reason for that is that Ica is not situated quite on the coast as Lima is. Due to the heat, we tended to lack the desire and ambition to do a lot during the afternoons. We stayed at a hostel in Ica, which was a good place to keep our bags but we had quite a few inconveniences and continually had to ask the señora for things. It may not have been a problem had we not gotten off to a bad start with her, but just after we arrived, since there were 6 of us for the 4 person room (since originally only 4 of us had planned on going), she demanded that we pay extra. We were in agreement to pay for the extra people but not at the prices she wanted. She wanted us to pay triple the prices for all 6 people since it was a holiday weekend, but we felt like that was unneccessary especially because we had reserved it and had a contract at a lower price. From there we had to request our breakfast multiple times, to ask for sheets for the beds when we got back to our room and all of our sheets and pillows were gone, and ask for buckets of cold water to shower with since we had no running water in our 4th floor bathroom.

One day we went to Nazca to see the symbols on the desert floor and also the geometric lines. I was surprised when we actually walked up to them to discover that they are not trenches, meerly formed by clearing desert rocks from certain areas to leave patches of ground without rock to make the designs. Although the Nazca lines date back thousands of years, they are not buried because the desert dust is too fine to settle there and cover them. Wandering the desert looking at Inca, Nazca, and Huari ruins was enough to convince each of us that living in the barren desert is not something we would ever like to do. The heat, aridness, and sand/dust were not particularly present. Walking around there gave Jesus's washing of his disciples' feet an entirely new meaning.

That day we also got to go to the home of a man who uses the same techniques of the Nazca to make exact replicas of their pottery by hand. (National Geographic actually did a story on him last year.) Learning about the process of using only natural colors from minerals for paint which will not fade was interesting, but I was especially intrigued to learn that the bristles of his paintbrushes (as those formerly used by the Nazca) which made wonderful smooth and straight lines, are made from the hairs of a child's first hair cut.

We also saw the aqueducts created by the Nasca. They are in the shape of circles spiraling downward. It was dizzying going down towards the bottom to where the water was. Nearby was a cactus farm. Strangely, later that day 4 of us commented how coincidentally, being Good Friday, none of us could stop thinking about Christs crown of thorns as we walked past all the cacti.

Another day we went to Huacachina, a desert oasis. There we went dune buggying and and boarding on the surrounding dunes. I was terrified. I'm glad that I did go down the dunes since I had the opportunity, but it is not something that I feel the desire to ever do again. In the evening we found a quiet place to star gaze and also went and got enormous dishes of icecream for supper.

We also visited Paracas and the Islas Ballestas, also known as the "Poor Man's Galapagos Islands" although I'm sure many islands off of the coast of western South America would like to claim that title. The boat ride to the islands was very enjoyable. We got to see a variety of animals that I had never seen before in the wild including sea lions, penguins, Peruvian Boobies, and a variety of other unique birds. The islands are important to Peru because they are extremely rich in guano.

In Ica we visited a museum of several ancient Peruvian cultures including the Wari, Chimú, Nazca, and Inca. There were many artifacts and mummies. Before departing for the city, we bought supplies and had a picnic, which was something that we all really enjoyed. Now, we're back to classes again.