This is a journal series of my thoughts and feelings through the streets of Lima, Peru as a solo girl traveler. This is the fourth journal in the series. Click to start from the beginning.
Below is a diary entry I wrote of the day I spent traveling on Peru Hop from Lima to the city of Paracas and Huacachina, Peru.
Today had been one of the funniest days of my life and unlike anything I had experienced before. It started bright and early at 5 am in Lima. When the bus finally stopped I woke up to see what looked like a town from another time. We had arrived at the outskirts of Paracas. Most of the town had been significantly cracked by the earthquake that happened in 2007.
The air was full of dry sea smell. There was little buildings scattered around the streets many of them looking, more like tents with walls. Parts of buildings were only broken concrete. It made me feel sad to see how some ppl were living off the coast of Peru. It was a hard feeling to accept that for some ppl , this was all they ever had. At this point I felt grateful and blessed to had grown up with freshwater and the foundation for success.
The first thing I saw was the coast of Paracas, it was baby blue and so breathtaking. Many sea lions were laying on the banks of the sea, the most I had ever seen at one time. The sealions were reverberating, screaming like a bunch of children. I found they looked like a big baked potato laying on the rocks.
Next the bus headed to Huacachina. Once we arrived we saw a desert of sand mountains with a oasis in the center. Around the lake was a small town with a average of 100 people living there. Everyone I saw was wearing a dust mask.
Next I started up the dry mountain, arriving about 20ft away from the lake, then they broke everyone into groups. This next part of the trip was my favorite, it was my time to enjoy a careless ride through the mountains.
Once the dune buggy started I knew I was in for a treat. Our driver Smiley went so fast and really knew how to make make everyone laugh. Holding my camera in one hand and my arm on the rail for my life, this moment was perfect. Smiling from cheek to cheek, I was so happy.
The desert was like a eternal heaven or as some would say a scene from Mad Max. The sunset was simple, but alluring with beauty. Sitting with my feet in the sand I was feeling relaxed and blissful. That I day I had met 3 amazing gay guys, they were fabulous. After sharing this journey with them, we all knew this would be something we’d never forget. It was a feeling of gratefulness and joy that made this day so liberating. You never know what it is like on the other side until you go.
“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.”
-Paulo Coelho
