An Oasis

Today started out beyond early. In most worlds it was still a friday night. It was so early that even though my hostel receptionist had urged me to leave, the bus station was not yet open. Regardless, I got on the bus and headed to Paracas to go to "the poor man's galapagos." The boat out to the Ballestas islands was definitely a little more rocky than your typical float. That plus the stench of the guano that they literally harvest off of the islands made my stomach turn pretty badly. Plus a little extra guilt for my miserable spa-fran-glish, and I was only very determined to enjoy this tour, damn it. There were humbolt pengins and a whole mess of peruvian boobies as well as cormorants, vultures, sea lions, etc... and it was pretty cool, except for the whole putrifying stench thing.

Then, after the second bus to Ica, and a quick taxi to Huacachina, I'm literally in an oasis. As in, there are palm trees, a lagoon, and it's surrounded by mountainous sand dunes that I'm scheduled to dune buggy up and sandboard down tomorrow. It's so touristy here, that english is the common language more than spanish. I found a hostel mainly by the niceness of the girl who worked the front desk (at least she wasn't some sleezy dude trying to sell me an extra tour), and a good vibe. This is a party town though, so there might be some pisco sours and dancing as this is a Saturday night. Safety is the priority though, so I'll be careful nonetheless.

The good news is that things are looking up. no matter the pressure I put on myself to speak better spanish, I'm managing fine. Tomorrow will be sandboarding and the overnight bus to Arequipa, the city I'm most excited for. Should be exciting!!