Well after two weeks of eating great food in the Gringo house it was time to venture out , so a table was booked for 25 at Ninos, the best restaurant in town. A real colonial building, awfully grand soo what I'm used to ! Jugs of the local cocktail,pisco Sour , which resembled a frothy margharita due to the egg white its blended with with wait for it ..... 43%alcohol, so needless to say after two of these we were absolutely flying ! We had invited all the staff from the house which was a huge treat for them as you can imagine. Food was great, and believe it of not only one person managed to throw up before leaving the table !!!!
Onwards and upwards to a local pub, very impressive , modern interior, very surprising . This was Party night as some of the volunteers were leaving for good the next day so off with us from ther to a club, yes you better believe it they have clubs in Ayacucho! Great music a live band of about 20 musicians much dancing by the gringos and at a very late hour many diseased bodies piled into little "put put" taxis and home with us. I was actually in two minds earlier that evening as to whether or not to go out at all as it being the eve of my Moms 1st anniversary I was feeling pretty upset, but in hindsight it was probably the best thing I could have donewe had an absolute blast. Next day hanovers all over the kitchen table panadol being passed around like sweets, red eye city. I bade farewell to some of the girls I had shatred the last two weeks with .
Pancho, my guide collected me after I had called my Dad Nick SJ, Fifi and Dh who was on the first tee, sorry for disturbing you !! The kids and Dad were up at Ardgillan where we had scattered Moms ashes a year earlier. I was really quite devastated not being there and not really having anyone to share my grief with but thank you to all the fab people who remembered and called me it meant sooooo much to me , believe me . Anyway I know my Mom is with me here in Peru so I carried her photos on the bus , listened to KT Tunstall and cried and smiled all the way to Ica. Volunteering here in Peru is something I know she would have done. I feel she would be proud of me for being here.I've been on the bus now for 5 hours winding my way thriugh the Andes up to 15ooo feet and slowly down and I am still not even close to being at sea level, so you can just imagine what the vista ids like . Totally awesome !!.
Ica and the Desert Oasis of Hacachina.
Hacachina oasis was my lodging for the night just on the outskirts of Ica. It is an oasis set among sand dunes reaching a height as high as 2000 feet. My room was mega basic, (not quite what we re used to Caro !) I ate out on the terrace overlooking the oasis which was quite special. Fluffy white towels , hot water I got but sadly no bath . Boo Hoo
Pancho, my guide collected me after I had called my Dad Nick SJ, Fifi and Dh who was on the first tee, sorry for disturbing you !! The kids and Dad were up at Ardgillan where we had scattered Moms ashes a year earlier. I was really quite devastated not being there and not really having anyone to share my grief with but thank you to all the fab people who remembered and called me it meant sooooo much to me , believe me . Anyway I know my Mom is with me here in Peru so I carried her photos on the bus , listened to KT Tunstall and cried and smiled all the way to Ica. Volunteering here in Peru is something I know she would have done. I feel she would be proud of me for being here.I've been on the bus now for 5 hours winding my way thriugh the Andes up to 15ooo feet and slowly down and I am still not even close to being at sea level, so you can just imagine what the vista ids like . Totally awesome !!.
Ica and the Desert Oasis of Hacachina.
Hacachina oasis was my lodging for the night just on the outskirts of Ica. It is an oasis set among sand dunes reaching a height as high as 2000 feet. My room was mega basic, (not quite what we re used to Caro !) I ate out on the terrace overlooking the oasis which was quite special. Fluffy white towels , hot water I got but sadly no bath . Boo Hoo
Pancho collected me at 9 am and we headed off to the dunes in a sand buggy. This was not at all what I had expected, it was an all singing all dancing sand buggy complete with crashbars sandboards etc. I can't remember the last time I had as much craic, these dunes were massive and heading vertically down 1500 feet at some speed I might add was, well just mind blowing ! And onto the sand board with me , hanging on for dear life to velcro straps, lying flat, legs in the air and disappearing down about 500 feet. Jaysus adrenenal rush or what !! Again and again I did it , the guys must have thoiught this one has lost it completely. all of you dare devils /adrenal junkies I know would just love it . Mighty craic as the man says !!
Everything seemed particularly boring after that experience, the museum full of mummies and Inca artefacts, various churches a park with caged Condors, jaysus are they massive or what ??.
Then off with the Witch to visit the Witches of Ica !!, I swear I'm not joking you there is a whole area in the suburbs where witches read palms and tarrot cards etc, You can tell a witches house by the dummy witch she has flying over her gaff ! Obviously, had to have the palm read and what I will tell you is that I'm going to be around for a while yet, so Nana Bradys genes I have !
Onwards to the wine region, those of you having visited wineries in Bordeaux, South Africa DH and Emer, this was nothing that you could imagine in your wildest dreams. The tombs of the Incas , Charvis and Haris were raided in years gone by and the relics they found were sold usually to buy ,Pisco, as in alcohol and this particular Bodega was almost like a museum with all the artefacts on the walls of what was basically a very large shed. The wine is stored in Terrracota urns a bit like the olive urns you, Liz and Jackie have beautiful treesand plants in on your terraces in Marbella !!
At another Bodega we are taken throught the whole process, they have just started harvesting the grapes but I had to decline the offer to hop in to this large bath to stamp on the grapes in my bare feet. The smell, the flies, pretty disgusting.... Peruvian wine I'll be steering clear of that. The Pisco is great though, will defo take some home and we'll have a Pisco Sour night in BC2, think Dave, Dec and Eamonn may be on for that one night after a lock in !! Ha Ha -
It never ever rains in Ica, the houses are made of dried bricks, the rooves with bamboo and then muck and animal sh one t mixed together and spread on the bamboo. Actually up in the highland there are collectors of llama alpaca sheep and horse sh one t, who store this in sheds and believe it or not this is the fuel they all use to cook with. Lovely I hear you all say, Michele and Laura especially !!! I'm really not joking you, BTW.
Ok still touring the coast but havent actually seen the ocean yet. Peru is divided up into 3 regions, the Coast , The Highlands, the Jungle. Hotel last night was an absolute dive, so much for luxury . Didn't actually have to enter the shower to have a shower! Basic wasn't in it. Private plane took me over the Nasca plains (see link on the right) and I saw all the Nasca lines. Very impressive I might add. Believe it or not, I was not in the slightest bit nervous, HEY how unusual Miss 'control bunny' not being in control. The Fear royale in absolutely everything is quite obviously gone forever !!!
Continental brekky included in my dive of a hotel and I requested a banana. I laughed my heart out when I got to the check out and I had a bill for a banana !! Pancho was also able to tell me I had spent a long time on the phone, so the proprieter of the kip told him. How funny. Thanks Caro really enjoyed the chat hope you didnt get caught today !!
We got a driver and headed off to another museum, more pottery, more mummies and on to the aquaducts. Boring, but they were pretty bright guys, those Inca's, for people who didn't know how to read or write!!. On to see gold being extracted from rock and sand, mega primitive and will post photos again. I've arrived to Paracus now and have had a massage ,YES AND YES I'm up at 7 am to do the" peruvian galapogus" as they call them, it better be worth it 'cause I like this hotel a lot.
It's then back to Ayacucho for me at 3pm tomorrow, apparently for 1500 dollars you can fly directly in a private plane in 45 mins. So where is Dermot ,Denis ,Des , Lochlann and Ulick when I need them??? Bummer , its animal class for me . 6 hours uphill back to Aya.
Hope you're all well . Jaysus that took me ages. Talk to you all soon and promise I'll post some pics when I get back . Miss Peru xx
