I woke early in the desert and walked up the sand dune behind and just soaked in the atmosphere as the sun rose and my fellow travellers began to arise one by one. We loaded up the dune buggy and headed back into Huacachina for breakfast. It was a short trip to Paracas where we boarded a boat for a cruise to the Ballestas Islands. These islands are home to the Humboldt penguin, sea lions, terns, cormorants and pelicans. They are known as the "Poor Mans Galapagos". In years gone by they were a major source of fertilizer created from the massive amounts of bird guano which was deposited across the islands. Returning from our cruise we had a rude shock when the hostel where we were expecting to stay told us they did not have a booking for us and they had no spare rooms. Luckily Masumi found a hostel with rooms just down the street so we trundled our way down there. Megan and I went for a walk and then enjoyed some cold beers and chips back at the hostel. That night 4 of us walked to the beachfront for dinner. It was a less than wonderful experience, but sometimes these things happen. Tomorrow marks our last day on the road together. The last 17 days seem to have flown by in no time. So many new and wonderful experiences. And still so many to come, I have no doubt on that.