Feliz Navidad!!!!!!!!!!

Big Merry Christmas from Huacachina (south of Lima) to all of you back home and the fellow travellers I ve met on my way!!!!!!

Ok, 2 entries are missing from this journal which are Cuzco and Machu Picchu....which I will update soon.....After having spent 4 days in Lima (capital of Peru), I have decided to move on the 23rd to Pisco to spend christmas. Pisco, fishing port, 60,000 souls, on the west coast of Peru in the middle of Attacama desert. Arrived in bus at 5 pm on Saturday. Crossing the town you get a clear feeling of the vibe of the place....sand and dusty road, few solid houses... most small casa made of dried vegetation, local people looking at the bus arriving like a cherry on the cake...Tourist ..(actually we were only 3 tourists in it). Last town which was like that was Puno (lake Titicaca) which I didn t really enjoyed....Although this is in this kind of place that you get a real feeling of the Peruvian culture and people, it is so poor and the criminality is so high that there is a real sense of insecurity (kind of watching your back constantly...and I am not much of a worried guy)....In most cities in Peru, they all (local) say to be alert, not going out at nigth on your own, etc...and in 95% of the case it is very exagerated as Peru is a very safe, friendly, and warm country. But in some case such as Puno or Pisco, you better to get their advise a bit more seriously. It is not safe for Peruvian ...so guess about the tourists....In Pisco, 2 days before we ve arrived (I say we because I was with an Auzie girl that I met in Lima), an arm robbery happened in the street, 3 blocks from our hotel, involving police and shooting..The only things which were missing there were John Wayne and the Hay blowed by the wind in the street.....Crossing Pisco town at 6 pm with your backpack is quite an experience...feeling somehow very special with most of the eyes in the street looking at you. I don t carry any valuable in my back pack, but still my back pack probably represents 6 months of local wage in re sell, and if I was them I would probably steer as well ...and maybe take my chance. Anyway, Pisco was like that, and after having visited Islas Ballestas (reserve national) the next morning, beautiful Island with sea lions, penguins, comoran, pellican etc, I have decided to make a move on the 24th afternoon to a tiny Oasis in the middle of Attacama desert called Huacachina.

...a surreal place...and probably one of the best move, as I ve spent quite a unique and Amazing christmas there...and not just because it is 30 degrees here instead of 5 degrees back in Europe. Arrived there at 6 pm, checked in in an Hotel and met a couple from Holland who tiped me on a christmas barbecue in town.To keep it short, forgot the name of the bar, smoking local ganga there was mandatorie and drinking complementory...we ve done both. The table,: 15 gringos from Mexico, Germany, France, Quebec, Slovania, US and a few local Peruvians.....most of us dancing up to early in the morning on Samba, Salsa, Reggae Ga, ..music !! Just fantastic!!!! Didn t take my camera with me (Mistake) but should manage to get photos from a slovanian girl who was there. To say that it was one of the best xmas ever may not please my family back home with who I ve spent the last 31 one, but it was definitely an unique and peculiar one ...and despite a massive hangover this morning I woke with a big, Massive smile on my face.

Let me tell you a bit about the surrounding of the place Huacachina. (I will upload photo tomorrow). A tiny oasis surrounded by massive dunes in the middle of nowhere. The local sport is Dune surfing which I am going to try tomorrow. Graceful palmtree, colorful flowers and attractive building in pastel shades clusters around a green lagoon, makes a wake up in the morning looking at that a bit special. No need to say more!!!!

Once again, Feliz Navidad, Bon Noel, Merry Christmas and best wishes to all of you back home!!

Seb :-)