Huacachina and Cusco

After over 24 hours of travelling, Lou's i-pod stolen and swollen ogre feet... once again, we finally pulled into Ica where we grabbed a little yellow toy car taxi to Huacachina. Arriving in the dark made it difficult to make a judgement, however in the daylight, the beautiful natural oasis glistened under the sun. The water wasn't the most inviting, but it is the heart of this very small community and surrounded by natural palm trees and sand dunes, it poses as an idyllic location. We stayed in a very cute hostel called Desert Nights, very comfortable little stay with a cafe that had some cracking hearty food! Nestled low down in the desert valley, it is impossible to see beyond the backdrop of surrounding sand dunes- that was until however, the totally wild buggy ride took us high beyond Huacachina and showcased the vast expanse of the mesmerising desert landscape. The views were breathtaking! Our local peruvian buggy driver threw us all over the place in the buggy, my headband instantly swept from my head and lost to the dunes (RIP) and stopping at an angle over the top of the dunes (what a tease) he waxed up our boards, had us lay face down, legs apart, head up and with a little encouragement sent us on an exhilarating ride down the dunes- Lou managed to somersault 007 style...such a show off. What had without a doubt already been my best day so far, was made all the sweeter when we watched the incredible sunset in awe as the yellow sun melted into pink and orange, casting a paralysing fusion of colour over the desert before suddenly disappearing. After 2 nights and a lifetime supply of artsy traveller desert pics, it was time to make our way to Cusco. The following morning we were informed our bus was cancelled due to a fallen bridge in Nazca, the result of flooding and more distressing to hear was that there had been fatalities. We packed up our bags and took the 10 minute taxi ride straight into Ica to find out an alternative route to Cusco (which wasn't looking likely). Fortunately the dramatic story and stress was all for nothing as we were told at the bus station that our bus was in fact on time and scheduled to depart...we couldn't really have been fed more contrasting information but we went with it and hoped for the best! It also meant a long afternoon wait in Ica that we all agreed was a little uncomfortable. Our hearts turned to stone as we continuously refused to give any attention to the 'sad' looking children who surrounded us and our bags with very questionable intentions. As we sat in the main square, a friendly local man stopped to make conversation, telling us he doesn't feel safe in his own country. He went on to inform us that out of roughly 100 university students, only 10 will go on to get jobs and he feels his people need to stand up together to create change, though this he believes will never happen as the local people live in fear. This is of course only one peruvian mans' opinion, but it was an opinion that definitely put things into perspective and touched us. The bus was a dream- sat right at the front with my feet elevated...and praise every llama out there, they DIDN'T swell!! Cusco is a beautiful city. The architecture is impressive and the mountainous backdrop is extremely picturesque. Cusco has a very chilled vibe and definitely doesn't move at all similar to the frenetic pace of Lima. The city is touristy, in particular around the Plaza de Armas and my pale face isn't a foreign sight- no second glances here! There are endless markets that sell endless supplies of unbelievably soft alpaca and local crafts (drool). We did a horse trek that took us to Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexy woman) and to preserved Inca ruins called 'Temple of the Moon'. My horse was called Poocaponcho and he was a major hunnay, we definitely shared a bond. The Temple of the Moon was really interesting- we were shown an ancient sacrifice tomb which Amira (a French woman on the trek with us and staying in our hostel) said had a 'really strong energy, a maternal, caring presence.' She was fascinating to listen to- she was enlightening us all about meditation and the power of the mind, when a hummingbird joined us and perched only a few feet away on the preserved ruins. Amira believed this was extremely special and offered good luck. Captivated by her spiritual energy speech and meditation, we fully invested ourselves in the moment and all agreed we felt the vibes and luck...oh what free soul sisters we have become! Cusco is a wonderful Peruvian treasure, infused with beauty, warmth and plenty history! Now onto why we're really here...Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Get ready to tone our bubble butts like Kim K!