Peru Through My Eyes : Paracas & Huacachina—From the Ocean to the Desert
Updated: Jul 21
As I sat on my bus—yes, the same bus I missed the previous morning, I observed my surroundings and saw people of different ages, from countries and in different stages of life. A guy from Ireland celebrating his birthday, a woman with two of her kids, a couple and a group of friends having a girls trip. It’s clear to me then; If you really want something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
Sailing Through Ballestas Island and Paracas National Reserve
So there I was—choosing not to making excuses—cruising along Peru’s coastline, watching the Humboldt penguins and sea lions in their natural habitat, listening to our guide explain why the Ballestas Islands are called the “Galapagos of Peru”, watching the sunset over the desert, and eating ice cream in the middle of an oasis. It’s crazy how quickly life changes. Just 24 hours earlier I was stressed about missing my bus. Now I was having the time of my life.
Ballestas Island and The Ancient Inca Symbol
We walked from our hotel to the Port of Paracas, lined up for our boat. Because landing is prohibited to protect the ecosystem, we took a 2 hour guided speedboat. During the sailing, the boat got really close to the cliffside and went though some arches and caves. Please believe me when I say close because I touched the wall of one of the caves. As we drifted through the caves, I couldn’t help but think the universe must have taken her sweet time carving every inch of these cliffs. They looked too perfect to have been shaped by nothing more than wind and waves.
We spotted a lot of wildlife, and the biggest surprise for me was when we saw a group of dolphins swimming by. And I was in awe.
One of the stops of this tour is El Candelabro. It’s a massive geoglyph carved into one of the oceanside hills. The design looks like a chandelier, later on our tour guide told us that people believe that it resembles the sacred San Pedro cactus. To this day no one truly knows the meaning behind the geoglyph. Later on my trip, I learned that Peruvians are really religious. They believe what they believe. So maybe, we don't find the meaning of this symbol because the person who made it wanted it to be a mystery of the land. Honestly, I got goosebumps seeing it in person.
Paracas National Reserve
After finishing the boat tour we rode the bus to our next spot which is Paracas National Park. It’s well known for the view where the endless wave of the Pacific Oceans meets the towering white cliff. I love the ocean, and that is one of the most magical ocean views I have ever seen.Watching one wave chase another until they reach the shore was mesmerizing. Yeah, that view is magnificent.
The other side was Playa Roja. It's where the brick red sand and the turquoise blue from the oceans meet between golden cliffs. We were there during mid-day, so the colour contrast was absolutely striking. Our tourguide—Christian, explained the reason behind the colour of the sand. It was formed by the waves which constantly hit Punta Santa Maria Cliff (mineral-rich cliff), causing the red fragments to break and become the red beach that we saw.
Hypnotized by the Oasis on the Desert
Just when I thought Peru couldn’t surprise me anymore, the landscape changed completely. The blue ocean disappeared behind us, replaced by endless golden sand dunes that look like they belonged on another planet. It was hard to believe that a couple hours earlier, I had been watching sea lions along the Pacific coast.
Sand dunes after sand dunes surrounded this tiny oasis. It was my first time setting foot in a desert, and I found myself completely drawn to it. I wanted to see more, to understand it. Before coming here, I had always imagined that the desert was unbearably hot and exhausting. I never expected one to feel so… peaceful. And somehow, it really was. Don’t get me wrong, it was hot but there was just something that words couldn’t explain. I feel so lucky yet small at the same time.
Sunset by Ica Desert
We left our stuff in the hostel, Wild Rover. And I started my mission to roam around the desert, checking in some small stores, and getting fresh juice and getting lunch. By the time the clock rolled to 4 pm, I walked back to the hostel, texting my family and friends that I am alive. And get ready for the sunset and some activity in the desert.
We rode the buggy over the dunes right up to the highest point, and our driver did some trick where he made the buggy jump so high. I swear my soul left my body for a second there.
We stopped to do some sandboarding and some people even went sandskiing. I am not familiar with both, but I tried anyway and not gonna lie I ate some sand. Yumm !
After all that we sat down and watched the sunset over the desert. I felt surreal and hypnotized by it. I couldn't take my eyes off the view until the sun settled in behind the sand. Really, I couldn’t stop smiling. I couldn’t believe that this was my life—that I was witnessing all those beauty with my own eyes.
Oasis Night Life
I can’t say that I am an extroverted person, because oftentimes I like to just sit alone or stay in my room reading some books, or a lot of it. But also I wouldn’t say that I am an introvert either, I can confidently say that I can talk to anyone. I am not shy about starting conversation first. That’s when I decided, maybe I don’t need to put myself in that box. I am allowed to enjoy my own company when I want to be alone, and I am allowed to go out, talk to people, and make new friends if I feel like it.
Anyway that afternoon, during sunset I made some friends. And I am happy that even years later we still keep in touch.
I had dinner with some friends that night and we walked around to see how the oasis is at night talking about where we come from and or grow up. It’s fascinating that we all from very different backgrounds gather there, all in awe of the beauty of this place over an ice cream from the small convenience store.
We went back to the hostel and sat in the bar drinking and chatting with other traveler. I drank enough to literally stand in the bar and sing—Yeah, I'm singing! I don’t even sing that much when I go to karaoke with my close friends! Isn’t Peru just bringing the other sides of me out ?
To be a Human Being
This experience made me think of what I actually want to do in life, was it to settle in, was it to travel more ? And I asked myself if I like this type of travel or did I like to see more big cities ? I decided that I didn't have to know about it right that instant. Even if I find the answers, and later on I change my mind about it, that’s okay too. Again, I am allowed to change my mind over stuff. It’s not something to feel bad about. And maybe, that’s what being human really means—not having all the answers, but allowing ourselves to move, grow, change and evolve.
Leaving the Desert
The next day, before heading back to Lima, we stopped at Pisco Vineyard, drinking a couple more glasses of Pisco which I had become quite familiar with the night before.
We headed back to Lima after lunch and I made plans to hang out with some friends that were also heading to Cusco.
I have a lot of things to share about Cusco and my hike to see Machu Picchu. It was the highlight of this trip when I planned it. It’s literally a life-changing experience and a lung-changing one too, since the altitude is very different from the coastline.
So if you haven’t, subscribe you are welcome to fill your email down this page to get my newsletter. And If you were curious about what happened with me and my bus in Lima here is the link to it !
The coast had shown me one side of Peru. Little did I know, the mountains were about to change me in ways I never expected. See you in Cusco !
Comments