As with everything when I travel, my plans have been adjusted and rehashed to the point that they no longer really resemble where I thought I would be when I set out. I was planning to go to Bolivia, but flights to Peru were far cheaper so I am now traveling overland to Bolivia, and I was planning to see Machu Pichhu but now I´m traveling along the coast, bypassing the highlands where Machu Picchu is. We also may not stay in Bolivia until June. We might be heading to Argentina to volunteer there for a bit. In conclusion the only plan that is set is the ones that I have already carried out. The rest is subject to change... So allow me to describe what we have done.

We spent three days in Lima, exploring the city and trying to decide where we would go next. We stayed in a Hospedaje that gave us the cheap room on the roof. So we had our own unfurbished rooftop terrace which was quite enjoyable, even if it wasn´t five star quallity accomodation. The city is located on the coast and runs into cliffs that pear out over the beach below. You can spot the tiny figures of surfers in the waves and overhead are paragliders taking advantage of the sea breezes that create thermals ideal for paragliding. Most of our time was spent wandering through Miraflores and Central Lima exploring markets, shops, and interesting buildings.

On the third day we took a bus a few hours down the coast to Chincha because according to our guidebook it is a great place to hear Afro-Peruvian music. We had no real plan regarding where we would find a performance but were lucky enough to stumble upon a hostel run by a gregarious women by the name of Carmen who was more than willing to provide you with information and opinions on everything, even if you didn´t want it. She informed us that another American was staying at her hostel and was headed to a party that night where there was a music performance. We ran across him later and he turned out to be a Tufts student who was studying Afro-Peruvian music as part of a special project. That night we went with him to El Carmen, the next town over. He had been told to come at nine, and in true gringo spirit we arrived precisely at nine to discover that nothing was ready. Eventually we wound up waiting around in the living room of the family who was organizing the event while they prepared for dinner (at around ten) and chatting to a documentary film maker who was covering the family as part of a film about Peruvian music.

The party started at midnight, by which point we were all exhausted after waiting around for three hours. The party was more dancing to raggaetone and the much discussed music performance did not take place. We did get to do our best to mimick the hip swivels of the women who invited us to dance with them. Everyone was standing around in groups of girls or boys and they would have one large half liter bottle of beer and a small plastic cup. One person would drink beer from the small plastic cup as the person beside them held the beer. The cup was passed to the beer holder, who poured themselves a glass, and passed the beer to the next person in the circle. It continued around the circle until it was done and another bottle would appear. It was a good way to pace yourself and not drink too much. When we had danced for a while we decided to head back, never having seen a music performance but at least we enjoyed an off the beaten track dance party.

We worked our way down to Pisco and stayed here for a night in order to go to the Reserva National de Paracas, where there are floating islands used by thousands of birds as a breeding ground and migratory destination. The island were blanketed with cormorants, Peruvian boobies, penguins, vulutres, and a number of other birds. This is one of theplaces where all the guano(bird poo fertilizer) that made up Peru´s main export for a while came from. The rocky beaches were also home to colonies of sea lions. These were a favorite of mine as a kid watching the discovery channel so I found these really exciting to see up close.

That afternoon we hopped on a bus along the Pan American Highway and went to Huacachina, a tiny oasis of no more than 200 people that caters solely to toursits. They come for the towns location amid the massive sand dunes that stretch between the coast and the Cordilleres mountains. Most people come here to sandboard, but Lucy and I opted to be satisfied with simply climbing the massive dunes, which offered pretty amazing views. We also took advantage of the many Pisco and Vino bodegas around the area and did a short tour and got to taste Peruvian Pisco and vino, which is a bit strong and too sweet for my taste but the Pisco tastes exellent in a Pisco sour.

We skipped Nazca, long story, and headed on an overnight bus to Arequipa, 2,000 meters up in the mountains. Things are cooler and a bit more laid back here and we are taking our time before heading to do a short trek in the nearby Colca Canyon.