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Satin Shoes Go Camping
Well well well - how do I find you all today? From the sounds of it you're all grabbing every spare second to soak up the sun, and it's the same here...
Got to Lima after Huaraz and was rather unimpressed - however, we did pick one hell of a day to arrive, being as it was Presidential Election Day. We'd been rooting for "ALAN" the whole time, given that his wall-painters had done a stellar job plastering his rather un-Peruvian sounding name all over the country (this is the place that's had a Japanese-surnamed Pres before I think) and by the end of the night he had emerged victorious, much to our cab driver's delight. We, however, after a night of intended lash, were rather less impressed because on election day, it is illegal to serve alcohol. Plan scuppered.
After Lima we headed off to Paracas National Park for a couple of days of wildcamping (no showers, no loo: take a trowel, kind of thing). Rather unimpressed when we first got there - gloomy, cold and looked rather like the desert everywhere else in Peru. Also, we got stuck and had to heave the truck out of some softer sand (or rather, the boys did). But then we set up camp - Faith and I decided a sea view was quite the thing, while everyone else, scared of the tide and the waxing moon were wimpy and pitched their tents behind the truck. Then got the campfire going to make dinner and got very very drunk, so of course the world began to feel like a better place. Fire was dying (we'd had to leave our expert hole-digger/fire-starter in Lima obtaining a new passport) so the beach games started, followed by the inevitable game of "I Have Never". Have now skinny dipped as a direct result (serious current and extraordinarily bright moon threatened my modesty).
Had a lovely next day of glorious nothingness, only interrupted by a game of Death Chair (flip-flop injuries sustained), a sunset stroll, and a session of Ultimate Frisbee (facial injuries sustained - worth it because we won). Off again the next day (again, pushing the truck first thing because we wore down the batteries dancing to our ipods) to this little place, Nazca, where the mysterious, ancient lines were set in sand hundreds of years ago. Stopped off en route though, to sandboard, which is one of the funnest things ever...especially the dune buggy rides to get there. Awesome stuff, but my my does sand get into places the sun don't shine...
So Nazca - took a plane ride this morning over the lines...there are some recognisable shapes, like monkeys and birds, but no one has ever come up with a widely believed explanation as to how the got there or what they mean. Tres interesant, if you don't feel too chronic in a 5 seater plane. Managed to hold everything in, but did better than many...This afternoon took a random trip to a necropolis. Yes. That is a city of dead people. Have now seen a desert-preserved head - hair and eyeballs still intact after several hundred years. Not sure on the etiquette of photographing dead people.
And hurrah the footie has started! We've had to resort to renting a room at the hostel on whose lawn we are camping, just so we could watch some today...and we're delaying leaving tomorrow morning so we can catch Inglaterra: important business, spesh since they are playing a South American country. Arg, must dash, have to help cook sups, but thanks you for the emails, tell me your stories from home please!
Sun-kissed kisses xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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