garry blogs

Ica’s been fantastic. We went dune buggy riding! Kinda like a roller coaster, but without wheels. I even have a video clip of our “sand roller coaster”!

Really, when i first saw Ica, the first thing that came to mind was: damned American marketing. All that hype about the Mojave desert, the southern Californian deserts, and it couldn’t even hold a candle to humble, understated Ica. Ica’s so vast, you can’t even see the end of the rolling dunes of sand from the highest sand dune we climbed up.

What’s more, Ica was once at the bottom of the ocean! Yeap, it got lifted up by the sheer power of Mother Earth. So if you take like a 5-day (huge, huh?) 4×4 desert tour deep into the desert (which we had no time to, unfortunately!), you might see, instead of smooth sand dunes, sand dunes with stuff sticking out of them. And these “stuff” arn’t rocks - they are probably the vertebrae of some ancient animal. Now, is that cool or what?

Oh, we sandboarded too! It was okay. I think I’ll rather snowboard anyday. At least you don’t eat sand. heh.

Okay, onwards to Easter Island!

… but just for 2 days, and then we’re off to the world’s most isolated place - Isla de Pascua, or Easter Island - surrounded by 2000+ miles of Pacific Ocean in every direction. I heard there’s a place on Easter Island where you can see the horizon 360 degrees around - how cool is that?!

I’m barely recovered from my fever, sore throat, diarrhoea, cough and running nose. Yeap, the “whole enchilada”. Still a little of that fever and cough, but i’m alive and kickin’.

Now now… where shall I start? It’s been so long.. I’ve:

• explored the magical city of Cusco, considered to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site;
• walked the Camino Inca (Inca Trail) - a tiring and crazy 45km that went past 2 mountain passes into the clouds at up to 4,200 metres above sea level;
• stayed at a homestay on Isla Amantani, an island on the world’s highest navigable lake - Lago Titicaca;
• visited Colca Canyon, the deepest or 2nd deepest canyon in the world, with Inca terraces carved into the sides;
• watched the Andean condor ride the heatwaves into the sky

Soon, I’ll reach Ica, where I can catch a flight to watch the enigmatic Nazca Lines and ride a sandboard down the magnificant sand dunes of the Ica desert. Interestingly, the Ica desert used to be at the bottom of the ocean, and as such is riddled full of marine fossils and ancient bones of facinating animals. I don’t know if we’ll have time to take a 4×4 tour of the desert - but we’ll see. Keeping fingers crossed!

But ultimately, I can’t wait for warm weather (maybe in Isla de Pascua?), and diving in French Polynesia. My underwater camera’s equipped and waiting (heck, i’ve lugged it so far and for so long, too!)!!!

Hey yall… i´m sick. Fever, sore throat, and physical weakness. All these in a really cold place - beside Lago Titicaca (Lake tee-tee-HAAHAA) at close to 4000 metres above sea level.

Gonna take a day tomorrow just to do work (si, i need to finish my business case STILL!!!) and sleep-in / rest.

Write more later soon.