I would like .............. Me gustaria...
I need your help ....... Necesito su ayuda
I am from.................. Soy de (e.g. Australia)
I would like a room... Me gustaria una habitacion
Do you have water?... Tienes botella de agua? (bottled water)
No pork please........... Por favor, no chancho
I don't understand.... No entiendo
Do you speak English? .... Habla ingles?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
TIPS ON: Visiting The Sand Dunes of Huacachina
When you reach Ica, take a short 10 minute taxi ride to the oasis. It is a paved road all the way there. It should cost either 4 or 5 soles.
Bordering right around the oasis, there is a boardwalk, accompanied by restaurants and a few lodgings. Outside of one side of the oasis is a single avenue, bordered by more hotels/hostels and restaurants; mostly hotels/hostels. On that single avenue, you'll find two offices that sell Cruz Del Sur tickets. There is a place that doubles as a internet shop. There they can reserve your bus rides between various regions of Peru, and book tours, such as tours of the Nazca lines. You can also book cheap buggy rides there all times of the day.
The opposite side of the oasis is the entry to the vast sand dunes. To enter the sand dunes, you must pay a small fee: The Desert Tax. Some people climb the sand dunes overlooking the oasis and hang out and have a little picnic. Climbing the sand dunes is not easy, even for young and athletic people. It takes patience and lower body strength.
People don't often swim in the oasis. It may be too shallow and dirty. There are paddle boats you can rent to go around the oasis.
As for the buggies, riding the sand dunes is like riding a roller coaster. It's great fun! First when you book your buggy ride, they'll ask you to sign some waiver forms not to hold them responsible if anything happens. Then they'll pick you up at a specific group meeting point at a certain time. Then they'll drive you to the foot of the sand dune where everyone will hand money over to a woman who takes the Desert Tax. Then you're off!! You'll have a fun ride up and down and over the sides of dunes. Eventually, they'll stop at a few dunes for you to go down the dunes on the sandboard by laying down or standing up. It's your choice if you want to participate. It's not hard! It feels like tobogganing, only a much smoother ride. You dig the toes of your shoes into the sand to slow down. After you've had a chance to go down the dune, they drive the buggy down to the bottom, collect everyone, and then you ride around the dunes again and stop at a few more dunes.
If you don't feel like going down the dunes by sandboard, either laying down or by standing up - don't do it! I have heard stories of people dislocating their arm. If the guide/drive pressures you to try it, just smile and say ''No... No gracias" (Translation: No... No thank you). When I went, the driver kept telling the two other people with me to try the board. The girl said she didn't want to, but wasn't insistent enough that she did not want to go, so she basically slid her way down the long sand dune on her bum.
The smaller buggies may go out alone, while the bigger green El Huacachinero buggies will go out with two buggies (up to 16 people!), hence the long wait lines to sandboard down the dune. Using the smaller buggies, you might wait for 8 people or less before your turn to snowboard down the dune. And don't worry, if you don't wanna go down the dune, that's okay too. They're pretty respectful and don't make you feel foolish for not joining the group. I didn't go sandboarding when I went on the buggy ride for the second time, I just went for the buggy ride.
On almost every buggy ride, someone's camera gets damaged. It is difficult to find a repair person in town. Trust me, they told me there's a person at Kodak who can clean the sand out of the camera. When I went into the town (Ica), they said that person was not working. I went to the next shop about 6 blocks down, and that person's shop was closed for the day. I finally found someone in the galeria who cleaned my camera for about $30.00. After 3 hrs (though he told me it would take 1hour), it was fixed - but a few days later, the camera stopped working. I've had to throw it out.
There are two places with Peruvian food: Restaurant Mayo and at the hotel El Huachinero. You can go in and eat there even if you're not staying at that hotel. All around the oasis, it's Italian and American food. But don't eat anything with milk or don't take milk in your tea. It will give you the runs. You can also take a taxi ride back to Ica for Peruvian dishes. Ica has a high crime rate, so avoid going there at night.
TIPS:
1. Ensure you find out the Desert Tax at your hotel and carry that exact amount if possible on the buggy ride
2. If you want to take your camera, keep it in a ziploc bag and make sure you dust your hands off really well before ever taking it out to snap pictures.
3. Use the smaller buggies, it's cheaper and a better experience
4. Wear loose clothes that will be easier to walk on the dunes and go down the dunes in, like cargo pants or sweat pants.
5. Ensure you keep your elbows and knees on the board, otherwise you can skin yourself over the sand going down. It happens.
6. If you have long pants, tuck your pants in your socks or shoes when you sandboard down the dune, otherwise your pants will be like sandbags once you reach the bottom (speaking from experience)
7. Try and get a front seat in the buggy. The back seats are really hard to board, especially if you're older or overweight or have joint problems. You have to step up on the huge wheel and over the bars...
8. Try and get a buggy ride around sunset so you can catch the sunset over the dunes.
Bordering right around the oasis, there is a boardwalk, accompanied by restaurants and a few lodgings. Outside of one side of the oasis is a single avenue, bordered by more hotels/hostels and restaurants; mostly hotels/hostels. On that single avenue, you'll find two offices that sell Cruz Del Sur tickets. There is a place that doubles as a internet shop. There they can reserve your bus rides between various regions of Peru, and book tours, such as tours of the Nazca lines. You can also book cheap buggy rides there all times of the day.
The opposite side of the oasis is the entry to the vast sand dunes. To enter the sand dunes, you must pay a small fee: The Desert Tax. Some people climb the sand dunes overlooking the oasis and hang out and have a little picnic. Climbing the sand dunes is not easy, even for young and athletic people. It takes patience and lower body strength.
People don't often swim in the oasis. It may be too shallow and dirty. There are paddle boats you can rent to go around the oasis.
As for the buggies, riding the sand dunes is like riding a roller coaster. It's great fun! First when you book your buggy ride, they'll ask you to sign some waiver forms not to hold them responsible if anything happens. Then they'll pick you up at a specific group meeting point at a certain time. Then they'll drive you to the foot of the sand dune where everyone will hand money over to a woman who takes the Desert Tax. Then you're off!! You'll have a fun ride up and down and over the sides of dunes. Eventually, they'll stop at a few dunes for you to go down the dunes on the sandboard by laying down or standing up. It's your choice if you want to participate. It's not hard! It feels like tobogganing, only a much smoother ride. You dig the toes of your shoes into the sand to slow down. After you've had a chance to go down the dune, they drive the buggy down to the bottom, collect everyone, and then you ride around the dunes again and stop at a few more dunes.
If you don't feel like going down the dunes by sandboard, either laying down or by standing up - don't do it! I have heard stories of people dislocating their arm. If the guide/drive pressures you to try it, just smile and say ''No... No gracias" (Translation: No... No thank you). When I went, the driver kept telling the two other people with me to try the board. The girl said she didn't want to, but wasn't insistent enough that she did not want to go, so she basically slid her way down the long sand dune on her bum.
The smaller buggies may go out alone, while the bigger green El Huacachinero buggies will go out with two buggies (up to 16 people!), hence the long wait lines to sandboard down the dune. Using the smaller buggies, you might wait for 8 people or less before your turn to snowboard down the dune. And don't worry, if you don't wanna go down the dune, that's okay too. They're pretty respectful and don't make you feel foolish for not joining the group. I didn't go sandboarding when I went on the buggy ride for the second time, I just went for the buggy ride.
On almost every buggy ride, someone's camera gets damaged. It is difficult to find a repair person in town. Trust me, they told me there's a person at Kodak who can clean the sand out of the camera. When I went into the town (Ica), they said that person was not working. I went to the next shop about 6 blocks down, and that person's shop was closed for the day. I finally found someone in the galeria who cleaned my camera for about $30.00. After 3 hrs (though he told me it would take 1hour), it was fixed - but a few days later, the camera stopped working. I've had to throw it out.
There are two places with Peruvian food: Restaurant Mayo and at the hotel El Huachinero. You can go in and eat there even if you're not staying at that hotel. All around the oasis, it's Italian and American food. But don't eat anything with milk or don't take milk in your tea. It will give you the runs. You can also take a taxi ride back to Ica for Peruvian dishes. Ica has a high crime rate, so avoid going there at night.
TIPS:
1. Ensure you find out the Desert Tax at your hotel and carry that exact amount if possible on the buggy ride
2. If you want to take your camera, keep it in a ziploc bag and make sure you dust your hands off really well before ever taking it out to snap pictures.
3. Use the smaller buggies, it's cheaper and a better experience
4. Wear loose clothes that will be easier to walk on the dunes and go down the dunes in, like cargo pants or sweat pants.
5. Ensure you keep your elbows and knees on the board, otherwise you can skin yourself over the sand going down. It happens.
6. If you have long pants, tuck your pants in your socks or shoes when you sandboard down the dune, otherwise your pants will be like sandbags once you reach the bottom (speaking from experience)
7. Try and get a front seat in the buggy. The back seats are really hard to board, especially if you're older or overweight or have joint problems. You have to step up on the huge wheel and over the bars...
8. Try and get a buggy ride around sunset so you can catch the sunset over the dunes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)