Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

Our local tour guide, Javier, told us "vale la pena" (it's worth it) to take the drive to the desert oasis of Huacachina, in the Peruvian province of Ica. Amidst the endless sand dunes and the blazing sun sits a lagoon, "created by the tears of a mourning young woman who lost her fianceé in a war," according to local legend. As I looked around, all these young people were caring what appeared to be make-shift snowboards. "Javier, ¿qué es?" "Sandboarding...want to try?" One bottle of water, three "pit stops" on the climb up, a sweat stained tank and countless face-plants into the sand later, I was at the bottom of my first sand dune, wishing the climb up wasn't so treacherous...I wanted to go again!