It was hard leaving Arequipa...I didnt want to...well I did but I didnt. First my students reason was my students. They were the best I have had. On their exams one wrote at the bottom ...thank ou miss for teaching me...other ones kissing me after they wrote their exams telling me " it was a pleasure." All of my students had over 80 % as their final marks. I was so proud. After my last day with them I started queatinoneing if quitting was the right decision. I didnt want to leave them with someone that wouldnt be good. Im not the greatet teachert but I did so much with them in a month that I knew I had done the best that I could and it really showed in their acceptance of me and their final marks. I held my tears back during their exams, I will truly miss that class. I would've stayed for them.
Of course it was tough leaving Wild Rover as well. I panicked a bit on my last day, it felt really weird and strange, I just wanted to get back behind the bar and start work. Billy literally had to carry me out so I would leave.
Off to Hucachina!
Of course it was tough leaving Wild Rover as well. I panicked a bit on my last day, it felt really weird and strange, I just wanted to get back behind the bar and start work. Billy literally had to carry me out so I would leave.
Off to Hucachina!
Huacachina is a little oasis town surrounded by mountainous sand dunes. We arrived at 7am in the sweltering sun. We dropped our stuff off at the hostel and wandered around the lagoon looking at shops and restaurants for a little while. I spent the day lounging around the pool while Billy slept and Jamie went to the sister hostel to watch the soccer game - I worked with Billy at the hostel and Jamie had been staying there for two weeks.
We ended up drinking ourselves silly that night - what else is new - I did however get the street food and I believe I found a better burger then the chicken burgers I love so much ...I apologize to my Arequipa chicken ladies, I believe you have been beaten with taste.
The next day we went sandboarding and on a dunebuggy - the main reason to go to Huacachina. What a crazy couple hours that was...I freaked on the dune buggy, they go fast up and down steep dunes and my vertigo nightmares were literally happening...at one point my whole body just started shaking that I couldnt move, it was so much fun though. I wasnt impressed with the sandboarding though, they were boards you could stand up on but the boards were to big so I couldnt strap my feet in. "Do you have a smaller board, my feet dont feet" "your shoes are too small, you need bigger ones" Seriously!!! Just like the guy who told me the bottled water was expensive because the lid was sealed. Sometimes I wonder...
I had sand everywhere, even in places you don't know that exist. To top it off, when we got back to the hostel there was no water, not even cold. The boys weren't fussed about taking a bar of soap in the pool and scrubbing down. Not my idea of a bath and I have a bit of an infection on my knee so I had forgoe the clean feeling...I couldnt get a hot shower till the next day which was good because we were taking a five hour bus ride to Lima.
As per usual Billy slept. I was reading my kindle and Jamie was watching the dubbed spanish movie that was playing. Two hours into our ride I went to put my ipod back in my bag. It was empty. I thought I had left it unzipped and everything fell out so I looked under my seat and I saw one of my cords on the floor a few seats back. My bag was empty...I had been robbed!!! Billy shot out of his seat, looked at the compartment above our seat, his whole bag was gone!!! Jamie did the same, his bag was there but they had managed to get his passport out of it! It was a day bus!!!
All i did was cry...everything was gone!! Laptop, tablet, iphone, presecription glasses, electrical cords EVERYTHING!!!
We told the woman on the bus what had happened and she said its not their responsibility! Gee thanks!
We made a police report...they didnt care!!! We are nobody but gringos here. The tourist police didnt even speak English...that was fun and to top it off we had to pay for it!!!
The next day , Jamie went to get his passport at the British Embassy. There were three guys there that we knew from Wild Rover (Arequipa) ... they hade the same thing happen to them...same bus company..same time...same stuff. The cops don't care and the bus company obviously knows what goes on...ITS A SCAM. PLEASE... ALL TRAVÑERS OR ANYTONE THAT KNOWS TRAVELERS DOING THE SAME ROUTE. SHARE THIS BLOG. THE COMPANY IS CALLED SOUYUS AND THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED. THE COPS KNOW AND DONT DO ANYTHING...THE TOURIST COPS IN LIMA DONT EVEN SPEAK ENGLISH. I DONT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE...SHARE THIS WITH FRIENDS FAMILY FELLOW TRAVLERS. GET THIS OUT!!! SHARE IT! BLAST IT! LET PEOPLE KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A TRAVEL BLOG OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES, PLEASE INFORM THEM SO WE CAN HOPEFULLY STOP IT FROM HAPPENING TO OTHERS!!!
This put a bit of a damper on our trip. As much as it is all materialistic things, when you travel those materialistic things are pretty much the only things you have (plus clothing). I was really mad at myself...how could I be so stupid,,,and just put my bag under my seat. I went over and over it in my head but there was no point as it was all done and over with.
We made the best out of Lima. Sophie (a friend who had worked with us at Wild Rover) met up with us. We did a city tour which was shit lol...but had fun wandering the streets and taking pictures. The weather was grim and overcast which made it a bit depressing but at least I can say I have been there.
Our next stop was Mancora, a beach town 20 hours (by bus) north of Lima. Unfortunately Jaime didnt go with us...he couldnt get on our bus so he booked a bus to Arequipa instead. Billy and I were a little gutted as it was such a quick decision, but us feathers always float in the direction our gusts take us and unfortunately Jaime's was going the other way. We slept holding our bags in our arms that night...even though we had nothing left to steal...we were a bit paranoid, but we arrived safe and sound the next morning and so did our stuff so we were happy.
After we checked into our rooms we headed to the beach. You barely have to leave the hostel to get to the beach. You just walk down a flight of stairs at the back and there it is, beach, bars and surf schools. "I could stay here" I thought as we basked in the morning sun enjoying a beer...so I did. The hostel was looking for bar staff and now here I am. I was a little sad to part ways with Billy but being here is what I need right now. I need the relaxation and sunshine for a little bit...and I have no regrets staying.
The hostel is like a resort. It has a huge pool with a volleyball net, a good sized bar outside, hammocks, music, heaps of sun chairs, good food and it's on the beach. I spend everyday outside either reading in a hammock, hanging out by the pool or getting involved in daily activities. The staff here is absolutely amazing and I feel like part of the family already.
A friend of mine who I met in Arequipa was working at this hostel chain in Lima and is now working here which is great. It is always nice to have someone around after parting ways with others as Sophie headed up to Equador the day after Billy.
I cant complain much about life right now...things are fantastic. Yesterday we played on the slip and slide...it was like being a kid. However being at a hostel our slip and slide where to huge strips of plastic that we hosed down and covered in soap. We had to soap ourselves down as well so we could just glide across it. "Perfect" I said "it's shower day anyways !"
Well I must sign off now. I have a surf lesson in 15 minutes...yup...I am surfing. It's actually the main reason I stayed out here. I have never surfed and really want to learn. Lesina and I had our first lesson yesterday. I was a little nervous as I am not crazy about the water and its quite rocky and shallow here.
The instructors are with you the whole time, holding onto your board and telling you when to get up. "Paddle, paddle, paddle!" Man did I paddle, as hard as I could, I'm surprised my arms didnt fall off. "Get up" ya right, Im going to fall flat on my face. "Up, up." Alright I thought...and I got up and I didnt fall. Seven waves I caught and seven times I got up and didn't fall ..."I was made for this!" I said to my instructor. The more waves I caught the more I wanted to surf. "There are no waves!" I said Jaime (pronounced HiMe) my instructor. "Relax its ok, they will come." They came, and I surfed...what a great morning. Lesina and I are going to go out every morning. We have our second lesson today and then after that - because we work at the hostel - we dont have to pay to rent surf boards we can just grab one when ever we want. The surf school is attached to the hostel. We walk down the stairs to the beach and its right there. Honestly, I living in paradise right now. What a life.
Off to surf.
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