Yes, I was in Lima. It was a 15 hour detour from Arequipa to the north for many reasons and my interview for INSEAD admissions on Monday was one of them. On the way to Lima, we stopped for 5 hours in Ica, a wine & pisco capital of Peru. Actually, we stopped to visit Oasis de Huacachina, an oasis in dunes famous among backpackers for its hills and sandboarding opportunities.
With a night bus from Arequipa we arrived early in the morning. I found oasis to be just the shadow of its former glory (originally built for Peruvian elite) and dunes to be dirty and ugly.
Ha! Little did I know. Persuaded by my travel buddy, we booked a boogy ride for 10 am. The sun was up, we boarded a funny vehicle and off we went! It was the best adrenaline rush of my trip by far. Screw the rollercoasters! Go boogy riding! And did I mention stunning dunes?
I chose sliding on the board straight down on my tummy versus sandboarding (slower). Imagine a hill of hundred meters and a sandboard waxed with candle speeding downhill and you get my scream of fear and excitement at the same time. I have NEVER in my life had so many bruises on my legs. But everyone of them is 10 times worth it!
Ica set
In Lima we did nothing. We stayed in Miraflores, an upscale area of Lima, absolutely not what you´d expect of Peru. Expensive malls, restaurants, clubs, and even big grocery stores looked amazing. I shopped for a business suit and shoes for my interview at a "black" market, obviously not in Miraflores. A woolen suit costed me about USD 35 and leather shoes USD 15. That´s where cheap ended. The rest was expensive by choice - fancy meals, clubs, drinks, movies. I felt I was back in New York (almost!) for 4 days.
[to be continued]
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