Huacachina Weekend

This weekend, there was a moment that was a perfect microcosm of my experience in Peru thus far. It completely encompassed my feelings about my placement, how I think I've grown through this trip, and how everything has gone thus far. Having that moment of clarity was an incredible experience. Did I forget to mention that this all occurred at the top of a giant sand dune? Perhaps I should back track and give some more context.

This weekend, I had the chance to travel to Huacachina with Laura, another volunteer who recently arrived at BaseCamp. Huacachina is an amazing place - it is a desert oasis in the middle of giant sand dunes just outside of Ica, about 5hrs south of Lima. It looks like something out of a cartoon, where a character who's been wandering aimlessly through the desert sees a mirage on the horizon, a pool of water surrounded by palm trees. Huacachina wasn't on my list of need-to-visit places in Peru, but I'm so happy I was lucky enough to stumble into an opportunity to go.

What types of things do you do while staying in a desert oasis? Well... dunebuggying through the desert (best described as a rollercoaster ride without leaving the ground) and sandboarding down the massive dunes. We also did a day trip to the coast to see the Islas Ballestas - an amazing place, completely different from Huacachina and less than an hour away. Incredible rock formations, birds everywhere, sea lions, and Humboldt Penguins! Such an amazing weekend of tours, with incredible things to see. But I digress, I was talking about my revelation on the sand dune.

It occurred while I was sandboarding. Or what could be more aptly described as sand-tobogganing, because there were no attempts to snowboard. Much more fun to slide down on your stomach than fall over repeatedly and eat a whole bunch of sand in my opinion. But while standing at the top of the last dune (I was told it is approx. 250meters high, see picture below), I had my moment of clarity. This may seem like an odd moment to describe as a microcosm of my trip. How can one compare sandboarding in the desert to a 3 month volunteer placement with a microfinance NGO in Peru? Well, I'll tell you how.

 "The Dune" - those little black specks at the top are people

First, it is important to understand that I am terrified of heights. Looking over the edge of this giant sand dune should have been a truly gut-wrenching experience for me, but yet, somehow, despite the huge drop that I was about to plummet down on my stomach, the expected feeling of horror never came. I never once thought "nope, no way, can't do this" but instead accepted a certain degree of fear, and just went for it. And by the time I had raced down to the bottom of the hill, I was thoroughly glad I had done it, because it was an amazing experience.

For me, this represents my placement as a whole. Jumping on a plane to Peru, traveling by myself, and staying here for three months is a scary thing to imagine, and I definitely grappled with nervousness at the start of my placement. But, ultimately, excitement overcame the nervous feeling, and like letting myself glide down the hill on the sand, I hopped on the plane and haven't really looked back. Of course there have been bumps along the way (did I forget to mention the bumps at the bottom of the sand dune before? They felt kind of like being on choppy waves), but that's to be expected. Getting to the bottom happens in a blink of an eye, and its hard to believe that it's already over. And looking back to the top of the dune, its hard to believe how far I've come. I've learned so much from this trip, and absolutely loved every second of it. It's been a phenomenal ride.

So yeah, go to Huacachina.