If I could be a professional sportsperson, a pro sandboarder would come a very close second to a pro kickboxer. Huacachina turned out to be the second piece of paradise I have come across in my travels so far (the first one being Itacarè in Brasil).
Catching Some Dunes
After catching some sunrays in the morning it was time to catch some sand dunes in the afternoon. I was very excited about trying my talents to sandboarding, something I`ve wanted to do since Jericoacoara in Brazil and something you would think I had done before given that I lived my first 17 years on a sandhill.
I wasn`t so excited about the buggy ride as I had done it twice before in Brazil, but when I climbed into the Mad Max monster and was roaring over the badlands of Ica in it, I was enthralled!! Carlos was our expert driver (not only had we gotten in the Mad Max 10 seater of the best driver but the beastiest buggy too which could take us to the top of a 200m dune!)
First we waxed our boards and wiped the wax down with sand, then I sat on the ridge and strapped my boots into the velcro straps. A couple of guys were off down the hill and I took off after them, the first chick to do so. I went a little way, standing up on my board which pointed straight down the steep dune, and then I fell over. I got up, slid a bit, and fell over, tumbling and getting sandy. I eventually slid all the way to the bottom crouching down in a surfer pose.
It was great stuff!!! Especially since all the other girls ended up sitting on the boards and sliding down like that. I was hooked!!! I was so excited at the bottom and was ready and roaring for another go. We got driven back to the top of the dune for slide #2. We waxed up (you need it for speed and good glide) and went down another slope just near the first one. More tumbles but I got to the bottom with a great deal of speed.
Cayendo Camille
The third slope (and slide #4) was the steep 200m monster. Only Carlos` beast could get us to the top. I waited at the top for Emily to slide down and video me from the bottom. I was the last person to come down and everyone was watching me. I pushed off and went a few metres before falling over. I got up, and continued sliding down. At some point in what was a brilliant slide, I managed to turn around so that I was sliding down backwards. I was quite certain that I was going to fall over, but then I turned around and went forwards for a couple more seconds before the most massive stack of the whole entire day. Being a steep hill and being about half way down I had gathered quite a lot of velocidad I then managed to do a dive worthy of Olympic medals. I did a complete headfirst somersault, about 4 tumbles and then rolled down the hill until I was about 20m from the bottom. When I stopped I could hardly move and could feel where my bones had crunched into the sand. It took a second before I could wave my hand in an estoy bien move to the applause and cheers from everyone at the bottom.
Unable to stand, I pulled my board (which was still miraculously strapped to my feet) off, crawled onto it, and slid down, still groaning. I managed to get to my feet, feeling a big patch above my left buttock where a bruise was being born. I had cement up my nose from the snot/sand combination and an aching back but that didn`t stop me from continuing boarding on the next dune.
And so, that was how I earned the campeòn or Champion status. I was Cayendo Camille, Falling Camille. I had mastered the stack and had shown everyone else how it should be done. This earned me massive points with all the sandboarding instructors and big pats on the back.
Tengo Miedo
We had two more runs before zooming across the dunes to see the sun set. I limped up the small incline to the best bit of slope and pushed off. I managed to drive home the Campeòn Cayendo Camille tag by performing another (though less spectacular) crash down the dune. I managed to thump my back flat on the sand and wind myself for a couple of seconds this time. So my final run was marred with deliberate lean backs and stops as I had developed fear, something that I had lacked in my other runs.
BBQ @ Casa de Arena
Casa de Arena was hopping, and there was a BBQ that night. We were overfed with stacks of hamburgers piled onto our plates and I managed to thieve a bottle of Kola Real which led to some silly talk about Dirg`s log and him sharing it with me. Amber tried hard to change the topic many times, but it always came back to the log.
We sat around the fire that had cooked our burgers and watched the dogs (which were supposedly called `Hamburgesa` and `Hamburgesa Mañana`) polish off the uncooked burgers left out on the table.
Day of Dolor
The next day I had to roll out of bed. Everywhere hurt. This was my day of pain. I had a sore neck, arms, ribs, buttocks, back, legs, everywhere hurt. I had a bit of a limp from where my bruise was coming on and struggled to climb steps. So it became lazy, fall in love with Huacachina day.
Huacachina is literally an oasis in the dunes, about 8km from Ica. In the middle is a lake which supposedly has curative properties and it is surrounded by palm trees, two circles of buildings and then massive dunes, much bigger than I had ever seen. It is a tiny place without internet cafe and only a couple of hostels and restaurants, and it became my paradise.
One last go
I had to choose between a tour to Islas Ballestas (Peru`s version of the Galapagos) or another sandboarding outing. I chose the sandboarding. Waking up in much better form, feeling like I do after not having been at kickboxing for a couple of weeks (which is a good sore feeling), I was on the morning tour of the dunes.
I sat up front next to my buddy Carlos, although his monster buggy was out of order, so no massive dune for me that day. Carlos told me that I was the profesora for all the first timers, uh, yeah good one!!
After my first run, and a little stack, but nothing like any the first time Carlos asked me "Camila (I only let people from Spanish speaking countries call me Camila cos it`s easier for them) te gusta caer" (Camille, do you like falling). To which I said no (cos it`s true!) so he demonstrated the technique for me. I had to slide down with my toes pointing into the dune and my back to the bottom. I could then control my slide and actually zoom across the dune instead of full pelt straight down, and trickle my fingers along the sand looking like a pro. It worked and I felt like a real champion, and not just the sort that falls over.
So while I still came back sandy, my face wasn`t as raccoony and my sand mustache not as thick and I hadn`t stacked it majorly and done more damage to my strained body.
Things I Learned
* I LOVE SANDBOARDING (Dad can you make me a sandboard for when I come home?!?!)
* Everyone loves a good crash
* I could sandboard everyday, just as long as I didn`t have to climb up the dune myself, that`s what buggies are for!
* I am hardcore at something, it`s not trekking, it`s not climbing, it`s sandboarding!!
Reiteration of things I have already learned
* Sand goes everywhere (ie in every pore and hair follicle) and takes many days (if not forever) to come out
* You eat a pound of dirt a year, and maybe more if you sandboard (my alltime favourite piece of trivia)
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