Huacachina, Peru

We spent the next week lounging by the pool in Huacachina, Peru. There are gigantic sand dunes there, and you can go sandboarding. The trek up is killer on the calves, but the dunes are quite fun to board or run down. You feel like you are jumping quite high and far when you run down a gigantic sand dune. I felt like Michael Jordan.

We left the lovely hot weather on Friday the 13th of December to join our newly-met friends in Lima to spend a night on the town. We were excited about completing our last bus ride, that is, until we had a fearsome battle over the window on the steaming hot bus. The gentleman in front of us kept shutting it, claiming to have a sore throat. We moved, so as not to bother him, and later discovered him chatting away with his grandson, sitting next to a OPEN window. Grrr.

In Lima I finally tried ceviche, raw fish cooked in lemon juice and spiced up with hot pepper. It was really good, and I didn't die of food poisoning!

Later that evening, Patty, me, and our friends Ben and James (both British) went out to have some drinks and go dancing. Around 11 pm, we were walking towards a hopping joint when . . . Patty stepped in a large pothole when she momentarily stopped looking down at the perilous south american sidewalk. Her foot instantly poofed up and looked terribly painful. It didn't help when some random guy offered an ACE bandage and then proceeded to poke Patty's foot. OW. Patty looked none too pleased about that. Evil, evil, Friday the 13th.

And that was the end of our trip. Patty wasn't about to hobble around Lima to go sightseeing, and I was done with tours, so we came home early. The good thing is that we didn't have time to get sad about leaving. We only had time to get excited about seeing everyone at home.

So yes, we're back! Patty is moving into a new place in Baltimore, I'm still in Silver Spring. I'll be in Nashua for the holidays and starting a new job at a2z (my old company) when the new year begins. Patty is still not sure what's wrong with her foot; there was too much swelling when she had it x-rayed to tell if it was a hairline fracture or a ligament or a tendon problem. She should be in Maryland for the holidays, until Charlie whisks her away to some exotic destination for the new year.

Happy Travels and Happy Holidays to you all!!!!

Alison and Patty