The renewed border crossing from northern Chile (Arica) to southern Peru (Tacna), which we crossed in the other direction just over a week ago, does not take hours this time. Only we get rid of our fruits and vegetables, because even the Peruvian customs is very interested in Shujaa’s inner life.
After the supplies are replenished, we drive with our fresh tires, newly soled and relaxed along the well-developed Panamericana to the north, but soon turn back to the smaller coastal road, because the road is much more varied there. Again and again, the deep river valleys, which come down every 30-50 km from the Andes, are a source of much brown mud from the rainy season in the Altiplano. With the intensive fruit and vegetable cultivation, the lush greenery is a refreshing contrast to the beige / brown desert landscape. On the roadside we buy fresh fruit and extremely tasty and big olives. In the evening we find fantastic pitches with spectacular sunsets, as the entire coastline is oriented to the west.
It is the austere desert landscape that fascinates us, more than the gravediggers of Chauchilla or the geoglyphs of Nazca, which we also visit as part of the “cultural program”.
One of the scenic highlights of our whole world tour so far is undoubtedly the Parque National Paracas with the peninsula of the same name. We drive on sandy slopes “backwards” coming from the south from Ica and drive on the smallest slopes through the completely remote southern part of the park. White dunes and blue sea where the eye reaches. We buy fresh fish directly from the fishing boat and a restaurant owner of a small restaurant, where we eat delicious cevice for lunch, professionally cleans the fish for us.
Then it goes into the scenic but somewhat more touristy northern part, where we find steeply over the cliffs another dream-pitch. In the evening we eat our homemade Peruvian style Cevice, where we usually make a recipe of our dear friend Zoubida.
The next morning, we’re talking on the phone with my mum, there’s a wild knock on the door …. A German Overlander, who got stuck in the dunes several miles away with his VW bus, recognized Shujaa as a suitable recovery vehicle on the cliff horizon and now came jogging to us. We are happy to help and therefore the breakfast is canceled. This time, we also take care not to bring ourselves in the salvage maneuver itself in trouble, as in the swampy meadow in Bolivia. Everything runs smoothly, we got a great overnight recommendation off the piste in the north-west of the peninsula and after a fun sand / dune ride we reach our pitch in the late morning.
Time to unpack Shujoo – our quad – and explore the spectacular coastal dunes. The pictures speak for themselves and we have a great time. Even if it is only 15.30 h, we are looking forward to the Sun-Downer and start with the first preparations. The sun goes down with increasing proximity to the equator already at 18.30 h and we want to be prepared for the most beautiful moments of the day in time.
