"On the Edge" in Peru

Mary, one of my ski buddies in Germany, used to remind us whenever we contemplated attempting a more challenging slope, “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.”

Near Ica, between Pisco and Nazca, the oasis of Huacachina nestles amid towering sand dunes. Exploring these dunes via dune buggy and sandboards counts as one of our "edgier" activities while on the Intrepid Tour.



All but two of our group chose to partake in this sandy adventure, and transporting us required two vehicles. Although all of us are pictured below on the monster buggy, Beth, Carolee, Liz, and I actually rode in a second and smaller buggy.

Here it is!

We watch the monster buggy plunge down a dune, and then they--from a valley location--witness ours from a different dune.
The ups and downs, the speeds and lulls, the perspectives and blind-spots, and the fluttery and dropping stomach sensations definitely reminded us of roller coaster experiences.


Now for sandboarding . . . And, by the way, all three of the dunes we sandboarded here would dwarf the dune Beth and I descended at 90-Mile Beach in New Zealand! Here our dune buggy driver instructs me on sandboard body position while sharing precautions and tips for the ultimate descent.


Oh, yes, one must remember to keep the legs spread apart.


I'm off...and the shadows in the bottom right-hand corner are Beth's hands; she documented this descent of mine.

And then a concluding photo op above the oasis before lunching at an oasis restaurant. . . . and the sand lodged in every crevice of my body remains invisible to the camera lens!