Friday began at the early hour of 5 in the morning. After a four hour bus ride we found ourselves in the city of Ica at the Hotel el Sol. We would be there for two nights and the hotel was right near the main plaza and included a pool. The day started off with a crazy dune buggy ride that rivals 6-Flags rollercoasters for in terms of drops and speed. We stopped on top of a large dune and pulled out some wooden "snowboards" made for the sand. We rode them down the side of a couple dunes and, while nothing like skiing, was an experience like none other. Its was amazing how quickly we were parched walking in the sand. The desert around us looked straight out of a desktop background picture. It most definitely is at the top of my list of most beautiful places I have ever visited. It also gets you wondering how difficult living in the desert is for the local people. The ride began and ended from an oasis, a pool of water surrounded by trees in an otherwise endless sea of dunes.
   After lunch, we made our way to a vineyard were we were shown how the grapes were crushed (using the feet of the workers) and developed into wine or the stronger "pisco." Unfortunately we couldn't crush them ourselves as that occurs in March, but we got to sample various wines, liqueurs and piscos. After the vineyard we took a tour involving the "Brujas de Ica" (witches of Ica). This included a monument and tree said to be cursed by the witches. Our guide compared what happened here to Salem, Massachusetts. The people here actually thank the witches now however, because without them their city would not be as large or as well known as it is in the present day. Finally we visited their church, which was a converted tin warehouse because the large cathedral looking one had been partially destroyed in an earthquake. Dinner was followed by a dip in the pool before heading off to a club for some good natured karaoke with the group.