Weekend at Quilca

This past weekend was a perfect Peruvian weekend. We (all but one of the Davidson students and 6 instructors/drivers...20 in total) went to Quilca, which looks like the picture at the top of this page. Pretty breathtaking.

Being on Peruvian time (always late), we left at 9 in the morning instead of 8. I ended up riding in the all-boy truck, since they basically begged for a female. Picture two crazy Peruvian guys up front, deciding which shortcut to take through which sand dune while I'm thrown back 'n forth between Ned and David. It was awesome, really, because it was like dune buggying, just with rock 'n roll! After 3 hours and an awkward potty break behind a building (you know it's an adventure when there are no toilets, I've realized), we arrived at the secluded beach of Quilca. It was cloudy Saturday, but that didn't stop some of us, including myself, from hopping in the water between the land and the sand. We were located on a peninsula of sand between a river, a little warm pool it formed, and the freezing Pacific, so we had plenty of options.

Then we got into our wetsuits. First, we did a bunch of funny-looking stretches to loosen up (since body boarding is SO intense, ha) and then we went into the warm pool to practice maneuvers. Side note: Since I could swim, I've always boogie boarded at the beach. I usually just catch a wave and do my own thing. Little did I know that there are actual MOVES to learn. OK, back to the story. We learned how to turn, paddle, and the hardest maneuver, how to dive under a wave with the board.

After about 30 mins of practice, we body boarders trekked back across the sand and went into the ocean. It was so cold, it knocked the wind out of you. But the worst part wasn't the cold but the rocks. Steve, the instructor, went out with me first, but it took minutes to get past the smallest breakers. That's because, for about 10 feet, this beach had stones the size of silver dollars everywhere. Which meant it was impossible to stand with any comfort because they were too small to balance on but too big to be like pebbles. Which also meant, whenever a breaker came, you would fall to your knees because your balance was so bad. (Today, my knees are still black and blue and all scratched up.) Finally, though, we got out behind the breakers, and I eventually rode in a wave. By the way, the waves like those in NC. Kinda funny that I paid to do what I usually do (boogie board in fairly tame waves), but oh well! I tried to go back out on my own, but without shoes, I just couldn't.

Afterwards, we made una fugata (campfire) and turned on my iPod in the nearest 4x4. It was so overcast, it even sprinkled a little, but the fire kept us comfy. These clouds meant, too, that it got dark early. So, by 7p, we were asking, "What time is it? 9 o'clock, right?" Therefore, it turned out to be a long, fun, eventful night.

There was, of course, some mixed drinks to be had and then some dancing. We danced as near as we could to the campfire for hours, and whenever an epic song came on, we sang at the top of our lungs. Below is one such song. The song of the weekend was really "Because I Got High" since I heard it in the boy truck coming and going, but that's not very appropriate! Later, we played a game of "Never have I ever" which meant lots of laughs and even a naked lap by a pair of people! By midnight, most people were in bed, but I was hanging out with a new doggy friend and my iPod by the campfire.

That night, I didn't sleep too well with the combo of my doggy friend/cuddle partner, the chilly but also sweaty feeling that comes with sleeping in a sleeping bag and no back support. Around 6 the next morning, Steve and others were already getting up to go boarding, so I only got about 3 hours of sleep. That was fine, though, because I got to nap on the beach. Sunday was perfectly sunny and hot! I swam and floated (with shoes, finally!) without a board for probably an hour in the ocean, went on a solo nature walk down the beach and up a nearby mountain with my doggy friend, ate amazing grilled chicken and sunned a bun. By 4 that afternoon, we were perfectly content, tired, sandy and with terrible hair. After 3 hours and all of Queen's greatest hits, we were back home to showers and bed.

The absolute coolest thing of the weekend was probably my animal encounters. Animal encounter #1: As soon as we got to the beach, we saw sea lions in the waves. Sure enough, while you were swimming, you could see them a few meters away. (SO COOL!) That night, when the music was finally off, you could hear them mooing. Animal encounter #2: While out floating past the breakers Sunday with David, he pointed out a weird gull before catching a wave. What he missed was...it wasn't a gull. The bill, the way it was swimming, it's coloration...it was a PENGUIN! I was swimming 10 ft from a penguin! *dorky flail* If anything, that tells you how COLD the water was!

Below is a song from this weekend and other times. The words may be a bit dramatic, but they ring true sometimes. I listened to this song on repeat all summer of '08 and even when I got to Peru. It's a pretty epic R&B/pop duet by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown, so read the words for a refresher or for the first time, and watch the video! It's adorably anxty, if that's even a word.



No Air (feat. Chris Brown)

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air

(Jordin)
If I should die before I wake
It's 'cause you took my breath away
Losing you is like living in a world with no air, oh

(Chris)
I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave
My heart won't move, it's incomplete
Wish there was a way that I can make you understand

(Jordin)
But how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe

[Chorus:]
Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air
Can't live, can't breathe with no air
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there
It's no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gonna be without me
If you ain't here, I just can't breathe
It's no air, no air

(Chris)
I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There's no gravity to hold me down for real

(Jordin)
But somehow I'm still alive inside
You took my breath, but I survived
I don't know how, but I don't even care

(both)
So how do you expect me
to live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe