I was staying around the outskirts of Ica in a place called La Tinguina, and the best way to travel from La Tinguina to Ica town centre is via “Collectivos”, where a taxi will ply on a certain route between down town and another suburb, and any passenger can hop on and “share” the taxi with other passengers. Definitely a cheap and affordable way to travel.
So I hopped into a Collectivo and headed to the downtown of Ica to explore. I was faced with a pile of chaotic traffic on the roads and putting it together with the stifling heat within the city centre, I didn’t quite enjoy being in the centre for too long. So after just visiting Plaza de Armas, the main square of Ica, I wanted to escape the city centre.
I met up with Pablo at the main square, and he suggested to show me the church (churches seems to be a big thing in any town in South America!) before heading off to the winery.
Apparently he shared that the church used to be much grander, taller and bigger, but the church collapsed due to an earthquake a few years ago. It has since been rebuilt, though no longer with the same grandeur. It is now rather plain that I did not even bother to visit or take a picture of the exterior.
It was also at this time, Pablo shared that he just heard today, that some scientists had warned of a potential earthquake in Ica on the 10th of December, with expected size of the earthquake to be at 9.0.
It was a big topic of discussion, as I heard it being discussed over a few separate conversations the rest of the afternoon. 9.0 is definitely not minute and for a town which is not very modern, it sure is a cause for concern.
5 days away… Let’s hope that the earthquake is not going to be as bad as predicted and that damage if any is kept minimal.
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