As we continue our trek down the coast of Peru…

PARACAS:

Our first stop was Paracas- a small coastal town which, if tourism ever comes to this part of Peru, I predict will become a booming vacation destination.  Our visit included a boat trip to Isla Ballesta- considered the poor man’s Galapagos- where we saw the Peruvian booby bird (similar the the blue footed booby of the Galapagos but no blue feet), penguins, and sealions.  (You can also see dolphins and whales, but we were there in the wrong season as these creatures are currently migrating.). The area also had many, many rock arches carved from the ocean erosion (if you have been to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico- think of the arch there and add 10 more!)

Then it was on to the national park which, as the photos show, look like a huge desert.  However, it is not desert sand but instead one incredibly huge rock (miles and miles long and wide) along the shore of the ocean. There are very large symbols carved into the rock here (over 250 square feet) which are believed to have been created by the ancient people who lived here 200-500 BC.  I wasn’t really impressed until I saw them and realized how perfectly made and preserved they were.  Talk about history! More on this is the Nazca post!

PISCO:

Then, on to Pisco- where the alcohol of Peru, Pisco, is made.  We went to a vineyard for “Pisco tasting” as Pisco is created from a variety of grapes.  It was the craziest wine tasting ever as we tried both Pisco and wine in the form of shots.  Pisco- crazy strong- and anyone who knows me knows that I am horrible at taking shots (yes- Pisco burned not only my throat but also my nose!) but wine shots- that was more caliber.  We also had lunch at the vineyard which consisted of a traditional Peruvian dish called potato stew which was a potato broth the consistency and color of refried beans with pieces of pork and seasoned spaghetti noodles.  Don’t knock it until you try it as it was surprisingly delicious!

HUCACHINA

Next, we were on to Hucachina- a town like no other as it consists of a small water oasis surrounded by a huge desert.  It reminded me of a scene out of Aladdin, not a town in Peru. I think this is the first real desert that I have experienced, and I was mesmerized by how beautiful a barren desert truly is. 

We started our time in Hucachina racing by dune buggy across the desert terrain.  When we stopped, we got out and sandboarded (similar to sledding on your stomach) down the sand dunes. Then, we were able to watch the sunset over the desert- talk about a memorable, exhilarating experience! Zipping up the sand dune in the dune buggy and then trying to board down without falling off-  I actually felt like I was on some crazy Amazing Race challenge- and watching my first desert sunset only made for the perfect ending to a very special day! We’re overnighting in Hucachina and then off again tomorrow to continue our trek.

NAZCA:

Next stop- Nazca… Nazca is famous for the “mystery lines”- similar to the carvings in the rock in Paracas, in Nazca there are over 200 huge line drawings (again over 250 square feet) in the sand. What makes these different from the Paracas lines is that they are not carved but instead lines created by moving the sand and revealing the crushed rocks underneath. How and why they were created over 2000 years ago is unknown but theories extend from a believe that they were made by aliens to the lines being used as a calendar for the ancient people. Regardless of how they were made, for me, the amazement is that they have remained for thousands of years despite the weather (as it was windy when we were there) and, as you can see from the photo, are still very clear.

AREQUIPAS:

We rode the overnight bus to Arequipas- that was an adventure in itself as, while the bus was quite comfortable, the trip took us 10 hours over narrow and curvy mountain passes. (I shut the curtain on the window as it was better that I didn’t look!). But, we made it safely to Arequipa nicknamed the “City of White” since many of the buildings in the main area are made from a white volcanic rock located near the town. (The mountain pictured here is really a volcano.)

Our adventures today revolved around a walking tour of the city. The tour was to be in English, but upon arrival, it was only one other couple who were learning Spanish at an immersion school so the guide gave the tour in Spanish speaking slowly and clearly to help us. He did a fantastic job and, after a three hour tour in Spanish, we left us with a boost of confidence in our ability to truly learn the language.

As part of the tour, the guide showed us his favorite nice restaurant in town. Lauren and I returned there for dinner where we tried the local foods of guinea pig (kind of like chicken but hard to eat with so many little bones) and alpaca (a good beef like food that we’d both try again.). We called it an early night as tomorrow we are back on the bus at 5:00 am to head to Lake Titicaca.

LAKE TITICACA:

After a 6 hour bus ride, we arrived at Lake Titicaca. The town surrounding the lake was quite rundown, but luckily we were just passing through as we were on our way to stay the night on Lake Titicaca. More specifically, within Lake Titicaca, there are floating islands made of reeds found in the lake (called the Uros Islands) where the people live as their native ancestors did. Everything in their life is tied to these reeds- their islands, houses, furniture, and boats are all made of them. They also cook with them and even eat them. Lauren and I were lucky enough to spend a night with one of these beautiful families who not only let us stay on their island, they also cooked for us and gave us a look into their culture. It was an incredible experience which we were lucky to share with a number of other adventurous tourists from France, Portugal, and Italy (though the Italians now live in New York.). It was a great end to our trip down the coast of Peru!