Poor Man's Galapagos

Trip Start Jun 07, 2008
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Trip End Sep 14, 2008


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Where I stayed
Hotel Belen 2
(Pisco hotels)

Flag of Peru  ,
Friday, July 25, 2008

We poor backpackers go to Pisco to sample some of the wildlife of the Galapagos at a tiny fraction of the cost. The nearby Ballestas Islands are certainly no replacement for the real thing, but they do provide the opportunity to see penguins, sea lions, and until recently, flamingoes. The town itself was destroyed by an earthquake last year, and it's still a depressing sight. Streets are barely passable, piles of rubble lie where buildings used to stand, and many of the inhabitants live in 130 sq ft wooden boxes provided by the government as temporary housing.

On our first day in town, Lindsay and I took a collectivo out to the Paracas National Reserve. We opted to forgo the standard tour and hike in from the highway ourselves. Two hours of desert walking later, we arrived on the coast at Lagunillas. Unfortunately, all wildlife we saw was dead. Dead sea lions, dead birs and fish, and seagulls picking through the rot.

Our boat tour to the islands the following day was a bit less depressing. Saw penguins marching, sea lions basking on the rocks, and enough birds to give Tippi Hedren flashbacks. Managed to avoid any special gifts from the birds flying overhead, which is fine by me even though it's supposed to result in good luck.

Here are the flickr photos.
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