Where the desert meets the sea.

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  Paracas, Peru
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Hola!
Today we had our first fun filled adventure around the Ballestas Islands, off the coast of Paracas an hour north of Ica. we headed out early, it was misty and very calm, the guides were very imformative explaining exactly what birds we would see and showing us the pictures, these included the Peruvian Pelican! Much like ours only slightly more tanned and latin looking, boobies, terns, commorants, penguins all of peruvian descent also, and the lovely sea lion. our fast boat ride out to the islands was smooth (not near as fast as cairns´s thunderbolt but that things just dangerous anyway!) Along the desert peninsula of Paracas we spotted a fisherman wandering along the vast desert towards the ocean, and then an amazing candelabra drawn in the sand possibly related and pointing to the mysterious Nazca lines. The bird life out there was outstanding, I think we all managed to get pooped on, myself got showered on! the islands were swarming with birds, the sea lions very photogenic and the penguins cute waddling down the steep rocks to jump off for a dip and the smell delightful. We headed back after an hour of taking it all in and were met by our personal drivers ready to chauffeur us back to Ica. I spent the afternoon at the local markets with our travel agent Claudia practising my knowledge of the Peruvian Sole and buying much food for very little. My Spanish is improving a little past hello, goodbye and thankyou, but I still feel like an alien.. I would be lost without Tonys vast experience in Latinamericano!
I hope we can get a few photos on for you soon,
Ill pass over to Senor Antonio,
Ciao,
Senorita Clara.
;)

Well .

Ica dunes

while Clare has been out shopping, which we all know is an activity that she loves very much, my outing for the day was to the olive farm that Simon is managing for his superiors back in Australia. (A little something to fill in the day when he needs a break from organising other people´s travel itineraries.) Given that we are in the middle of the desert, I was not entirely sure what to expect - but being followed around by security guards in green uniforms with their large rifles strapped across their chests was the last thing on my mind. (That was after completing the security checks on entering the property.) It seems there have been one or two slight problems with theft there, ranging from the pilfering of the rubbish bins to an actual armed conflict with the neighbours over which side of the boundary the nursery belongs in. I also met a man who lives alone in a hut right in the middle of the plantation, 24 hours a day, from where his job is to raise the alarm if any unauthorised person is sighted on the property. I asked Simon what this man does when he needs to top up his supplies of food and water, only to be told that there is no problem because his wife brings it to him! Now that´s my kind of marriage! Again, I have lots of photos depicting the colour of the farm and its buildings against the starkness of the desert sands, but we are yet to find a computer in Peru that has USB ports. When we do, we´ll let you know.

It may have appeared from Clare´s posting above that our boat trip to the Ballestas Islands was one of the first highlights of the trip, but let me tell you that it was NOTHING compared to our visit to the Ica oasis yesterday. Surrounded by what is proudly proclaimed to be the largest sand dune in the world (admittedly it is very big), this festering pool of biological sludge is truly Ica´s greatest tourist attraction, and is surrounded by scores of fine hotels and resorts from where the many tourists can sit on their balconies and gaze at the sludge while inhaling the fetid stench. Walking up the sand dunes was much more fun, so that´s what we did instead. I am sure we will carry the sand in our shoes and socks for the rest of our lives.

Tomorrow morning we take the bus to Nazca to overnight before an early morning flight over the Lines, followed by a visit to see the mummies in the local cemetery, and then an 8-hour drive up the mighty Andes to Arequipa, where we will arrive at 11 pm. I am so looking forward to being back in the mountains again! I guess I´m not a desert person.

Adios amigos,

Tony

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Ica oasis	Paracas Candelabra	Peruvian Birds	Seal head

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