Went on a tour of the suburbs of Arequipa with local operator. Arequipa is an old colonial town, it has colonial architecture and narrow streets. The narrow streets seem to concentrate the heat of the day and the noise of taxis. Want to see more photos? Have a look at my website here: http://www.firemanonasailingship.com/photos/ [View Full Entry]

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The tour left Puerto Inca for the 8 hour drive to Arequipa along the Pan American Highway, a lot of desert, sea, and mountains. Got to Arequipa in the afternoon, and went for dinner at a local restaurant. Want to see more photos? Have a look at my website here: http://www.firemanonasailingship.com/photos/ [View Full Entry]

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Up early to fly over the Nazca Lines. Apparently early in the morning is best before the desert thermals make it harder for the pilots. After the Nazca Lines, we went to see a Nazca Cemetary. Not really interested in taking pictures of dead bodies so didn't. After looking at some more Nazca history, (some irrigration techniques), we drove again along the Pan American highway, with desert on one side and the sea on the other to a place called Puerto Inca. Not much there, just a hotel of sorts. (Did have some Inca Ruins, apparently Puerto Inca was a holiday [View Full Entry]

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Well the tour that I am on left Lima and drove down the Pan American highway to the Puerto San Martin, for a boat trip to the Isla Ballestas. On the outskirts of Lima a shanty towns, which look to me like collections of one room shacks perched on the sides of hills. As we moved into the desert there were even more shanty towns, this time the houses were made of sugar cane leaves woven together, some houses only had four walls and no roof. Got to Puerto San Martin, and then on the the Isla Ballestas, birds, sealions, and [View Full Entry]

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Well today, joined the tour that I had signed up for. We went for a tour around the centre of Lima. Even more crowds, noise, people, and, cars than Miraflores. Narrow streets, people selling pretty much anything on the streets. Lots of different types of architecture, colonial, neo colonial, copies of buildings in other parts of the world, buildings bought to Lima in pieces and reassembled here.... Went to the Plaza de Armas, people, pigeons, heat, crowds, honking horns ... I am blown away by the sheer number of people around. From the Plaza de Armas went to the Church and [View Full Entry]

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Well have made it to Lima, Peru, 10 hour flight from Auckland to Santiago in Chile, 8 hour stop over in Santiago, then a 3 - 4 hour flight to Lima. Please bear in mind that this is being written after only getting a few hours sleep in the last three days. Arrived in Peru about 1130 pm local time. Hot, noisy, crowded airport, heaps of taxi drivers touting for business. Luckily had a taxi already arranged. The drive to the hotel like the airport was hot and noisy. Heaps of cars on the road, people on the streets, the use [View Full Entry]

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