Another early start for the 2+ hr drive to Nazca. We would be returning to Ica that afternoon, then passing through Nazca again on the overnight bus.. so a bit of backtracking was involved. Ica is the heart of an agricultural region, but once the irrigation is gone, the landscape is totally barren, the road runs dead straight for miles. It hasn't rained in centuries in this part of Peru, one of the reasons the Nazca lines haven't been worn away by erosion. We stopped at the Marie Reiche museum in Nazca, she was one of the first archaeologists to study [View Full Entry]

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Hotel: Mossone Hotel (Huacachina, Peru) $60 An early start today at 5:30 as we needed to be at the bus station. The Ormeno bus was one of the medium range buses with regular seats; not the reclining leather sleeper seats like the long-distance buses. The AC was cranked up to max and the movies were blaring loudly as we headed through the endless suburbs of Lima before the scenery gave way to barren landscape. The road was in excellent shape, and the trip to Ica only took 3 hours. On arrival in Ica, we decided to go over to Huacachina, a [View Full Entry]

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Hotel: Sol Melia (Lima, Peru) $59 We had arrived at the hotel by 8:30 AM, we went and had breakfast while they checked us in. The breakfast buffet was quite impressive, with the usual American offerings, along with tamales and lots of tropical fruit. We slept again for a few hours before heading out for lunch. It was Christmas Eve, so many of the museums and other sights were closed, although many of the shops and restaurants were still open. The hotel recommended Jose Antonio restaurant (http://www.joseantonio.com.pe), a short walk from the hotel. The food was outstanding Peruvian cre [View Full Entry]

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sur-bahla via jalan bani bu hassan, jami al-Hamoda mosque, wahiba sands, bahla, jebel shams Our route today was going to head inland from the coast towards the town of Nizwa. We went back down to the Sur dhow yards this morning to have another quick look around before heading off to yet another fort at Jalan Bani bu Hassan. We were finally able to find the fort after some difficulty! This fort was in excellent restored condition, and we were the only tourists there. It wasn't open when we arrived, but the guards were there and let us in to wander [View Full Entry]

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mct-sur via coastal road, tiwi, wadi shab I woke up early this morning and walked down the street to the Mutrah fish market. The fishermen were just bringing in the morning's catch and was fascinating to see all the different types of fish for sale. Baby shark is a popular dish here. There was also a meat market with the obligatory live chickens and sheep heads. We then drove to downtown Muscat and the Sultan's palace, which was undergoing renovation/construction. After stocking up on snacks and water we set off on our way out of town. The road headed inland a [View Full Entry]

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dxb-mct via sharjah, fujeirah, sohar, al hazm, rustaq, nakhal After a delicious breakfast at the Intercontinental hotel, we caught a cab over to the Budget car rental where our friends D & S were waiting to pick up the car. We would be spending the next few days driving through the UAE and Oman. The rental company required extra Omani insurance, but with 4 people to split the cost, it was reasonable. The plan for the day was to drive across the UAE to the Omani border via Sharjah and Fujeirah, then down along the coast via Sohar to Muscat. It [View Full Entry]

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Found an old triplog journal, slowly converting these to blogs. Seno Ultimate Esperanza (Last Hope Sound), the name evokes the feeling of somewhere desolate yet exotic. Arriving around 9 pm, the sun was still shining throught he clouds and illuminating the mountains around the sleepy town of Puerto Natales. Now overrun with tourists, travel agencies and Internet access, this once-remote town is now easily accessible from Santiago i less than a day. The town still retains some of its character with brightly colored metal-clad houses. dec 02 - Enroute to Puerto Natales It's been an eventf [View Full Entry]

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