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Published: October 30th 2009
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Only 3 hours South of Lima on the Panamerican Highway we were to arrive in Paracas. The Highway was again through the dusty desert, this time near the coast with many desolate beaches where the desert meets the sea. Paracas is only a newly built town (although like most Peruvian towns it may not look new) after an earthquake and tsunami in 2007 destroyed the town.
We are here to see the Ballestas Islands or poor mans Galapagos as they are also known. We know we are now well and truly on the tourist path, there are many, many camera toting middle aged continental Europeans in this town! We were off early the next morning out to see the islands. The trip was surprisingly very good. You pass El Candelabro first, a sort of cactus shaped thing etched in to a coastal cliff. Some say it is alien, some say a pre-incan culture but no one knows for sure. The islands themselves were very small but absolutely covered with gulls, Inca terns, comorants, Peruvian pelicans, Humbolt Penguins and even a couple of vultures. The birds were peched on rock ledges and any space available. We could also see seals and some
sea lions relaxing in the sun. Looking out to the horizon there was long line after line of birds making their approach to the islands.
The islands are also famous for the guanco bird poo that is harvested every few years as fertiliser, very valuable and at one stage one of, if not the most important export for Peru. I felt a bit silly with my hood up on the boat as no one else seemed to bother. But when I took a direct hit to the head only to be saved by my jacket hood I was very relieved. If only it was a few inches to the left, I would have loved to see Debs face.
In the afternoon we took a taxi for the two of us to the Paracas Reserve, the waters around the Reserve including those out to the islands are very rich in nutrients due to the Humbolt current, which luckily for me means some lovely fresh seafood. The reserve itself was dry desert, with lovely beaches, volcanic sediment, many layers of rock on top of one another and a reddy tinge to the hills as well as plenty of salt. One of the
sights use to be La Catedral, which was a massive arch in a rock just off the cliffs. Only now after the earthquake which broke it off and tsunami dragged it away only part remains, which is a site in itself to picture the force needed to break it off and carry it away.
Lunch was delicious I had conchas a la parmesana (Scallops with parmesan cheese). It was so fresh and delicious and I washed it down with the popular Inca cola which everyone seems to drink here in Peru. Although it is yellow it tastes very similar to the soft drink Creaming Soda we use to have in Australia. The landscape of the Reserve was quite unique and appealing, we also saw about 100 or so Chilean Flamingos not far from the shore of a bay.
Back on the boulevard in Paracas town we finally tried the Peruvian national drink the Pisco Sour. We are in the Pisco (alcoholic drink made from white grapes) region so we were hoping for the best. The drink was actually a little similar to the Caipirinha in Brazil. We ended up having a jug each, the waiter seemed a bit surprised when
we asked for the second jug, and judging by the hangover, and dodgy mouth the next morning we now know why.
We organised transport to Huacachina through Charlie, a local agent who constantly was in our way most of the time we were there. He wasn´t the worst but we are beginning to feel that indeed we are now on the well worn path and expecting much more of this on the way to Cuzco. All in all a really nice surprise the area and got to see something a little different to what we have seen recently.
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