What a month, but for now "adios" to Peru!

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Pisco, Isla Ballestas and Paracas National Park

Having left the sanctity of Huacachina we took a one hour local bus to the city of Pisco, this was to be base for the next two nights. We took great priority in discovering the quickest way to leave here, and continue up the coast to Lima, once we had seen the Isla Ballestas.

After a good nights sleep we headed off on yet another tour. This one was to the Isla Ballestas and the Paracas National Park. We spent a great two hours on a boat ride out to the Candelabra, a massive 128m long pre-Columbian drawing traced in the hillside along the coastline. We continued to the guano (bird shit used as a rich fertilizer) covered islands where we saw many sea lions going about their daily business, pelicans, penguins, Peruvian boobies, and much much more. We continued our trip around the less than exciting Paracas National Park, however, we did get to see flamingos which was pretty cool (even if they did come out as unrecognisable pink blobs on our photos) and a pod of dolphins catching fish from a cliff top look out. Here there was also a rock formation that resembled a cathedral and we were able to see the seabirds fishing in the waves. We hesitantly ate fish for lunch at a small seafood restaurant at the fishing port in the National Park, as there were no other options, but upon reflection it was really quite tasty.

We spent another night at the Posada Hispana which is very comfortable and clean with a few charming touches, and on Saturday we travelled to Lima by bus.

Lima, Miraflores

Well, we safely arrived in Lima and then made our way to the very quaint and homely 'La Quinta Prado' in the safer suburb of Miraflores. From here we explored the lively and trendy neighbouring streets and parks, and indulged in a bit of the Lima cafe culture.

On our first full day we ventured in to the centre of Lima (about 15mins drive) and were dropped off in front of 'La Cathedral' which sits on the large Plaza de Mayo. The centre of Lima is not actually that bad, quite clean and the buildings hold a sense of heritage and culture. We briefly stuck our heads into 'La Cathedral' and decided that it was yet another large Peruvian church, so we marched on around the corner to the infamous Monastario de San Francisco. Good choice. The monastery is an architectural delight encompassing various styles and is constructed from a number of materials (including, a vast amount of donated 17th century Sevillian glazed tiles). However, the definite highlight of the guided tour was the catacombs that sit beneath and contain over 70,000 bony remains. Someone, last century, decided to clean up and sort out the catacombs and has placed all the bones together i.e. all the femurs in one pile and all the skulls in another etc. Nice. We then strolled down the pedestrianised avenue of Junin, which led us to Plaza San Martin. Here we stopped at the 1920s Gran Hotel Bolivar, where we relaxed over a coffee. In the evening, we finally treated ourselves to a night at the cinema (a touch of normality), where we watched the very enjoyable Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

The next morning we headed down to the nearby Miraflores cliff top coastline. We strolled along the clean, green and well maintained path that overlooks the surfers making the most of the blue skies and great waves. Here we decided to indulge in something new, paragliding. Wow! Using onshore updrafts we soared high above the Miraflores' sky rises and Larco Mar, a trendy beachside collection of cafes, restaurants and shops. After our feet were once firmly back on the ground we spent the rest of the day browsing the shops and people watching. In the evening we indulged at Peru's top restaurant, Astrid y Gaston. What a treat! We delighted in sampling the traditional Peruvian dishes of Ceviche (raw fish and seafood marinated in lemon juice and seasoning) and Cuy (guinea pig). Both were interesting and delicious.

Today we have taken it easy and have not ventured out of Miraflores.

Tomorrow we say a fond farewell to the simply sensational, diverse, culturally and historically rich country of Peru.

Next stop Santiago, Chile.

Til then, ciao for now.

Kai and Kerry.

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