Fast Forward

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The Galapagos Islands are one of the best places we have ever seen and we were on a high as we left by plane then bus on our way to Peru in search of new adventures. However, things don’t always go your way and on the bus near the border of Ecuador and Peru my bag was stolen. It had our computer and one of our cameras in it. When I realised what had happened I just wanted to be back home again. I knew of course that the feeling would pass, but over the ensuing days we made new plans to be back in Australia for Christmas. So we will miss a few places and catch more planes and less buses.

When we got to Tumbes in Peru we didn’t like where we were and in the company of some other travellers we went to Mancora as a group and found a place to stay for the night. It was after 1AM when we got there and we weren’t very fussy about our digs. When we woke we decided that we liked Mancora with its surf beach and laid back atmosphere. We found a better place to stay for the remainder of our visit and set about organising police reports and formulating new plans based on our sudden change in mood. We had been toying with the idea of an early return due to the upheaval in our family this year and this was the final straw so we contacted Claire, the travel agent.

The food in Peru is an enormous improvement on Ecuadorian cuisine. The cheap eats, including empanadas sold on the beach for 2 Soles (80 cents), are tasty enough but one night we went to a place that was recommended to us and I had a smoked tuna dish that melted in my mouth. Leanne’s steak was cooked to perfection too, but very salty. All of this for about $10 US per plate. And in the tranquil ambiance of the pan-american highway that was just metres from our table. Nathan got a few truck drivers to honk their horns and fed a stray dog the pasta that he didn’t want to eat so he and I were very happy. A traditional peruvian dish that I like is Lomo Saltido. It is pieces of steak cooked in a coriander sauce with veggies, and of course salt. Scrumptious!

Instead of taking it easy and visiting a few more towns on the north Peruvian coast, we went by taxi to Talara airport through the desolate arid landscape of a desert punctuated by frequent oil pumps. We were met at Lima by our own personal driver who took us to Patrizia and Peter’s house where we stayed with their family for a few days. Patrizia is a friend from Leanne´s Spanish classes last year. She was learning in preparation for her move to Peru because of Peter's work and is streets ahead of Leanne and I in her understanding. Perhaps I need to find a job over here. Well if I did it would not be in Lima, because there wasn´t a lot to see here. We spent an afternoon at the seaside suburb of Miraflores and saw paragliders taking off from the clifftops but were uninspired by the guided bus tour around town. Perhaps the historic centre would be better, but we never ventured that way. It was far too comfortable in Patrizia and Peter´s house with her delicious cooking and the creature comforts of a normal house to need to see all that Lima has to offer. Patrizia´s kids also kept Nathan entertained so we were all happy. We also went shopping to replace everything that was stolen except the laptop.

Then on to Huacachina which is an oasis in the desert near Ica. So far all the places we have seen in Peru have been one form of desert. Huacachina is centred on a small lake and surrounded by giant sand dunes. The main reason to come here is for a ride in a dune buggy and to go sand boarding down the dunes. We did both on a 2 hour tour that took in the sunset over the dunes. And don't worry Nathan was not scared at all. He was encouraging the driver to go faster, shouting´´vamos, vamos´´ which means C´mon!!. He is learning some spanish now and Leanne has taught him to count to seis en Espanol and also to 100 in English.

Our next desert town was Nazca. We arrived in the morning and went straight to the airport, where you get a small cesna plane to fly you over the ancient lines. They were made as long as 2000 years ago by removing the top few centimetres of dark stones revealing the lighter coloured sand below. You can see the shapes that they have made in the ground, but Nathan probably didn't get his $80 worth by falling asleep in the first 5 minutes and not seeing a single line. We have the rest of the day in Nazca and will then catch a night bus to Arequipa (we´ll be sure to keep our important belongings tightly strapped to us this time!) This doesn´t waste a day and saves us a night´s accommodation.

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Photos

Mancora Beach
Gentle surf and relaxed vibe on the beach. Nathan made friends with some other kids from Lithuania and Chile.

First pisco sours
A popular drink in this part of the world. Made from pisco (local liquor), lemon, egg white and sugar.

Former fishing village, turned beach resort.
The fishing fleet is in the background.

Dune Buggy
This was great fun. The only problem was that it didn´t go for long enough.

Nazca Lines
The Astronaut. He is carved into the side of a mountain. Others are on flat ground.

Nazca Lines
You can see a viewing platform beside the highway. The two closest drawing to are the tree (left) and hands (right)