Paracas and Arequipa

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We left Lima for the coastal village of Paracas. I had seen photos that it was both a seaside town and also in the middle of the desert but I was not expecting to see so much desert as we did. We seemed to enter the arid, dry and deserted landscape within a few minutes of leaving the outskirts of Lima. I had always imagined Peru to be lush green and mountainous (and it was so much further south), but this part of the country down the Pacific coast was a total surprise. I really enjoyed looking out of the window though the journey was somewhat ruined by the rather unpleasant smells coming from the two French women and their noisy children behind us eating sauerkraut from a massive tub that they brought with them...it was vegan’s version of eating KFC on the bus. We made sure to turn around every few minutes to give them dirty looks so they might close the jar of sauerkraut but it seems our efforts were useless...





Arriving in Paracas we were immediately hit by dust, sand and strong winds. I had never been to a place like this before but it was reminiscent of something you might see in Morocco. Small bungalows lining the streets, dogs barking and lots and lots of wind picking up sand from the nearby dunes and throwing it our way. It wasn’t what I would call pretty, but I found it striking nonetheless.



We opted for a home stay in the centre of tiny Paracas with Leo and his elderly mother. Leo was a young gay man (with terrible fake teeth) who was mild mannered and sweet. He recommended the “best” restaurant and dishes to try, which, unfortunately for us turned out to be very disappointing and overpriced. We decided from that day that we would do our own research as nine times out of ten we had a better eye for what was good and what would be a tourist trap. It turned out that Leo had never been to any of the places he recommended but hats off to him for being a sweet host and trying to show us the best of Paracas.



That night, I had a bit of a shock when I woke up to go to the bathroom and saw Leo asleep on the sofa in the living room. He had given up his room so he could make some extra money. It made me really uncomfortable that we were essentially staying in his bedroom and it felt like we had kicked him out of his own space. I said to Marco the next day that I didn’t want to stay there another night and that this wasn’t the kind of “home stay” we had signed up for.



In the morning, after the awkward moment of him getting up from the sofa to greet us, Leo took us to the dock where we would be taking a boat to what’s known as the poor man’s version of the Galápagos Islands. We were headed to the Islas Ballestas; a small cluster of islands about 40km from the Peruvian Pacific shores where sea lions, seals,

penguins, boobies and other types of birds have made their home. Poor man’s Galapagos because it only cost about £10 each to go there, and perhaps “poor” because there was only a fraction of the wildlife and nature one might see in the Galapagos. Still, we found the short two hour trip quite fascinating and interesting at the same time. The Ballestas are unique in that they are completely covered with Guano...also known as bird shit. This used to be one of Peru’s biggest exports and money spinners as it was used to fertilise land. Nowadays it’s still part of the economy and an important industry but not like fifty years ago. We came prepared wearing hats in case we might receive a “gift” from one of the birds. We also saw 3 penguins and maybe a hundred sea lions who were sweet and scary at the same time.



Having seen the shore, the afternoon would be dedicated to the desert inside the national park. We had decided to hire bikes and cycle into the nature reserve where natural beauty awaited us. Just as we started to make our way there, the wind picked up dramatically and we started to cycle against the wind with sand and dust hitting us in the face and every orifice. After about 10 minutes of struggling and with sand grains in our eyes, ears and mouth we decided that this was no longer a good idea and turned back to return the bikes. While it would have been amazing to cycle around the reserve, it was nearly impossible and particularly unpleasant. We decided that taking a private car would be a much better and wiser option. The price was very reasonable and we could admire the stunning scenery without sand in our throats.



First we saw the red beach - Playa roja which was unique due to its sand. You couldn’t walk on the actual beach as it was a protected area so we admired it from afar. Then we continued to the large body of water - the sea that once upon a time would have engulfed this whole desert landscape that was now engulfing it. Absolutely amazing and not anything I had seen before. We then went to another little beach for lunch where we had a fantastic ceviche and fish chicharrón (deep fried fish fillets). By that stage the wind had died down and it was much more pleasant to walk around.



Not far from Paracas is the only oasis in South America in nearby Huacachina. We had been told about this special place known for its sand dunes and sand boarding so we decided to give it a go. The oasis itself, while being pretty and unique, was quite built up and looked more like something out of Las Vegas than one of nature’s jewels. What’s more, the surrounding dunes, which genuinely were stunning, were somewhat ruined by the 4x4 jeeps taking tourists on a sand dune adrenaline rush. We walked as far as we could before feeling the hot hot heat of the desert warn us that it was probably time to take rest. Plus, all our shoes, hair, mouths and clothes were now filled with tiny grains of sand. We debated what to do and while the sand dune roller coaster wasn’t something we would normally opt for, we decided to be open minded and go for it. It was a bit gimmicky, but also a lot of fun. The driver was going fast to build this feeling of adrenaline as we went up one dune and fast down the other. I definitely screamed a few times but thankfully it was all very safe. The tour included the option to sand board down the dune but we decided we had enough grains of sand in our pants to last us a lifetime so we opted out of the activity, choosing to watch others as they ate sand grains. The landscape was extra precious as they say here in Latin America.



A few hours later, I was done with the desert. I said to Marco that it was a beautiful experience but unlike the sea or the mountains which I’m naturally drawn to time and again, I didn’t feel the need to see the desert again. Perhaps the extreme dry heat and discomfort of it doesn’t end up lending itself to an environment you want to come back to.



We conveniently found a public swimming pool where we went to refresh ourselves and also rinse off the sand from our sticky bodies. It was a great call as a long overnight bus journey awaited us and we didn’t fancy getting a rash from too much sand. This was also where Marco ate a tonne of chicharrón (deep fried) chicken and I had more yummy ceviche!



The next morning our bus pulled in to Arequipa - a stunning city in Peru, known as the White City named after the white rock stone used to build the city. We were particularly fond of this pretty city perhaps because of its volatile past. Surrounded by volcanoes, Arequipa was built in an area highly prone to natural disasters and suffered some serious earthquakes in the 1600s, 1800s, 1900s with the most recent in 2001. Despite the disasters many of the beautiful historic buildings and structures have survived. Perhaps our favourite was the fascinating Santa Catalina Monastery where we spent hours winding our way through the quaint and quiet chambers of the nuns who lived there following the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. We finished the day with a particularly good sunset in the main square surrounded by beautiful churches and cathedrals and extra strong pisco sours. Perhaps it was the altitude but the two drinks we had made us particularly tipsy. We decided that when we would come back to London we’d throw a South American themed party with the best food and drink from our travels. The pisco sour - made with egg white and lemon, was going to be the drink of choice! Ceviche would also make a brief appearance, followed by Colombian arepas and Mexican tacos!

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