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It was just a brief visit to the town which shares its name with the locally produced, white-grape brandy drink which is commonly knocked up into a refreshing Pisco Sour cocktail in this region. The name Pisco actually means "birds" in the local language of Quechua and was named as such because the area is host to millions of the feathery creatures. Pisco itself is fairly non-descript, it´s pretty small, not particularly attractive and primarily serves as a base for discovering the nearby nature reserve at Paracas and the wonderful inhabitants of the small islands called Islas Ballestas (sometimes referred to as the poor man´s Galapagos).
Pisco Sour Ingredients
- pisco brandy
- sugar
- lime juice
- egg white
Whisk and serve over ice
The Islas Ballestas, which can be toured in a morning by speedboat, host flocks of sea-birds, penguins, seals, sea-lions and other marine life. The boat trip is quite good fun and takes you first past a giant geoglyph of a catus known as the Candelabra, etched into the cliffside. Scientists have puzzled over its meaning but a popular suggestion is that it represents a cactus with hallucinogenic properties and was probably consumed by the local natives
Another Colourful Entry
I think someone was taking the mick with this paint job!(Nasca) as a means of spiritually reaching their deities (through tripping!). The boat then circles the islands and you are treated to the sight of seals lounging on the rocks and hordes of Pelicans, Boobies, Gulls and Cormorants circling, nesting and pooping onto the rocks below. In fact, the brid droppings are an area of interest in this area - they are rich in phosphorous and nitrogen and make for a much desired fertiliser. The name of these rich pickings is Guano and apparently there was a war fought by the Spanish over these islands and the Guano they hold. It makes me laugh thinking of the Spanish fighting over a bit of bird shit!!!
Anyway, if you don´t believe me, check out this link to the Wikipedia entry on
Guano.
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Lisa, (cox!)
non-member comment
Oh my god!
seriously how cool is this travel blog thing! didnt know what you were on about! its awesome to see what you guys are up to I love it! Laura you look awesome as always! isnt technology awesome! the places you hav eseen look pretty cool too!