Las Islas Ballestas and the Nasca Lines

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After a long walk through a deserted Lima on Sunday as a result of the national census curfew, we left in a minibus on the Pan American Highway for Ica and the Las Dunas Hotel , arriving far too late for dinner. An early start saw us heading for Paracas and the Islas Ballestas - often called the Galapagos of Peru. In reality it’s quite different but impressive nonetheless. We travelled on a fast boat to the island(s) for 30 minutes and saw dolphins, sea lions, Humboldt’s penguins, boobies, cormorants, and pelicans - all of the later contributing to the enormous pile of guano that made this an economic powerhouse in the 19th century. The candelabra marking in the dune above the rock-face prepared us for the Nasca Lines…

At the airfield near Ica we took a light ‘plane over the desert for 45 minutes to view the Nasca Lines in the only way that they can be properly appreciated - from the air. It was memorable not only for the view but also for the queasy feeling as we swooped from side to side to allow all the passengers the opportunity to see!

Back in Lima we have been allocated a suite, which is very nice, albeit without a key, which is lost. They're having to use the pass key to let us in, but it's only for 12 hours so the problem for the hotel is rather greater than it is for us.

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Comments

[Melvin]

Curfew
The curfew even made the Today programme here in the UK.

[David R Turner]

Curfew
We had our first glass of Cristal lager last evening and a very pleasant bottle of Peruvian Crianza with a steak - our first proper meal at the Lima equivalent of the Gauch Grill