Monday - Rick told me this morning that the airline flying to Nazca Lines had 2 fatal plane crashes in 2010 - all pax killed. With those steep downward swoops and banking turns - not surprised - glad I only lost my lunch.
Today - a not so early start - woke up to a sea view - with the water lapping quietly in the bay. Breakfast - once again, fresh fruit: including prickly pears, passion fruit and papaya. A little scrambled eggs - 'oeuves revueltos' and our usual cafe con leche. A quick drive to Libertados Resort Hotel and Pier - climbed down into a speedboat and donned a life jacket to speed our way to the nature reserve called Las Balletas Islas - islands that are wildlife sanctuaries for migratory birds like the Peruvian pelican and Peru booby, Humboldt penguin, terns, egrets, cormorants and a spectacular little bird called the Inca tern. 100's and 1000's of birds circling, calling, diving, resting and generally doing what birds do on rocky outcrops that hardly seem able to hold them up. Saw sea lions and dolphins too. Different types of seagulls that we have never seen before.
The boat took us to a part of the bay where San Martin apparently fist landed in Peru in 1821. There are wetlands as well and we saw flamingoes in the distance. According to legend San Martin took the banded red and white colours of the flamingo and used them to create the Peruvian Flag - which is exactly the same as the Canadian without the maple leaf. El Candelabra was also there - a huge design cut into the side of the hill - perhaps as a locator but who knows - some Mason symbols in there too apparently.
Watched bird in formation up ahead and boobies gliding and skimming just inches above the waves - kept up with and actually pulled ahead of the speedboat at one point.
After our sea adventure, it was on to a nature reserve in Ica outside Paracas to take in the desert dunes - very similar to Jordan's desert with red, black and yellow colours full of oxides and iron ore - walked in the sand and thin pieces of shale cracked under our feet. Further down the coast - went to the cliff edge to view "La Catedral" a rocky outcrop in the sea, that used to look like a cathedral, but after the devastating earthquake of 2007 that demolished the surrounding towns of Pisco, etc - the Cathedral arch plunged into the sea, changing the landscape forever. Cracks in the cliff edge still show the damage of the earthquake. The towns themselves are still rebuilding a picking up the pieces.
At midday we started our journey back to Lima with a lunch stop at Casa Andina in Pisco - tuna salad for me and a dish of shrimp and mashed potato for Rick, followed by lomo saltado - strips of beef tenderloin with onions and tomato served with arroz and French fries. Passion fruit juice - fresh - and a lemon tart for me and cheesecake for Rick. Good meal in the middle of nowhere.
The towns really are different - houses build any which way - living in half built houses and using the front room as a place of business - many cocinas, car service places, carpentry and bamboo work etc. So many "restuarants". Traffic all over the place, no trees, no order, no systems.
On the road again at 2.15pm for the long drive back to the airport. Arrived at the airport at 5.35pm to catch LAN 2107 to Arequippa - sitting row 3c and 3k, but managed a switch and sat together. Writing this on the plane and so far so good - no air sick bag required.
Landed at Arequippa airport at 9.30pm - home to 1 million people in Southern Peru at 2,800 metres above sea level. Met by our guide Sulay and Driver Angel and were driven into the city to another Casa Andina PC Hotel. This time, however, the hotel has been transformed from an aristocratic home to a Mint to a Museum and in 2008 - an hotel. It is truly spectacular - stone, cobbles, wide open terrazos and atriums - just beautiful. Arched stone ceilings - photos tomorrow. Tonight - club sandwich room service and cafe con leche caliente and bed.
Bon vol.
Today - a not so early start - woke up to a sea view - with the water lapping quietly in the bay. Breakfast - once again, fresh fruit: including prickly pears, passion fruit and papaya. A little scrambled eggs - 'oeuves revueltos' and our usual cafe con leche. A quick drive to Libertados Resort Hotel and Pier - climbed down into a speedboat and donned a life jacket to speed our way to the nature reserve called Las Balletas Islas - islands that are wildlife sanctuaries for migratory birds like the Peruvian pelican and Peru booby, Humboldt penguin, terns, egrets, cormorants and a spectacular little bird called the Inca tern. 100's and 1000's of birds circling, calling, diving, resting and generally doing what birds do on rocky outcrops that hardly seem able to hold them up. Saw sea lions and dolphins too. Different types of seagulls that we have never seen before.
The boat took us to a part of the bay where San Martin apparently fist landed in Peru in 1821. There are wetlands as well and we saw flamingoes in the distance. According to legend San Martin took the banded red and white colours of the flamingo and used them to create the Peruvian Flag - which is exactly the same as the Canadian without the maple leaf. El Candelabra was also there - a huge design cut into the side of the hill - perhaps as a locator but who knows - some Mason symbols in there too apparently.
After our sea adventure, it was on to a nature reserve in Ica outside Paracas to take in the desert dunes - very similar to Jordan's desert with red, black and yellow colours full of oxides and iron ore - walked in the sand and thin pieces of shale cracked under our feet. Further down the coast - went to the cliff edge to view "La Catedral" a rocky outcrop in the sea, that used to look like a cathedral, but after the devastating earthquake of 2007 that demolished the surrounding towns of Pisco, etc - the Cathedral arch plunged into the sea, changing the landscape forever. Cracks in the cliff edge still show the damage of the earthquake. The towns themselves are still rebuilding a picking up the pieces.At midday we started our journey back to Lima with a lunch stop at Casa Andina in Pisco - tuna salad for me and a dish of shrimp and mashed potato for Rick, followed by lomo saltado - strips of beef tenderloin with onions and tomato served with arroz and French fries. Passion fruit juice - fresh - and a lemon tart for me and cheesecake for Rick. Good meal in the middle of nowhere.
The towns really are different - houses build any which way - living in half built houses and using the front room as a place of business - many cocinas, car service places, carpentry and bamboo work etc. So many "restuarants". Traffic all over the place, no trees, no order, no systems.
On the road again at 2.15pm for the long drive back to the airport. Arrived at the airport at 5.35pm to catch LAN 2107 to Arequippa - sitting row 3c and 3k, but managed a switch and sat together. Writing this on the plane and so far so good - no air sick bag required.
Landed at Arequippa airport at 9.30pm - home to 1 million people in Southern Peru at 2,800 metres above sea level. Met by our guide Sulay and Driver Angel and were driven into the city to another Casa Andina PC Hotel. This time, however, the hotel has been transformed from an aristocratic home to a Mint to a Museum and in 2008 - an hotel. It is truly spectacular - stone, cobbles, wide open terrazos and atriums - just beautiful. Arched stone ceilings - photos tomorrow. Tonight - club sandwich room service and cafe con leche caliente and bed.
Bon vol.
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