BabsB

We are two gals who have been friends going on 20 years. We both love to travel and after going on an enjoyable tour to China together in 2008 we decided we would plan our own adventure to Peru. The planning started over a year ago. I find the planning and research to be almost as much fun as the trip. I read many guide books, spent hours on the internet and gleamed valuable advice from other travelers on Fodor’s.

Slowly the itinerary started to come together. We decided on a 24 day trip primarily so we could see pretty much everything we wanted to see. Also, Margee is a school teacher so we had to plan the trip for one of her off track months. We had the choice of March, July or November. I have another trip planned for July and November encroaches on the holidays so we decided on March and hoped for decent weather. Unfortunately, the weather in January cancelled our excursion to Machu Pichu but we decided not to cancel the trip as we had so many other great places to visit and adventures to go on.

I took an Iphone with me and each day we tried to make a recording of what we had seen and done. Some days we were really good about it and some days not so good! I am going to transcribe the recordings and post them as fast as I can go. I will also provide the names of the hotels/hostels we stayed at as well as the tour companies we used for various portions of the trip.

To start with, we decided to travel light with backpacks. It turned out to be a good decision as it kept our shopping to a controllable limit! I know folks are always interested in what other people pack and if they would make changes on the next trip. We decided to limit our initial pack weight to about 22 pounds. Here is what I took.


1 pair low top hiking boots
1 pair casual shoes
1 Marmot lightweight, waterproof rain jacket
1 pair rain pants
1 mid weight fleece jacket
1 light weight fleece top
3 pairs of travel pants
1 pair of Capri’s (Margee took three pairs of pants including two zip off pants but I couldn’t find any zip off’s I liked.)
1 swimsuit
1 pair long underwear bottoms
4 short sleeve tops (used one for sleeping)
3 long sleeve tops
5 unders/5 socks
1 hat
Typical toiletries and medications
Camera and accessories
Small binoculars
Iphone
Small Rick Steves bag to bring home our purchases
1 tour guide – only sections we needed
1 book for pleasure reading

I did not need the casual shoes but we were lucky that our feet never got wet. I could have left the rain pants at home as I never used them. Other than that, maybe a couple more pairs of unders/socks would have been nice so that I didn’t have to do sink laundry so often. I bought a knit hat which came in handy.

Here is our itinerary in a nut shell:

March 8 – Fly from Sacramento to Lima
March 9 – Tour Lima
March 10 – Paracas
March 11 – Isla Ballestas and El Huacachina
March 12 – Ica and Nazca
March 13 – Nazca
March 14 – Arequipa
March 15 and 16 – Colca Canyon
March 17 – Puno
March 18 - Uros – Amantani
March 19 – Taquille and Puno
March 20 – Cusco
March 21 – Pisac ruins and market
March 22 – Maras and Salineras
March 23 – Ollantaytambo
March 24 – Urubamba and Huilloc
March 25 – Cusco
March 26 – Cusco
March 27 to 30 – Amazon
March 31 – Lima and home

Next post : On our way!

mlgb

Quick I'm putting final touches on my plans!

Lima hotels and restaurants especially.

BabsB

Hotel Antigua Miraflores - $94.00 per night. Astrid y Gustov for dinner. Rustica Barranco for lunch.

mlgb

Was Antigua Miraflores quiet enough for you? Air conditioning?

BabsB

The room was very quiet but we were in the back. I don't know about air conditioning because I wore my long underwear to bed as I was cold.

BabsB

March 8, 2010 On our way

Today is the day we go! Margee, my husband Tom, and I all got up at 3:00 am as we had a 6:00 am flight out of Sacramento. We drove the 6 houses down the street to Margee’s and found her front door wide open, the back pack leaning up against the door jam and Margee ready and waiting to go. Tom drove us to the airport and basically dropped us at the curb. I think he was in a hurry to get back home for a few more hours of shut eye!

We had decided to carry backpacks on this trip and even though we had measured, weighed and prayed, we were a bit worried that Delta would make us check them. We were confident that they met the size and weight requirements but backpacks are a bit awkward no matter how much you cinch them down. We want to carry them on going to Peru, and check them coming home.

We handed over our boarding passes and were immediately directed to stand aside. Oh boy, here go the packs into the luggage compartment. We waited until everyone was boarded and finally, after reviewing our passports with great detail we were allowed to board. I was starting to think that Margee was listed on Interpol and I would witness her being dragged off for a more thorough body search. It was our lucky day, our passports checked out and we were allowed to continue on with our backpacks.

Well, being the last ones onto the plane means finding empty overhead bin space is quite a challenge. We did a bit of rearranging and politely explained to one gentleman, “I am sorry sir, your coat doesn’t need to take up 2/3 of this bin, if you don’t mind we are just going to move it over a little bit.” In went the packs, they fit perfectly and were light enough that we could handle them without dropping them on the poor gentlemen sitting below our frantic activity.

We settled into our seats and hoped for a nice cup of coffee to start the day. We settled for juice and cookies as the plane had no hot water.

In what seemed to be a blink of an eye, we arrived in Salt Lake City. We trotted down a few gates and sat down to wait. It was not a long wait. The attendants called out that they were boarding zone 4 and Margee heads to the gate. I am double checking my boarding pass because I thought we were in zone 3. Margee is zone jumping! She blends in with a large group and hands over her pass, stating “I’m with them” and as she heads down the ramp she looks back at me and tells me to catch up. Just then they announce zone 3 is boarding so I now I don’t feel so guilty.

We both slept most of this leg of the trip and arrived in Atlanta feeling drowsy and caffeine starved. We had to take the train to another terminal and I was obviously in the way of a bunch of folks who wanted to get off. I commented to Margee that I wasn’t going anywhere as I stepped off the train and out of the way. I guess she didn’t really hear me because her eyes got big as saucers. I got back on the train and she stuck to me like glue until we got onto the plane.

We got on the next flight to Lima without any hitches. I think we are starting to get the hang of it. As a settled into our seats we watched a Peruvian flight attendant run up and down the aisle, snapping her fingers at passengers who are not getting into their seats fast enough for her. I have never seen anything like it. We flew Korean Air not to long ago and everyone was quiet and serene. Delta was like a free for all.

So we are on our third flight of the day and Delta decides they are going to feed us something besides cookies. The finger snapping flight attendant comes by with the cart and offers pasta or chicken. Margee asks “how is the chicken cooked?” Finger snapper holds up the cellophane package and pokes at it with her finger and says “it’s cooked like that”. That’s enough for both of us to decide on the pasta. The flight attendant leans over and quietly tells us “good choice”.

Margee tried to watch the movie “Precious” but was sound asleep before it started. I knew I would not make it through a movie so I turned on a 20 minute Amazon cooking show. After watching, I have decided I may be really hungry for the 4 days we spend in the Amazon!

We arrive in Lima, grab our bags and head out. There is a huge crowd of people, many of them holding signs. I am searching for our names and finally find Renato from Taxi Lima Peru waiting on us. He escorted us out of the airport and asked that we wait on the curb while he paid for parking. His car looks great on the outside; in fact it looked just like the picture on the internet. It was funny though because the right side of the windshield was covered with insurance stickers and inside was many, many garage door openers and a collection of sun glasses.

He pulled up in front of our hotel and we discussed what time he would pick us up in the morning for our city tour. He rang the bell on the gate and we were admitted to the lovely Hotel Antigua Miraflores ($94.00 per night). Check in was quick and easy and we soon hit the sack in anticipation of our day in Lima.

mlgb

Thank you Babs,for the reply. I am laughing already at the finger-snapper. It's going to be a good report!

Diane60030

I think I'm going to love your report.

annabelle2

I just bought my ticket to Peru two days ago (going in July) so looking forward to reading more!

BabsB

March 9, 2010 Lovely Lima

Today is our first full day in Peru and we are going on a Lima City tour with Renato from Taxi Lima Peru. We both wake up at 9:30 which was kind of late but we didn’t hit the sack until after 1:00 am so I didn’t feel to decadent. We decided that Margee would shower first and I will shower second. She is a bit slower in the morning than me so I luck out and get to sleep in longer.

Renato asked us to eat light this morning as he has a nice place he wants to take us for lunch. We find the lovely breakfast room and select a nice table in the sunshine. We order our breakfast and quickly the waitress brings a tray full of items including a big carafe of what we hoped was coffee. I poured some into my cup only to find hot water. OK, what do I do with a quarter cup of hot water? Dump it into the nearby plant that’s what. Now we are looking around the table for instant coffee or another carafe and instead find a little pitcher with thick, black, rich coffee in it. Next to it was another pitcher with hot milk. Works for us, mix up a little coffee and a little hot milk, add some sugar and we were in coffee heaven. I quickly found out that coffee is necessary in order for Margee to have good will towards her travel buddy and the world at large. I had a roll with butter and jam and Margee had banana and granola. They served her a glass of thick white stuff that she was swirling around with her spoon and she commented that she didn’t think she could handle milk this thick. I wondered if it was yogurt (I hope its yogurt), and it was. In fact it was really good yogurt.

There were two business men who sat down at a table RIGHT next to us and started up a conversation in LOUD voices about the architectural plans spread out in front of them. The breakfast room is quite a large room and we were the only other folks sitting there. We decided they wanted to enjoy the nice sunshine also. If they had been my kids I would have told them to use their indoor voices to talk.

We have a little time before Renato shows up so we decide to track down an ATM machine. We ask at the reception desk and the nice lady pulled out a map, circled where the hotel was and circled the closest ATM machine. We have 15 minutes so if we hustle we will make it back in time. Down a couple of blocks, right hand turn and there it was. The maximum we could withdraw at one time was 700 Sols, or approximately $240.00. We get back to the hotel and Renato is waiting, but he just pulled up in his car so it was good timing.

We hop into the car, Margee encouraging me to sit in front. This will prove to be a mistake later in the day. Renato drive us through lovely Miraflores and along the ocean where we stopped at the Parque del los Ninos which is a great park with terrific children’s playgrounds, dog park, and walking and jogging paths. I wish I lived near a park that nice, I would spend all my free time there. We also went to the beautiful Parque de las Lineas de Nazca. The gardeners have planted flower beds that replicate some of the Nazca lines such as the Condor and Monkey. Next we went to Parque del Amor where I appreciated the beautiful tiled benches. Lovers congregate at Parque del Armor on Valentine’s day and get married in a group ceremony by a priest. What an economical way to get married! A quick stop at Larcomar Mall just to see how the upper crust shops and we headed out for lunch.

Lunch was at the Rustica Buffet in Barrano. It was a great introduction to Peruvian cuisine. We parked the car on the street, and Renato tipped a gentleman standing nearby. Evidently, Renato paid him to keep an eye on the car. When we got back after lunch, the car had been washed.

We got to the restaurant just as they were setting the piping hot dishes out on the food warmers and the cold dishes were still chilly from the refrigerator. Renato explained each dish to us, pointing out his favorites. I really enjoyed the ceviche, stuffed potatoes, rice with cilantro, and the various meat dishes. There were so many things to try that I could only eat the tiniest bit of each. The beverage of choice is Chicha Morada, a Peruvian beverage made out of purple corn. The Chicha Morada reminded me of Welch’s grape juice. They first brought out just a taste so we could try it, then they brought out a chilled carafe for us to share. Dessert was Arroz con Leche, yummy!

We did a little walking after lunch and saw the Bibliotheca de Barrano, and Monumente de Chabuca Granda y el Caballo de Paso Peruano.

Next we went to Chorrrillos and stopped at a fishing pier. Once again Renato paid to have the car watched and of course they washed it, again. This was great fun and I enjoyed the local color! The fisherman had set up tables to sell their fresh fish, crab, and octopus. As we walked out to the pier, a gentleman was talking non-stop with Renato. I didn’t understand what was going on but Margee figured out that he wanted to take us out on a boat ride and was trying to talk Renato into it. Renato got rid of the guy by telling him we just got off a cruise ship!

You could rent a hook and line to fish off of the pier if you wanted to. There were many young people out there fishing for their dinner, some were catching and some were not. They would toss the hook and line over the rail and when they had a bit they would snap it and try to hook the fish.

There were several cevicheria or cebicheria restaurants next to the pier. We couldn’t figure out why the difference in the spelling from one restaurant to the next.

Back in the very clean car, we drove by the Stations of the Cross. Margee REALLY wanted us to stop the car so she could get out and walk the Stations of the Cross but Renato said we had too many things to see to wait on her. LOL! We get to the top of the mountain and stop to see the Cruz Luminosa de Chorrillos. We enjoyed the beautiful outdoor chapel and the statue of the dog, cat and mouse that had to share one meal a day.

As we drove back down the mountain, Renato told us that even thought the people did not have much money; they knew how to have fun. Then he showed us a pool table on the roof of a house. He pointed out that between the road and the ocean was the most exclusive area of Lima with beautiful beaches, expensive boats, swimming pools and huge homes. On the other side of the road was a shanty town where a lot of construction workers live. They bring home left over building materials and that’s what they use to build their houses.

Up until now, we had been going at a nice relaxing pace. The traffic was non-existent and everything was calm. That was all about to end. It was time to head to Central Lima! The closer we got to central Lima the more traffic there was. It was total chaos. I don’t think they have traffic laws in Peru, only traffic suggestions that all the drivers appear to ignore. I was sitting in the front seat, white knuckled. Margee was in the back seat with her eyes closed Renato was not the same driver as he had been before. He turned into a driving maniac just like all the rest of the drivers. He said “they know what I am going to do and I know what they are going to do”. Well, all I know is that I can’t watch what any of you are doing!

Amazingly enough we arrived in one piece and Renato parked the car and paid for it to be watched again. Yes, it was washed again. We saw the Plaza de Armas and the beautiful balconies and the Cathedral. Renato said to poke our heads inside the church and look quickly. Margee ran interference with the ticket seller while I had a 60 second look. Thanks Margee!

There was a group of policemen on duty holding riot shields and we walk over to take pictures of them. Margee asks in her rapid fire Spanish if we can take pictures of them. Evidently they said yes because she jumps right into the thick of it. One of them puts his arm around her and they close ranks a little bit and I got a nice picture of them. Ok Margee, move over, it’s my turn to hang with the hunks! I think they got a bigger kick out of it then we did.

Then we went to Convento y Museo de San Franciso and the Catacombs. We had a guide who took us through the catacombs and unfortunately I could not understand what he said so I tuned him out and just “enjoyed” the experience of seeing the bones of 75,000 people! They had boxes of leg bones, boxes of hip bones, boxes of skulls. Well, you get the idea. I have a short attention span for museums and this pushed me to my limit.

On our way out, we are standing in front of the post card rack (no photography allowed) looking for pictures of bones. It dawns on me that we did not see the painting of the “Last Supper” Peruvian style where they were serving guinea pig. We asked about the painting and were told they were having a special event so this room was closed.

Renato asked us what we would do if we served a guinea pig with a tail. We decided we would not eat it. Then he asked what we would do if it didn’t have a tail. Now we have to think about it and we decided we would probably not be eating guinea pig or rat as the case may be. It was very funny!

We are walking out of the church and the courtyard is swarming with pigeons. There is a little boy having so much fun chasing them that I patiently wait with my camera hoping for a good picture. Patience paid off. A man sitting on the steps grinned broadly at me after I took the picture; I think it must have been dad.

We walked through the shoe shinning plaza but we were getting tired at this point, and it is just a blur. We also say Pizarro’s statue, hidden away in the trees. Who wants a statue of your conqueror. From there we went to the arts & crafts area where an entertainer was performing the scissors dance, doing backward somersaults with scissors in his hands.

We walked through the post office area where there were dozens of little booths selling cards and stationary. Very convenient if you need to mail it. The sidewalk had large metal grates in it. Margee stepped on one and it moved. All three of us sidestepped and jumped over the silly grates all the way down the street. Renato said oh they are safe, but he walked around them also.

Back at the car, I get back in the front seat. Margee gets in the back and closes her eyes. I get in the front and say a little prayer. It was so frightening. We finally get back to calmer Miraflores and Margee and I are talking about our dinner plans. Renato asks if we want to go back to the hotel and change our clothes. We both laugh at that, we are already wearing the best stuff we brought with us, it will have to do . He shows us on the map how to walk back to the hotel and we settle up our bill with him and he drops us off at Astrid y Gaston’s for dinner.

Right next door to the restaurant is a guitar shop. Well, how convenient is this. Margee goes in and orders a custom made Cuatro Venezolano guitar with case for her boyfriend, Mario. The proprietor says it will be ready to pick up in 20 days. We hope so because she had to pay 50% down and we don’t have much wiggle room in our itinerary. She doesn’t have any idea of what she has ordered or how big it is. Hopefully it will be ready when we get back to Lima, that it will be small enough to carry onto the plane and it is what Mario wants.

Dinner was interesting. I think we were a bit early for dinner as there were more men cooking and men in suits standing around waiting then there were customers. We ordered our food and then waited…..a long time. We ordered Pisco Sours and the waiter told us we should order something else to drink, so we did. I am not sure what we got, but it was tasty. We ordered stuffed rococo peppers, a spicy scallop dish and a potato appetizer. The bread basket was good and came with three different dipping sauces.

Margee wanted coffee after dinner. I think they sent someone to Starbucks for it. It took forever to come out and when it did they served it with a little bowl of whipped cream. She enjoyed it so it was worth the wait. Then they brought out a complimentary chocolate dessert. This was our fancy meal for the trip. We both wished we had been better dressed and that we had gone later in the evening but we did enjoy the food.

We walk back to the hotel past Kennedy Park. Many people were out walking and stores were still open. It was a very pleasant way to end our hustle, bustle day. Back at the hotel we decide we have to get up at 5:15 in the morning to get to the bus in time. Tomorrow we go to Paracas. We are laughing that the recording is 32 minutes long and that it will take me hours to transcribe, and it has!

shelleyk

Hi Barb-I am enjoying your report and look forward to more. We are leaving for Peru on May 20, so hopefully your report will be done by then, as I am interested in your comments on Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

I have a couple of questions regarding Lima, as we will be there for 3 days. How did you book Renato? Would you recommend him. What was the cost? day? We want to hire a taxi for the day to see what you saw in the morning, but thought we could do Lima central sites on our own by foot with a guidebook. What do you think? Did you feel safe walking around Lima on your own? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.
Shelley

shelleyk

I should have written, we want to hire a taxi for half a day and do the rest of the day on our own.

BabsB

We contacted Renato through his website: http://taxilimaperu.com/

I filled in "Complete a Quote" and within 30 minutes he was on the phone with me! He has a San Francisco phone number. We spent about 8 hours with him and the cost was $90.00 for the two of us. We also bought him lunch and gave him a tip. It was money well spent as he spoke English very well, was entertaining and very informative. I am sure that you can arrange any kind of tour you would like with him. He also picked us up at the airport when we arrived at midnight. That was terrific as we didn't have to worry about how we would get to the hotel that late at night after flying all day. I think you would be fine in central Lima by yourselves with a guidebook. In fact, if we had scheduled more time in Lima we would have done just that but we were on a one day blitz and the tour worked great for us.

BabsB

March 10, 2010 Paracas

We are leaving Lima today and are travelling to Paracas. We got up before the crack of dawn because we want to be at the Cruz Del Sur bus station by 6:30 am, the bus leaves at 7:00 am. www.cruzdelsur.com.pe. The bus ride takes 3 ½ hours so we will arrive in Paracas about 10:30am.

The taxi driver was scheduled to pick us up shortly so we quickly ran into the breakfast room to power down some coffee. We each ate a roll and said goodbye the nice girls at the front desk. They were very pleasant, extremely helpful and the hotel is very nice. Hotel Antiqua Miraflores www.peru-hotels-inns.com/index.htm $94.00 for two of us.

The taxi ride was short and in quick order we were at the bus station. It is very modern and bustling. As you walk in there is an information desk so Margee asked what we needed to do to buy tickets and the gal looked it up on the computer and told us how much the tickets would be. She directed us to another podium where we obtained a number. There were some empty chairs so we sat down to wait for our number to be called. It did not take long and went up to the counter and told the lady where we wanted to go. We had to pull out our passports again and she got all of our information. Then she turned the computer screen towards us and asked where we wanted to sit. We select seats 13 and 14 which cost us 55 sols each.

As we walked away, happy we have tickets in hand, Margee turns to me and says she heard her name being called over the loud speaker. OMG, Interpol has tracked her down again! She asked a guard why she was being called and evidently it was just time for us board the bus. The guard said we had to check our backpacks and directed us to a counter. It was total chaos, there were a dozen unhappy people standing around with luggage while the employee worked with a gentleman who was shipping a large quantity of packages somewhere.

Margee and I had the same thought that if we hand our backpacks to this guy, they will get left behind. The bus was loading so we walk over to the gate and ask if we can carry them on. A security guard wands us and the bags but the check in guy says no we can’t carry them on. Margee explains in Spanish that we don’t want to leave our bags at the luggage counter because it is a chaotic mess. They discussed it back and forth, and Margee prevailed. We were instructed to board the bus and look around to see if there was anyplace to put our bags. I was ready to keep it on my lap the whole trip but right across the aisle there was an empty space behind two seats in front of the stairway bulkhead and they slipped in there perfectly. Yeah!

They brought us a snack box of bakery goods. I ate the chocolate cupcake and that was it. Margee didn’t eat any of it. Then they turned on a movie. I don’t know the name of it but it was definitely a budget film and turned up way to loud. I am sure the people three buses behind us could hear it. Margee listens to her iPod and I just go into denial.

I watch the scenery go by and am struck by how poor the people are. The area is rocky, sandy and very desolate. The folks live in 8X4 woven reed houses with no running water or electricity. I am not sure where they can even get water it is so dry that nothing is growing.

We arrive in Paracas at a cute little bus station. We jump off the bus and hope to see a sign with our name on it. Martha from Hostel Refugio del Pirata said she would send someone to pick us up. No web-site, email [email protected]. Scroll down on this web-site for a picture: http://www.paracas.com/turismo/servi...eles/index.php

Finally a taxi driver walks by with an upside down sign with our names on it. Here’s our ride. We get a nice view of the town and the fishing port and five minutes later we are at the hostel chatting with Martha.

Actually, Margee is chatting with Martha as she speaks no English. As a side note, I worked out a scheme to communicate with Martha over the internet. I would type what I wanted to ask her into BING translator, translate my English into Spanish then cut and past into an email. I would do the reverse when I received an email back from her. It was not a perfect system but it worked well enough as we had a reservation and they picked us up!

Martha had our whole schedule worked our according to our requests. We have a half hour to go to our room, drop off our stuff and get ready to go on our guided tour of Reserva Nacional de Paracas and Museo Julio C Tello. We did just as she said, ran back downstairs into a little store to by water and were ready when we were supposed to be. She introduced us to our guide (I can’t remember his name) and they walked us over to a van. There is obviously a problem as it is packed with people and there is not enough room for two more. They had an unexpected rider get on the bus, a local person who wanted a ride part way. I think Martha stood up for us as they soon had another car for us. They grabbed another American named Donald, and his Lima friend Teo, out of the bus and they joined us in the car. So we are much more comfortable as we follow along behind the bus.

The Reserve is nothing but huge expanses of sand dunes. They were desolate and beautiful at the same time. It almost looked like a moonscape. We stopped at one point and the guide showed us 45 million year old fossils. Then we drove up and down the coast line stopping at different spots for the perfect Kodak moments. The guide pointed out the cathedral which was an arch that collapsed in the last earthquake. There was a display that showed what it used to look like and you could see the tremendous change.

For lunch they took us to a fishing village that had several restaurants. We get out of the car in front of a restaurant and we are surrounded by pelicans. A man is trying to chase them away but it only makes them crazier. We are trying not to get run over by crazy pelicans and are trying to get into the restaurant and it’s an absolutely amazing experience.

We invited a gal from French Guiana, who we had previously met on the Cruz Del Sur bus, to join us for lunch along with Donald, Teo, and an American guy we nicknamed Florida guy. Margee ordered ceviche and fried fish. I ordered fish soup and we both had Inca Cola. It is bright yellow and tastes similar to Mountain Dew. After we ate, we had plenty of time to wander around. We took lots of pictures of the now calm pelicans and of the fisherman lounging on their boats.

The ladies room was quite a treat. Of course, you had to pay the man sitting outside and he handed us a few squares of tissue. There were nice sinks to wash your hands in but no running water. The man came running inside with a big bottle of water and held it over our hands and poured water over them as we “washed” them in the sink. Talk about service! Good thing this kind of stuff doesn’t bother us.

After this we went to the local museum that had displays of the local fauna and flora. I was much more interested in the live critter on the wall. A foot long lizard!

From there we headed back to town and Martha is waiting for us to go over the rest of our itinerary. We are going to the Isla Ballestas the next morning then on a guided tour of Ica, a chocolate shop, a local bodega and then continue on to El Huacachina. She has it all arranged just as she promised.

Margee decided to take a little rest and I went for a walk around town. It is a half hour town, I walk along the ocean, out on the pier, check out the vendors and restaurants and I was done. I met up with Florida guy and we talked some more and I kept him company while he shopped the vendors.

I went back to the hostel and decided to read my book on the outdoor balcony and enjoy the sunset. As I was sitting there a young girl of about 12 settled into a chair in front of the TV and started to roll up silverware in a white paper napkin. She would carefully wrap the napkin around the silverware then used her tongue to lick the napkin to hold it in place. Well, I was flabbergasted and speechless. Breakfast is going to be a tough call in the morning.

Margee wakes up and wants to walk around town. So I get to do the half hour town tour again but it was very pleasant. I pointed out a building under construction as there are two very large Rottweiler dogs hanging their heads over the side of the wall. We didn’t walk under them as we didn’t want to get doggy drooled on.

We found Florida guy eating dinner alone so we pulled up chairs and ordered Pisco Sours. Unlike at Astrid y Gustov in Lima, this waiter brought them to us. I lost count of how many we drank, but it was not so many we had a hangover the next day. We had fried fish with fries which was good. We just sat and yakked for awhile with Florida guy and had a very pleasant evening.

BabsB

Another Installment.

March 11, 2010 Isla Ballestas and Lago Huacachina

We went on the Isla Ballestas tour today. We got up early and stepped right out of our room for breakfast on the outdoor patio. I had to steel my nerves to deal with the saliva sealed napkins on the silverware. The waitress brought the silverware out and I just stare at it. It was too early in the morning to deal with it. I walked over to the bar and asked for more napkins. She fumbles around then folds them up so they fit into the napkin holder, then hands them to me. The napkins are very small and thin and she has handed me the equivalent of one and half napkins. I walk back to our table and use the fork to scrape the dirty napkin off our silverware, spray it with hand cleaner and wipe it off with a clean napkin. She then brought out rolls, butter, jam and instant Nescafe. Margee was not happy about the instant Nescafe. It was a tough meal.

We headed downstairs to join the Isla Ballestas tour group. We signed in on the tour sheet and purchased some water. We decided we wanted our binoculars so Margee runs back upstairs to get them. Then we decided we wanted our wind breakers so Margee runs back upstairs to get them. She is a real trooper. We think we have everything we need. They walk us over to the pier where there are a lot of people waiting. Jesus, our guide, gets us lined up property and we buy disembarkation tickets. We march down the pier to the boat and board grabbing seats on the left side as Florida guy said that was the best view. It was a nice, clean, well maintained boat and the life preservers were in good condition and fairly new.

They take us down the coastline to show us the Candelabro, giant candelabra like drawing etched into a cliff overlooking the bay. Then we headed towards the islands and we could smell them coming the guano was so strong. It was interesting that in some areas the smell was overwhelming while in other areas you could hardly smell it at all. It had to be because of the wind direction. We saw thousands of birds, hundreds of sea lions with young babies, and many penguins. We were amazed at how high the penguins climbed up the rocks. We boated around the islands and the guide told us about how they harvest the guano, that’s a lovely job. On our way back to the pier, the engine dies. Jesus goes back to check out the engine and manages to get it started up. We were relieved as it would have been a long day if we had to be towed back in. The boat took a short detour because there were thousands of birds diving into the water. A fish bait ball must have been close to the surface. It was spectacular.

Back on shore we walked down the boardwalk back to the hotel. Our next guide, Yuri Pineda of Executive Tourist Service, was waiting on us so we quickly grabbed our bags and waived goodbye to Jesus. Yuri provided an excellent talk about the history, culture and geology of Paracas and Ica. He spoke only Spanish so Margee was giving me the short translated version in English. Our first stop was at a Bodega or winery. Yuri turned us over to nice young man who took us on a delightful private tour of the winery. He explained the old style of making Pisco to us. The first stop was under a beautiful grape vine where the grapes were just waiting to be picked. It was so hot that I could feel my skin burning so I put my long sleeve shirt on. Then we went to the grape stomping vat which is full of grapes, leaves, twigs, bugs, you name it. It smelled like very ripe grapes.

Our guide spoke very little English except he had had the English tour spiel down pat. He asked if we would like to stomp the grapes. Margee said yes but what happens to her shoes. He replied that they would dry. Obviously this was a moment of miss-communication. Margee stepped into the grapes and the guide immediately yells “No, not with your shoes on”. She pulled her foot out, and responded with “I asked you about my shoes”. It was an interesting moment as he obviously had not understood her question.

We both took our shoes off and got into the vat and stomped on the smelly muck for a few minutes while the guide took pictures of us. While we stomp away, a group of young people who had been on the boat ride with us earlier in the day show up. Some of the girls joined us, but none of the boys did. We get out and our guide pours water over our feet while we wash the grape juice off. We get cleaned up and put our shoes and socks back on. Margee has one dry shoe and one that is a bit damp.

The tour continues to the fermentation area then to the tasting room. We tasted various Pisco’s and wines. Some were very good and some tasted like gasoline but all were fun to experience. He served us some lovely chocolate and fried corn. We had not eaten lunch yet so we were just a bit tipsy by the time the tasting was over.

Next, Yuri drove us to Ica. Thank goodness the car had air-conditioning as it was very hot. Ica was a very large town where 3 out of 4 vehicles are Indian 3 wheeled motor taxis. Evidently an inexpensive one costs $3,000 while one with more accessories is $4,000. We walked around the Plaza des Armas and admired all the buildings painted a beautiful yellow. Most of the buildings had been damaged by earthquakes and rebuilt in a modern style instead of the original colonial style.

We heard a tuba so walked across the street to see what was going on. We were in Ica during their wine festival and Miss Wine Festival Congeniality was going to appear in a few minutes. We did not wait around for her. We saw the old cathedral, closed up and surrounded by a fence due to earthquake damage.

Next we stopped at a chocolate shop, Senora Buendias. The owner unlocked her door and asked us what we would like. All of the chocolates were wrapped up in paper so you could not see what they looked like. So we bought a mystery variety and they were all excellent. Then we went to Helena Chocolates. Here you could look through the window and see the workers making the candy. We went inside and of course bought more chocolate.

I am pretty tired by this point and I thought Margee was also. We decided we did not want to go to the Ica Museum as we are hungry. Our bread and jam breakfast was hours and hours earlier and we have drank too much alcohol.

Off to Lago Huacachina we go. We settle up with Yuri, about $40.00 and check into the very cute El Huacachina Hotel. We walk out of the lobby and Margee looks around for the hammocks as shown on their website. They had done some remodeling, and the hammocks were gone. She was a bit disappointed but got over it quickly as the swimming pool right outside our door was lovely. The room was nice and the beds were comfortable. We opened the window and propped open the door to get some breeze moving. We had pizza for lunch at the hotel restaurant then I decided to talk a nap. Margee went outside and read her book by the pool. After I got up we both went swimming and had a nice chat with some other tourists while enjoying the cool water.

Next on the agenda was our Dune Buggy and Sand Boarding adventure. There were six of us on the ride, a couple from Bahia, two gals from Mexico City, and our Crazy Driver. We were buckled in like we were going to take off in a space ship with shoulder straps and seat belts. Without warning our Crazy Driver takes off and within 30 seconds all of us are screaming at the top of our lungs. We are not even out of town yet and the thrill ride has begun. I looked over at Margee and thought, oh my god she is going to throw up. Her eyes were squeezed tight and her mouth was pressed together. I asked her if she was all right or did we need to stop. She whimpered back that she was OK. After that I didn’t worry too much about her. I couldn’t, it was like being on a non-stop roller coaster. It was the best fun! We were airborne at some points. He would come up to the crest of a sand dune and you would just know that it was going to be a steep down hill ride. Round and round we went, it was an amazing ride.

Crazy Driver stopped at the top of a huge sand dune and pretty soon several other sand buggies joined us. It was time for the Kodak moment. We took turns taking pictures of each other then Crazy Driver loaded us up so the real fun could begin. He drove us up to the top of a sand dune, jumped out and unloaded the sand boards. The sand boards look just like a snowboard with straps to step into. Of our group, only the guy from Bahia actually sand boarded down the dune standing up. The rest of us lay down on the board. There is quite a trick to it. First you put on goggles, and then you lie down on the board and grab the straps with your hands, tuck your elbows in, hold your head up high and dig your toes into the sand if you want to break. Then Crazy Driver pushed us over the edge of the dune. It was so fast and everyone screamed all the way down. Margee and I both did it and were quite proud of ourselves. Crazy Driver drove down and picked us all up then drove us to the top of a bigger sand dune. We are all charged up and ready to go this time.

Margee had a successful ride but I had technical difficulties. The slope was pretty steep then leveled off rather suddenly. Unfortunately, I did not hold my head up high enough and when I hit the level area my face hit the curve on the sand board. I thought I broke my nose but of course I am still moving fast and can’t do anything about it. I finally came to a stop and rolled off the board and I tell myself “your fine, your fine” but I’m not fine. I looked up at one of the other gals and ask if I am bleeding, and she replies that I am not, thank goodness. I sit up and gingerly touch my nose and it is very sore on the bridge but there are no weird bumps to indicate that it is broken. I decide I am now a spectator of this sport. Margee kept going down bigger and bigger dunes and she got braver and braver and became “one with the sand” She is my hero! Margee liked the boarding better than the dune buggy ride and I liked the dune buggy ride better than the boarding.

The wind picked up while we waited at the top of a dune to watch the sunset and I think I got a bit of sand in my camera so I put it away and missed the photo opportunities.

Back at the hotel we showered and washed a little laundry then decided we would go to the wine festival in Ica. We needed to eat dinner so we found a cute restaurant and had a nice meal. By the time we were done we decided we were too tired to go to the wine festival. It had been a very busy day.

kodi

Barb, I am really enjoying your report. The sound dunes sound awesome, but I think I would not be brave enough to go down them on a sand board. Good for you, and I'm glad your nose was not broken.

Peru is in my 'bucket list' but I don't know if I'll ever get there.. and so I'll imagine I was there along with you and Margee.

How did you find the buses? IN Chile and Argentina they were great.

BabsB

We took Cruz del Sur most of the time and they were excellent. We purchased first class tickets which were only a few dollars extra. We did take Soyus from Ica to Nazca. I am glad the ride was only two hours long as it was dirty and smelly.

fball

Hi Barb,
I am very interested to read your report. We will be leaving for Lima on 6/14 from San Francisco. We are in Lima for one night, & then heading to Paracas, then to Cuzco for a week in Manu, after which we will meet the rest of our family for a week in the Sacred Valley.
I am particularly interested in the Paracas part of your trip as I have not booked that yet. Do you recommend the hotel you stayed in. We only have one night in that area before we have to head back to Lima for our flight to Cuzco. I know it will be tight, time-wise, but we don't want to spend 3 night in Lima & we do want to see Paracas.
I was considering using a travel agent & contacted Peru for Less. They gave me an unbelievable quote of $270 per person for one night, hotel, bus & tour. I was astounded so gave up the idea of using a travel agency & am now working on the Paracas aspect of our trip. Any suggestions you could provide would be appreciated. I look forward to reading the rest of your report.

BabsB

The Hostal we stayed at in Paracas was very basic. It was clean but the room was small and there was no airconditioning. We did grab a fan that was in the hall and that helped. Martha was a great help to us and you can contact her at [email protected]. She does not speak English so if you don't speak Spanish use the Bing Translator. The room was 80 sol including breakfast, no CC. As I mentioned the breakfast was not great. I liked staying in Paracas because we were close to the pier for the Isla Ballestas tour and the Paracas tour. It is a cute but sleepy town. There were a couple of other hostels in town but the only higher end hotel was out of town and that is not what I wanted to do. So the costs of this excursion were $27.00 for the double room, Cruz del Sur bus from Lima to Paracas about $26.00 per person, Ballestas boat trip, Paracas tour and Ica city tour were 140 sols each or about $50.00 per person. So it looks like you can do it on your own for a lot less than $270.00. Even if you stay at a more expensive hotel you will probably come out ahead. If you have another day go to El Huacachina for a sand dune/sand board ride. The transportation of El Huacachina was included in the cost of our Ica tour.

fball

Thanks, Barb. Basic hotels are fine with us. For 3 of us, Peru for Less quoted $700+ for one night!!!!! I will definitely follow your lead. Air conditioning shouldn't be a problem as it is winter in June. I'm also interested in the guitar shop. I hope you will add more details on that aspect of your trip. Thanks, again. I'll look forward to reading more...