Paracas

The drive to Paracas was the shortest bus ride I’ve experienced yet. As soon as I got to my hostel, I got ready for a shower, prepared an outfit for the next day, and was in bed. I was more tired than I realized and fell asleep rather quickly.

My bed wasn’t the most comfortable, and I learned that when in a multi-bed dorm with no bed assignments, ALWAYS check the beds to see which is the most comfortable, hehe. I already had the bed fluffed and ready, all my belongings set up before I realized my grave error. Oh well, lol. Love goes on, and it was still better than sleeping on the overnight bus, hehe.

The next morning, I met a group of Peru Hop people to do a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands, the “Galapagos of Peru.” We were hoping to see a variety of wildlife and another Nazca line.

First up was the Candelabria Nazca line, and it was awesome! I’m so glad I got to see some of these amazing creations. Essentially just carved into the earth, they have withstood years of weather and humans, and have seen the passing of time. I find it amazing they’ve survived for so long!

Next up was the islands…along the way we were greeted by several sea lions. Once we arrived to the islands, they were swarms of birds everywhere! And even more sitting up on the rocky island. The smell of bird poop was strong, and the sandy brown rocks were turned a yellowish white from all their droppings. Apparently Peru is one of the largest exporters of guano. Who knew? Haha. 💩

We were so fortunate that our guide pointed out two penguins! They were a couple, and penguins are also monogamous. One was walking toward the other, and it looked like a sweet little reunion for the two. This was my first time seeing wild penguins! Hehe. I’ve seen them in aquariums and in a little pen at a resort in Hawaii…lol. But THIS was far better to see them in the wild. We would end up seeing a couple more inviduals, but this first sighting was made better by the pair.

The boat captain took us into a couple of the arches that the islands are famous for, and we spotted several species of birds, some crabs, and just about before we were to return to the port, we saw a momma and a baby sea lion! Soooo cute! The mom was teaching the baby how to swim. Apparently, when born, the baby sea lions do not know how to swim and must be taught. Both the momma and baby were sort of growling/barking at each other, and it was the cutest thing! I kept imagining a conversation going some like this: “Mooooooooooommmmm, I’m drowning, help me!” And the mom replying, “You’re a sea lion dammnit, either learn to swim or die!” Haha. Guess you had to be there, but it was quite entertaining.

Back on shore, my new friend, Kim and I, decided to meet up after checking out of our accommodations. We walked around the small seaside town and did a little bit of souvenir shopping and found ourselves having a snack at a restaurant. I ordered “tequeños” which are sort of like a mozzarella stick meets a folded spring roll. Inside there was a piece of ham wrapped around a cylindrical cheese. They were quite tasty, and to help wash them down, Kim and I enjoyed a delcious beer. What could be better? Hehe

Soon, it was time to meet up with the Peru Hop bus again, and this time, we were headed to the Paracas National Reserve to visit a few key sights. The reserve is all desert, and it was once submerged below the ocean. There are many fossils here, and tons of natural salt left behind from when it was part of the ocean. We saw some cliffs and formations just off the shore and a red beach. The red isn’t as brilliant as it once was, but the deep reddish hue was still present. Nothing will beat the Red Beach in Hana, though, that’s for sure, hehe.

Back to Paracas, we went to pick up some more people who were joining us on the way to Lima. I thought it would be a straight shot into the capital, but we had a stop at a historic Hacienda. It was built by slaves that were taken from Africa, and we learned about the sordid history of slavery in Peru. I didn’t realize they had slaves, and although it was heavy, I was glad to have learned about it.

The ride to Lima wasn’t terrible, but it was a bit long. We got in around 9:30pm, and I checked into my hostel and essentially went straight to bed, lol. Tomorrow would be my last day in Peru, and my only day in Lima, so I wanted to get started early before embarking on the journey back to Boston.