Tuesday, July 8th, 2003- Day 140

Tuesday, July 8th, 2003- Day 140

I got the bus at 6.00pm. According to the Lonely Planet it takes 12 hours, according to staff here it takes nine. This is the only bus south to Pisco so it has me arriving at 3.00am in the morning.

Pisco is 260km (162 miles) South of Lima

“The first town of any size to the south of Lima, Pisco is also the first settlement beyond the beaches outside the capital that draws the attention of travelers. Yet that interest has little to do with the (rather lacking) attributes of the town and almost everything to do with the natural attractions in abundance at the nearby Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, just 22km (14 miles) from the center of Pisco”.

Hell. Anyway it sure was one of the coldest journeys I have taken. Everyone was wrapped up with jackets, scarfs, hats and blankets – and it was needed. Felt like minus ten out there. Again many people had to stand. Glad it was a nightime journey as the few glipses outside showed a scary mountain road big enough for one vehicle. The road was unpaved for 70% of the journey. We passed our wooden bridges that were so weak I thought we were finished. It took us 15 minutes to get over one as it inch by inch. I was still surprised to get to Pisco by 2.50am. No choices here. Book accommodation for 4 hours to stay at the companies bus HQ. I asked and the night guard said OK. It was a open air affair enclosure big enough for a bus. In a corner were 2 benches and a table. He turned off the light and went to his camp bed. I lay down on the bench. I got about 5 minutes sleep. I remember having one dream. It was COLD. At 6.00am I got up and walked to the main plaza (10 minutes) and waited for the first travel agency to open. At 6.30am, one did and as I knew they all pooled groups and had similar prices booked a tour to Paracas Peninsula. I was told to come at seven. The price was 25 Soles.

I did and as told it collected about 15 people and we made our way out to see some wildlife.

From Frommers

Islas Ballestas

“The primary focus of a visit to the reserve is a boat tour of the Ballestas (pronounced “bah-yehs-tahs”) Islands. Though the islands can’t possibly live up to the locals’ touting of them as the “Peruvian Galapagos,” the Ballestas do afford tantalizing close-up views (without allowing visitors on the islands) of the habitat’s rich roster of protected species, including huge colonies of barking sea lions, endangered turtles and Humboldt penguins, red boobies, pelicans, turkey vultures, and red-footed cormorants. During the summer months (Jan-Mar), baby sea lions are born, and the community becomes even more populous and noisy. The wall-like, cantilevered islands are literally covered with birds; 110 migratory and resident sea birds have been documented, and the bay is a stopover point in the Alaska-Patagonia migration route. Packs of dolphins are occasionally seen slicing through the water, and less frequently, humpbacked whales and soaring Andean condors can also be glimpsed.

The islands are often referred to by locals as las islas guaneras, since they are covered in bird droppings. (Guano is the Quechua word for excrement.) The nitrogen-rich guano is harvested every 10 years and made into fertilizer. (A factory can be seen on the first island.) No humans other than the guano collectors–no doubt a contender for worst job title in the world–are allowed on the islands, and all the species in the reserve are protected by law, but in practice, there are no specially assigned police officers or boats available to enforce protection.

En route to the islands, boats pass the famous Candelabro, a giant candelabra-like drawing etched into a cliff overlooking the bay. The huge etching, 126m long and 72m wide (420 ft. by 240 ft.), looks as though it could be a cousin to the Nasca Lines, and it is similarly shrouded in mystery. Some believe it’s a ritualistic symbol of the Paracas or Nasca cultures, while others contend that it dates only to the 18th or 19th century, when it served as a protective symbol and navigational guide for fishermen and sailors”.

The organized tour took us from the San Andr?©s port to the El Balneario resort and then on to Playa El Chaco, where boats leave for 1-hour tours of the Ballestas. We had a English speaking guide on board. Visitors are not allowed to set foot on the islands, but our boat got close enough for good viewing of sea lions, birds, peligans etc. The weather was good as there was no fog.

We were back in town by 11.00am. Walked around town for a while. Not much to see to be honest. Checked out bus connections to Arequipa. There is only bone posh company out at 5.30pm called Oremeno. It was the most expensive I had bought at 55 Soles. Otherwise I would need to get a taxi to the Pan America highway and wave down a south bound bus. As there was only me and a French guy taking the bus, they paid for a taxi to the hightway with a “minder”. He waited with us for 20 minutes until the bus came. He was telling us all the horror stories of bus travel[ the assaults, the ways thiefs took bags from tourists (methods), bus jackings etc. Not a positive guy. Nice bus and off we went for a 12 hour journey.