Yippee........bird poo everywhere!!!!
Trip Start
Jun 26, 2006
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91
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Trip End
Feb 28, 2007
Pisco, Peru
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
We arrived in Pisco in the morning. Were very worried....cause the town looked very odd....and the bus drove to some back street dirt road and looked like it was gonna drop us off....which it did. Looked like we were gonna be staying in a dump....oh oh.....maybe we had made a mistake! Got off and got our bags....there were people waiting with their tours anf hotels as usual....but this time we were kinda glad....werent many....so when we recognised one from our guide book and they said they had pretty cheap rooms we decided to go with them. Got in a taxi with 3 tour guides and their kid and they took us to the hotel...was good to see buildings that looked like an actual town. The hotel turned out to be amazing. I guess it was relatively expensive at $20 but it was beautiful. It was a second part of another hotel...the womans house apparantly, and was still being built but the bit that was finished and enough for you to not realise it was a building site.....was amazing. Our room was huge....with telly and a private bathroom....all new and beatifully decorated....if only all places out here were this nice! Once we had checked in our friedly tour guide offered to take us and show us where everything was....now we dont normally like this....but as they had saved us from being lost in the middle of nowhere and taken us to a lovely hotel...we agreed.
She took us to the other hotel first, where they have a restaurant and internet etc...then to her tour office...where we booked exactly the tour we had been looking for and a bit extra for not that much money....then she wanted to take us to the bus station....where we were assured we could get a bus straight after the tour. We declined....im quite capaable of booking a bus myself....i know people only want to be helpful...but sometimes people can be too helpful.
Wandered off by ourselves.....free at last....headed straight for a drink...was dying of thirst...pretty damn hot here.....then we headed off to find somewhere to try and see about tours in nazca and whether it was a good idea to bok bus tomorrow. Didnt really have any joy so found out where bus station was and went off to book bus. Couldnt find it....maybe we should have let her show us....but after plenty of patience we found it in a shopping arcade amongst all the clothes shop on the second floor! Good place for a bus station eh? Thats presumably why the bus dropped us on a dirt track! It was closed for lunch though....so went to find lunch....headed back to El Dorado where we had drinks early...and had very yummy and filling spaghetti soup as neil described it! Then went back to bus station which was finally open....well the lad running it had to unlock the door and turn the computer on.....but we managed to get tickets....for tomorrow.
Then we had the rest of the day to waste.....not much to see in Pisco.....its a very small place....with a little not very interesting but well kept square....so what to do now.....well the internet of course...we decided on a different place....but we are obviouslt far too tall out here....yes even me....cause our legs wouldnt fit under the desk....so we left....observing on the way out that none of the locasls seemed to be having a problem....went elsewhere....during which i complained i needed the loo the whole time till neil gave in and took me back to the hotel!!!
In the hotel we started watching a dodgy movie...anything english and we are hooked....and so ended up going for dinner pretty late!! We went to the other hotels restaurant as it had been recommended. It was damn good too. Very busy full of groups....had to move cause they needed the table for another group! Food was good though....i had peruvian chicken....kinda like a stir fry but so damn good...and so much of it...and neil had rolled chicken...peruvian food is damn good. We even had music from a dad and his kid...panpipes and guitars and drums....they were cool...traditional dress....but spoke a little english and were joking with everyone....i love the peruvian music....anyone think i like peru?? We even tipped them so they must have been good. Headed to the square for a walk then went back to our lovely hotel....where we fell asleep watching the Last Temptation of Christ!
Next day we had to be up early....our tour left at 7:15...so we got up at the crack of dawn...fortunately the hotel did an early breakkie so we could have it before we left. Was lovely too....served in the garden and really tasty...this hotel knows how to do things i can tell you!!
Then we stood outside waiting for our tour....which was late...we were getting worried when it finally turned up. First stop....the water and our boat trip. We sat in the front so had no idea what the guide was saying...but that was probably a plus point really. We arrived in no time...checking out the huge gas plant and fishing communities. We got on our boat...luxury compared to those of central america.....looked almost solid! We all put our sexy orange lifejackets on...and off we went. There were birds everywhere or so we thought....nothing compared to what we were gonna see though.
First stop was to see a nazca line type thing carved into the rocky peninsula....they reckon it was made my some guy who belonged to the masons! Then it was on to the islands...was a fair way...but lovely bobbing along....with the breeze on ya face....was a magnificent day....blue sky....not that it ever rains here anyway.
On reaching the island....the trip got amazing.....there were so many birds it was amazing....the highlight being of course the small group of humbolt penguins. They are soo cute....tiny...smaller than i imagined....could have watched them all day...but no we had to move on.....next we saw hundreds of sealions......all piled up in a little cove....was an amazing site....there were also hundreds of pelicans and probably thousands of other birds....mainly cormorants and peruvian boobies...i think. We went right round the island....which was tiny and full of coves and arches and stuff....the number of sea lions was amazing....they were swimming round the boat....most of the island was covered in bird poo.....that mant birds create a lot of poo i can tell you....and apparantly even though its a protected reserve they are allowed to go and collect the poo once a year...cause it makes a damn good fertiliser....was damn smelly down wind too!!
Stayed for ages...the sealions were best to watch...playing and fighting....then we went to maternity beach on the way back.....where the sealions have their babies.....were loads of em....not very tiny....wrong time of year. Was an amzing experience to be that close and we were very close at times. Then it was back to shore....
Back on shore we had time to chill, we had a stupidly cheap cola and i bought a groovy bright blue hat....then it was time for the second half of the trip. We had done what we wanted to do...so didnt care where the rest of the day took us....i had seen penguins!! I was more than happy. We went to a visitor centre where we learnt all about the area....and the freaky Nino weather they have every 15 years or so....which practically wipes everything out. We walked miles through the desert...well wasnt miles.....but hey its the desert im allowed to exaggerate....to a viewing platform....where you could see flamingos except there werent any...our guide told us when we got back it was the wrong time of year!!!!! Oh well was a nice walk.....then we went on to see the desert...and walked along the cliff tops...and some formation called a cathedral formation...was really beautiful. Drove there along a road made of salt, something they have lots of....and which they mine and send to Canada.....then we drove through the real desert...no roads! Was cool....we ended up at a little fishing beach....where there were loads of restaurants for us to have lunch....enjoyed a lovely local lunch at the place recommended by the guide....we were served by young kids...was cool. The other gringos did not heed the guides advice and went elsewhere and did not enjoy the experience!! We then sat on a lovely little beach, watching more wildlife! Was a lovely day.
Headed back...where we grabbed our bus and went in search of a taxi...bumped into the woman who had helped us get off the bus and she was heading to pick up new arrivals....so gave us a lift! We waited inside the nice luxury hotel....fairly nice...bet it was expensive...before getting on our bus and watching more films!!!
