Friday 22nd April:
And so we move on, one bad day, followed by a very good day, just wish we could have stayed a little longer at Hacienda Bahia Paracas, a beautiful resort, and on a serenely still and warm morning, it was just delightful.
Erik collects us and we're off to the jetty for our boat ride out to Isla Ballestas. Whoever told me I should take a coat with a hood hadn't been out on such a morning, it was warm, calm, and protected especially at the front of the boat. The islands were alive with sea birds, as well as sea lions, a greater concentration than anywhere we had visited in the Galapagos. Grey footed boobies, red legged cormorants, little penguins, black oyster catchers, thousands and thousands of them.
The islands had at one time been a source of export income for Peru, shipping hundreds of thousands of tons of guano to the UK in exchange for debt. Back in the 1800s they determined that the guano had ten times the effect of dung fertilising farmland. Apparently the islands were meters deep in the shit, but the last shipment was in 2011, fewer birds coming to the islands as El Niño has warmed them and altered the birds' habits.
The islands are also a breeding ground for sea lions, with one beach housing hundreds of adults and calves, frolicking around in the surf. Back on terra firma we come clean with Erik, and explain why we were unhappy with the tour yesterday. He explains that there is a wrangle between Lima Tours and Buganvilla Tours regarding us having missed a museum yesterday, not sure how they found out, but Lima are asking for a refund from Buganvilla, oh dear.
Erik does not seem to be able to shake off the issue, as we explain that that was not our problem with the tour. Later on he even offers us the S/. 20 back that we coughed up for the extra visits he arranged, we of course refuse, but his English is not good enough for him to understand.
And so on to our overflight with Aerodiana, a very efficient outfit located at the new posh Pisco International Airport. Our pilot Carlos (not the Jackal I hasten to add) inspires confidence and explains that the flight will take one hour and 40 minutes, 30 minutes to get there and back from Nasca, and 40 minutes flying around the lines and shapes in the desert. Each shape is flown round with the plane banking sharply so that people on both sides of the plane get a sighting.
The place is amazing, even if some of the figures are a little difficult to make out, but I think I manage to get some good shots, and I'm sure good old Photoshop will help me out. The other highlight is just to appreciate the desert in this area of Peru, it could be the Sahara, but also the green valleys created by the rivers flowing off the Andes. We fly over Ica and Nasca, quite large towns as seen from the air.
So, back down safe and sound, and although we didn't witness the plane's maintenance records, I'd say that Aerodiana were pretty good. The forecast air sickness didn't manifest itself, although I felt like falling asleep having taken a Dramamine tablet an hour before the flight.
Erik finds us somewhere for coffee and cake, and then takes us to the bus station before giving us the feedback form which we fill in honestly, and his sulk deepens, which even the $20 tip does not seem to alleviate. He needs to get his act together if he wants to continue as a guide, definitely not up to scratch.
We are very impressed with the posh bus, or Cruz Del Sur, to give the company it's correct name, a long distance service between Lima and Puno, with a number of stops along the way. It's more like an aeroplane, with baggage checked in and a security check before boarding the bus at the embarkation gate. The seats downstairs would give business class a good run for it's money, although the food is a joke. Having said that it's a very comfortable way to travel four hours, infinitely better than a car.
Will we or won't we, make the restaurant by 8pm. In the end we are one minute late having completed the four hour posh bus ride from Paracas, got through the Lima traffic back to the hotel, and been dropped off by our guide Pamela, having dropped off luggage at the hotel; I love it when a plan comes together.
On the downside, Lorna has suffered with a griping stomach all day, and does not eat anything when we meet Robert & Barbara. They had arrived at the restaurant a little before us and bagged a table for four. Both the food and the company are great, and we share tales of our travels for some time.
On getting back to our room at around 11pm, we find a bottle of very nice bottle of wine, and a collective apology from Savvi, Cox & Kings and Lima Tours, and I had only sent the email the same morning, very impressive, oh and C&K are going to refund the $50 we paid for breakfast, result I think.
And so we move on, one bad day, followed by a very good day, just wish we could have stayed a little longer at Hacienda Bahia Paracas, a beautiful resort, and on a serenely still and warm morning, it was just delightful.
Erik collects us and we're off to the jetty for our boat ride out to Isla Ballestas. Whoever told me I should take a coat with a hood hadn't been out on such a morning, it was warm, calm, and protected especially at the front of the boat. The islands were alive with sea birds, as well as sea lions, a greater concentration than anywhere we had visited in the Galapagos. Grey footed boobies, red legged cormorants, little penguins, black oyster catchers, thousands and thousands of them.
The islands had at one time been a source of export income for Peru, shipping hundreds of thousands of tons of guano to the UK in exchange for debt. Back in the 1800s they determined that the guano had ten times the effect of dung fertilising farmland. Apparently the islands were meters deep in the shit, but the last shipment was in 2011, fewer birds coming to the islands as El Niño has warmed them and altered the birds' habits.
The islands are also a breeding ground for sea lions, with one beach housing hundreds of adults and calves, frolicking around in the surf. Back on terra firma we come clean with Erik, and explain why we were unhappy with the tour yesterday. He explains that there is a wrangle between Lima Tours and Buganvilla Tours regarding us having missed a museum yesterday, not sure how they found out, but Lima are asking for a refund from Buganvilla, oh dear.
Erik does not seem to be able to shake off the issue, as we explain that that was not our problem with the tour. Later on he even offers us the S/. 20 back that we coughed up for the extra visits he arranged, we of course refuse, but his English is not good enough for him to understand.
And so on to our overflight with Aerodiana, a very efficient outfit located at the new posh Pisco International Airport. Our pilot Carlos (not the Jackal I hasten to add) inspires confidence and explains that the flight will take one hour and 40 minutes, 30 minutes to get there and back from Nasca, and 40 minutes flying around the lines and shapes in the desert. Each shape is flown round with the plane banking sharply so that people on both sides of the plane get a sighting.
The place is amazing, even if some of the figures are a little difficult to make out, but I think I manage to get some good shots, and I'm sure good old Photoshop will help me out. The other highlight is just to appreciate the desert in this area of Peru, it could be the Sahara, but also the green valleys created by the rivers flowing off the Andes. We fly over Ica and Nasca, quite large towns as seen from the air.
So, back down safe and sound, and although we didn't witness the plane's maintenance records, I'd say that Aerodiana were pretty good. The forecast air sickness didn't manifest itself, although I felt like falling asleep having taken a Dramamine tablet an hour before the flight.
Erik finds us somewhere for coffee and cake, and then takes us to the bus station before giving us the feedback form which we fill in honestly, and his sulk deepens, which even the $20 tip does not seem to alleviate. He needs to get his act together if he wants to continue as a guide, definitely not up to scratch.
We are very impressed with the posh bus, or Cruz Del Sur, to give the company it's correct name, a long distance service between Lima and Puno, with a number of stops along the way. It's more like an aeroplane, with baggage checked in and a security check before boarding the bus at the embarkation gate. The seats downstairs would give business class a good run for it's money, although the food is a joke. Having said that it's a very comfortable way to travel four hours, infinitely better than a car.
Will we or won't we, make the restaurant by 8pm. In the end we are one minute late having completed the four hour posh bus ride from Paracas, got through the Lima traffic back to the hotel, and been dropped off by our guide Pamela, having dropped off luggage at the hotel; I love it when a plan comes together.
On the downside, Lorna has suffered with a griping stomach all day, and does not eat anything when we meet Robert & Barbara. They had arrived at the restaurant a little before us and bagged a table for four. Both the food and the company are great, and we share tales of our travels for some time.
On getting back to our room at around 11pm, we find a bottle of very nice bottle of wine, and a collective apology from Savvi, Cox & Kings and Lima Tours, and I had only sent the email the same morning, very impressive, oh and C&K are going to refund the $50 we paid for breakfast, result I think.
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