Paracas, Peru

The day started with a 7:00am bus from Lima to Paracas. Before we left the terminal a security guard comes on a takes video picture of each passenger. Each bus has 2 drivers, as they are only allowed to drive 4 hours at a time. Also each bus is linked up by satellite to the main terminal where they can monitor everything from location to speed. They went over the safety instructions, the fact that there was a computer on board for passengers use, and Wi-Fi when cell phone service was avaiable. They also mentioned that the bathrooms on each level (it was a double decker bus) was only to be used for number one. This fact was repeated several times, I can only imagine what happens if this rule is ignored. Passengers were informed to notify one of the attendants if other needs were needed (I'm sure that's not awkward at all, especially if your spanish is not so good).

Our airlines could learn a few lessons from these bus companies. They immediately handed out pillows and blankets to those that would like them, and they didn't charge dime. A little bit later a light breakfast was handed out, again no charge.

The ride out was very nice. I was able to resist the urge to sleep to take in some of the sights. For part of the trip there was ocean views. At one point there were many chicken and rooster farms right there on ocean front property. Maybe that's the Peruvians way of sending them out on a high note. For part of the trip I had a chance to view some of the agriculture areas. I saw corn, oranges, and cotton which was being hand picked. For those that did not want to sleep or check out the view they had movies, the first was Ice Age 3 and then there wsa Die Hard 4.

We arrived in Paracas by 11:00am. I had about an hour to settle in and then it was off to The Paracas National Reserve, whose main purpose is to protect marine wildlife. It's a very unique place. At first we only saw the desert part which we could see seashells and fossils. Then as we drove on we saw beautiful beachs and rock formations. One the the formations called La Catedral was drastically changed by the 2007 earthquake. When I have a chance I'll attached some before and after pictures.

Before I headed to my next destination I took a tour of the Ballestas Islands, which are sometimes referred to as the Peruvian Galapagos. There are a number of small islands covered with birds and marine life.

There are many different types of birds. From pelicans, to Peruvian boobies, to oyster catchers, to comorants. One of the islands has a black appearance from the thousands of comorants that are covering it. Of course with this many birds there is plenty of bird poop, or guano (which is another name for the islands). Every couple of months some lucky crew comes out and lives and collects the poop which is sold as fertilizer. I suppose they get used to the foul odor that comes from all the poop. I was surprised that only one person in our group got a direct hit since at times there were hundreds of birds flying over us.

There were also penguins and sea lions. There is a part of one of the islands called maternity bay where pregnant seals come to give birth. There must have been hundreds of them. It was fun to see the newborns make their way into and out of the sea. It reminded me of my surf lesson in Lima, however they were far more graceful.

Since it was a boat tour and they didn't seat by height everyone scrambled to get good photos. So those of use that are vertically challenged will be doing a bit more edting than those that were not.