Pisco & Paracas

We left Huacachina shortly after Greg and Hillary got back from sandboarding. They were both incredibly filthy and Hillary complained about having biffed it pretty bad, but both were pretty happy to have done it.

Our outdated copy of Lonely Planet entirely failed us when it came to Pisco. We got there to find that the hostel we had chosen had closed down and that others that were mentioned had fallen down in the earthquake that devastated the area in 2007. I could have sworn I bought a copy of the 2008 LP Peru, but…

Other than missing buildings and restaurants, I rather liked Pisco. They are in a state of constant construction there, but it’s kind of cool to see people rebuild (it would have been more fun to help, but I only had two days) and they were certainly happy to see tourists in the area. We ended up staying at a rather modern hotel called La Casona when we got there. Other than being a little sparse, it was great if not just for the brand new mattresses. The lady that owned the place was extremely nice too, so if you ever find yourself that way, stay there. It seems like it would be fairly expensive, but the rooms were decently priced and the location was perfect.

After sleeping in decently, Hillary and I headed on an excursion to see what there was for tours of the Islas Ballestas. The Islas are a couple of islands off the coast that have been crapped on by birds like there’s no tomorrow. According to LP, the bird guano measures 50 meters deep in some areas. However, we weren’t going out there to see the bird crap, but instead to see the absurd amount of wildlife the islands attract. They’ve been called the ‘poor man’s Galapagos,’ which I think is a title that’s slightly undeserved, but it was still quite interesting to see herds of sea lions and flocks of penguins and pelicans.

In order to get out there, we needed to book through one of the travel agencies in town. I suppose, we probably could have just shown up on the docks in Paracas and still made it on, but it was easier to pre-book and get the ride out there included in the price.

I’m not sure if it’s because of the earthquake, but travel agents on the Plaza were persistent. I’m usually the last person to lose her patience (while traveling only, I guess!), but these… vultures… really had me close to snapping. The two of us were literally swarmed by touts offering all kinds of tours (when they’re all the same tour) and talking dirty about all the other companies.

The best price came from a nice gentleman from Paracas Overland. The other companies tried to tell me that he was a drunk, but so long as he wasn’t the one driving the boat, it wasn’t my business. And the way they all smack-talked each other, well, maybe he wasn’t a drunk.

Regardless of the price differences, we did head back to the hotel feeling slightly confused. The ones who were more expensive told us that they used better equipment, which I didn’t really believe, but it didn’t sound unreasonable either. So I asked our hotel owner about it and she told us that they all work for the same company in the end, that it didn’t matter which tour we booked with, as they all took us to the same docks and put us in the same boats.

And that is exactly what happened. While we booked with Paracas Overland for S./ 35 (about $17.50 CAD), other people on the same boat had paid between S./ 45 – 50. Swindling!

The tour itself was really nice. It was just a two hour boat ride, but we got to see the nifty Candelabra geoglyph (similar to the Nazca lines) and then of course, all those cool animals I mentioned already.

It was a nice and relaxing way to close our our trip to Peru. I’m back in Lima now, hanging out at the South American Explorer’s clubhouse until it’s time to head to the airport. My plane leaves late tonight, with takeoff somewhere around midnight and landing tomorrow at noon.

I’ll be happy to see my dogs, my bird, and my luxurious, one-person bedroom. I love my travel companions, but for reals, I needed ear plugs.

I however, am not looking forward to this -40 Celcius weather I’ve been hearing about, though. If I was really cold when I left Jordan to go back to Canada in the summer, does that meant that this -40 will feel like -50 or -60? I sincerely hope not, but you might see me wearing a lot of layers for the next little bit.