Sunday was a travel day, and while it went smoothly, it involved an hour on each end of the flight, which was smooth and on time, but involved some waiting around to board. So by the time I got to my hotel in the Miraflores district of Lima I really had to force myself to get out and see something. Which I did.
A short walk brought me to the sea; I was looking for the cliff walk which ends in a green spot that’s called Lover’s Park, but I got waylaid by what I found right at the end of the street I walked down. A three level outdoor mall with shops and restaurants and a view of the ocean and the coming sunset. The thing is, all the shops were American brands, save a few from France. And maybe a kiosk or two of Peruvian crafts tucked away near the garage. There was Brooks Brothers and Banana Republic and Hugo Boss and Patagonia and The Gap and L’Occitaine, and TGI Fridays! And the food court featured KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King along with some fast food Chinese and a local chain featuring sandwiches. There were lots of people strolling and shopping, and families eating in both the food courts and the nicer restaurants facing the ocean. It was such a departure from what I experienced in the countryside that I sorta walked around slack jawed for awhile. The people were all city people and dressed as you might see anywhere in any large city. Which shouldn’t have been so surprising but after two weeks in the country it was! I waited for the sunset over the Pacific and made my way back to the hotel to re-pack for the next day. Quite a culture shock.
This morning, Monday, came early, with a pick up at 5AM by David, the driver for today. What I hadn’t realized, or paid much attention to, was that this was a PRIVATE tour, meaning that it was just me. David didn’t have too much English, and of course my Spanish es no bueno, so I sorta wondered how a full day would go. But he then pulled over at a gas station and Enrique jumped in the car and announced that he was the guide for the day. His English was great and so we continued on our 3 hour journey to Paracas National Reserve.
There were two things to see in this part of Peru. The first was a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, and the second was a driving tour, with stops, through the desert landscape of the reserve, which leads up to some of the most beautiful beaches in this part of Peru. As we drove south the landscape changed quickly and became sandy and desert-like, and there were very few places with livestock or crops. Instead, at Chilca, there were dozen of roadside ice cream stands, all featuring depictions of aliens. Apparently it gets so dark there at night that people claim to see lights in the sky, so the idea of ET has taken hold. What the ice cream connection is I’m not sure. Anyway, I used the time to watch the sun come up and the haze disappear and the landscape change, and by 7:45 we were there.
The boat was an open air number holding about 25 people, and the ride out to the islands was about 45 minutes. On the way, we passed by another sand island on which a giant carving had been made in the sand. It is a prehistoric geoglyph cut 2 feet into the soil, and is 595 ft tall. Called the Paracas Candelabra, there are many theories as to it’s meaning and symbolism, but it clearly dates to the Paracas culture, which began 800 BC. A bit further on were the islands, sometimes called the poor man’s Galapagos, where we found Sea Lions, Humboldt penguins and several types of sea birds. The Piquero, or Peruvian booby were there in great numbers, as were the Inca terns and the Cormorant Plata Rojas (red feet). I believe this is the place that is featured in the first episode of Our Planet on Netflix, that demonstrates the millions of birds that all take flight at the same time to feed on the sardines that the dolphins help churn up into schools for the terns’ easy picking. It was delightful to see some wildlife in their natural habitat and to know that this large reserve of over 828,000 acres is protected because of all the amazing and threatened wildlife.
The drive through the desert was beautiful and barren and windy. Paracas comes from the Quechuan words for rain and sand, reflecting the well known wind that comes in the afternoon. The way the desert leads right up to cliffs overlooking the ocean and in some cases lovely beaches was unlike anything I’ve seen. There was another part that was home to some flamingos, but to protect them, the walkway ended quite far from where they were! The interesting story about the flamingos is the story that after disembarking in Paracas, Don Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Peru, had a dream. It in it saw a flock of flamingos with their red/white wings extending into the sky. And that is how the Peruvian flag was designed/born.
Then we had a quick lunch back by the port where the tourists eat, and in the car once again for the 4 hour drive to the airport. So here’s where my plan for the day went awry. I got dropped at the airport at 5:30PM. My flight is at 12:35AM. United doesn’t have a counter until 3 hours before their first flight — which meant it opened at 8PM. So I couldn’t check in or check my bag until then. So I sat for awhile in the pre-departure area on the windowsill with the rest of the people waiting. Then I walked around upstairs where the shops and restaurants were for awhile, which was challenging with my luggage. And then I finally was able to ditch the bag and get an invite to a lounge and it’s been good. I just hadn’t figured on getting dropped off so early, or that there wouldn’t be a way to check in. And I’ve been up since 5AM. But soon enough I will be on a plane back to the USA and I’m looking forward to my own bed.
There will be one final post as I gather my thoughts about Peru in general and things I learned and wondered and would like to know more about. Stay tuned.
