Day 2 - Peru - Paracas

We had a nice late start time today - 10am. It seemed to take forever to get out of Lima, but then the population is 11 million!

We saw lots and lots of the 3-wheeled  tuk-tuks which are used for taxis.

Once we left the city I was surprised that the countryside was so sandy. There wasn't much of interest to see really as far as scenery goes. We haven't seen much of the sun yet and the drive was very dreary. I easily dropped off for a snooze until we stopped for the 'loo'.

The rest stop was very nice with lots of drinks and food to buy. There was no toilet paper in either stall and I had left my backpack on the bus. That won't happen again. The TP goes in a basket, everywhere, even in Lima. The plumbing system just can't handle it.

Lunch was in the town of Cannete. The restaurant was incredibly efficient. Portions are big and meals often include both potatoes and rice. I stayed with something safe - fettuccine Alfredo with pieces of ham. It was delicious! I also had Coke Zero.

Yesterday I had hoped to have one at lunch, as is my custom, but they were out. The waiter offered me Inca Kola"Sure!", I replied. That was my first and will be my last. It is not cola. It is a yellow-green mixture tasting something like a creme soda but not quite. Surprisingly, it is made by the Coca Cola company and only available in Peru. No problem, they can have it!After lunch at the request of others, our guide talked a little about the area we were seeing. Closer to the ocean we caught glimpses of houses and condos by the water. The area is called Asia and is used by the very wealthy from Lima during their summer (October- March). Places can cost between half a million and a million USD.

We also passed farming areas - asparagus, corn, pecans, grapes, chickens and cattle. The land must be irrigated due to the dryness. Lima is the second driest city in the world our Haku guide told us. I slept again and woke as we were arriving in Paracas. Our hotel is nice.

We went for an orientation walk and then were left on our own. Some of us wandered amongst the small shops along the beach area. I found a postcard and an interesting stone pyramid to add to my collection. It has many layers of different coloured stones and I quite love it!

I struck off on my own to shoot the ocean, and of course had to wet my feet in the Pacific.

There were many interesting boats, and birds, including giant pelicans. They can get quite snippy if you get too close. Other tourists found that out the hard way!

The sun set fast as it does in this part of the world. I walked to the end of a long pier with my camera and saw a seal. Or perhaps it was a sea lion.

When I tried to go back, a boat full of fish was being unloaded.

Many people were on hand to help with the process and that was interesting to watch. Unfortunately it took a while and there was no possible way to get past the people sorting and weighing the catch. So I watched and waited and took lots of pictures.

When I returned to shore there was no one in our group left. I wandered along the beach some more, enjoyed the light, waves and bird life. I was a little unsure of how to get back to the hotel and had a moment of panic. But then I remembered we were very near to the ocean and I kept it on my right side.

At 7pm we went for supper at a restaurant back where we had been before.  The service was slow and the food was ok but nothing to write home about.

I ordered a Chinese-Peruvian dish called chicken chaufa. It was chicken fried rice with noodles, brought to Peru by Chinese immigrants during the 19th century. It was so-so. Win some, lose some. I hate late suppers when the next day is an early one. Oh well!