Pre-voyage extension

Well, I finally have a moment to write. We have been going non-stop since we arrived in Lima. Wednesday we spent most of the day in flight to Peru, settling into our hotel at midnight. Our wake-up call was at 5:30 am on Thursday and we were on the road by 6:15 am. We thought that was bad, but my sister had it far worse. Her flight (from China) was delayed twice so she ended up arriving at 5:30 am on Thursday - resulting in two nights without sleep!

On Thursday we traveled by van from Lima to Ica - going along the west coast of Peru. There are three natural terrains in Peru - rainforest, mountains, and the coast which is dessert. Lima only receives 2 inches of rain per year, so these last couple of days we have seen a lot of sand and little vegetation. It is hard to imagine that there is a rainforest just east of the mountains.

In Ica we visited a vineyard and learned about the traditional way in which Peruvians make wine. Nearby was an elementary school and the children outside were very friendly and excited to see us (unlike the middle school students we drove by today - one of them giving us the finger...Referral!!)

Next we flew in a small plane over top the Nazca lines. These designs were constructed by the Nazca Indians (using fist-size rocks) and stretch over 135 miles of dessert. They were undiscovered for 1000 years, until airplanes came around. There are only speculations as to the meaning of the designs (a calendar, a way to communicate with the Gods?).

On the tail end of the flight we found out why the tour guide had made us wait to eat lunch when my mother ended up vomiting due to the turbulence. :0

After lunch and a museum tour (see the pictures of the mummies and the explaination for why they are so well preserved) we went to the town of Paracas to stay the night.

Friday morning we took a boat out to see the "Candelabro" (see picture) and a small group of islands and large rocks called the Ballestas. On the islands were an incredible number of sea birds - at least a million. No one lives on the islands, but the waste from the birds left on the rocks (called guano) is exploited for fertilizer. When the locals discovered how great of a fertilizer guano makes most of the islands were raked clean - lowering the height of some by 100 feet!

We also saw sea lions on the island. We caught a glimse of the big papa seal lion when he came out from the cave and let out a loud angry cry. He must have been 500 pounds!

Next we visited a natural reserve on the pennisula by Paracas - getting beautiful pictures of the cliffs and ocean. Then we had another 4 hour drive back to Lima.

I have to head out to dinner. Here the meals are very late - except for breakfast, which is too early! :)

More later~

Mrs. B.