May 15 Lima-Paracas

May 15 Wednesday

5:30 AM wake-up call for a 6AM pickup.  Jorge Garcia with Condor arrived to take us to the bus station.  First, he reviewed all of our paperwork and explained details in excellent English, after which we felt much more relaxed.

He was entertaining as well.  Joked that KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Cuy (guinea pig) and said that 30% of Peru's population lives in Lima, due to salaries and good weather.  He took us to the bus station and showed us how to check luggage and find our seats.  We are traveling in a touring bus with comfy reclining seats. We are finding that fewer people speak English outside of the tour folks.

 Because we left so early, the hotel gave us boxed breakfasts so once we are underway we enjoyed a small sandwich, apple and juice. The bus service also provided drinks and the seats had individual video screens like some airlines.

It took a while to get out of Lima, as we passed through industrial areas, mining and agriculture. The road is 4 lane divided toll road with scattered fruit stands, restaurants and other services.(The TransAmerican Highway)  The entire coastal area of Peru is very dry and we pass sandy, desert areas, some of which remind us of some of the "planets" from Star Wars movies. Trash and construction debris is dumped randomly.  We understand why most of the passengers pull the curtains and sleep!

In one area there is obvious irrigation and we see watermelons , cotton, corn and even some vineyards.

 But then it is back to desolation. The road goes to 2 lanes in many areas, with speed bumps when we pass through a populated area - we will find this all over the country.

After about 3 hours, we arrive in the town of Paracas and are met by Ronaldo.  After a few soccer jokes, he takes us to the St Augustin  hotel, a nice oceanside place with pools and outside palapas.

 We are traveling at shoulder season, so there aren't crowds of people, but it looks like they could handle large numbers. There are many more birds enjoying the pools than people.  The day began in 50's but by noon we could shed the jackets.

 We are too early for check-in, but they store our bags so we can walk and explore the small town.

The oceanside walkway passes hundreds of fishing boats as well as some more modern speed boats.  We will take one of them to the Ballestas Islands tomorrow.

Lots of shops and restaurants and we decide to stop at El Arizal and try some ceviche. There are no customers when we first arrive, but more arrive as we eat.  Our waiter gave us a terrific deal in order to get us in.

 Fried corn seems to be served many places while you wait for your meal.  Crunchy & salty, this is giant corn - about 3-4 times larger than our typical kernels.

We share an order of ceviche and it is wonderful!  Made with fish caught this morning and perfect with an ice cold cerveza (beer).

Lots of pelicans and gulls in the area.

Back to the hotel to check-in and rest up a bit. Nice room, good hot showers.

 Then we walk some more but most everything has closed. Peruvians eat their major meal at noon, although in the busier cities they cater to tourists and remain open and serving meals at all hours. A few locals playing soccer and strolling tourists are about all we see.

We were given a coupon for two free drinks, so we try the famous Pisco Sours back at the hotel, and watch the sun set.

Pisco is a liquor made from grapes and these sours taste a bit like margaritas.   We eat a light dinner with a few other hotel guests.  I opt for a chicken sandwich while Greg has a tasty seafood salad.

Tomorrow morning's pickup will be at 7:45.