Absolutely my best day so far since leaving home. I didn´t think i´d beat the canyons, and yet was blown away by Yosemite, and then today. FUN FUN FUN!
We headed at stupid o´clock to
Paracas - a small village where you catch the boat to the
Ballestas Islands. The small speed boat whipped over the quiet waters of the bay towards the sea, and from here we bounced along the water, stopping to look at a engraving in the hill of a candelabra, before heading towards the Islands themselves.
The water was covered with sea birds which took flight as we approached, over head were swarms of
Comorants and
Boobies, with some flying high above us and others seemingly hovering over the surface of the water with their wing tips skirting dangerously close to the waves.
Every now and then a bird would drop from the sky and peform the perfect dive bomb, disappearing suddenly from view and appearing moments later straight back into flight.
As we neared the rocks, more birds could be seen (and their excrement smelt). I pity the poor souls whose job it is once every five years to shovel sacks of it for fertaliser. It is apparently a big seller in Peru!
But the smell was soon put to one side at the sight of
Pelicans, Penguins, the afore mentioned Comorants and Boobies and
Inca Terns nestling all over the island. One Pelican flew overhead with a beak full of nesting materials. (And yes Dad, I did recite the poem!)
Other residents include
sealions, who were arguing over rock positions, or basking despite the sky being overcast. In one cove every wave brought forth more sealions to shore, as though they were pebbles being washed up on the beach. We even saw some babies.
As the boat headed back to Paracas, if it hadn´t have been for the land it would have been hard to tell were the sea ended and the sky began. We were skirting over the glassy water, and I could have sworn the white clouds above us looked like waves. The water was broken only by the stream lined wake of the boat and the odd head of a playful sealion or penguin.
We headed to a
Winery at lunchtime in
Ica and learnt how to make
Pisco. We also had a few tasters which, before lunch, on a now gloriously hot day, did make me feel slightly tipsy (it was like having three shots of tequilla on an empty stomach and then getting back on the bus). Thankfully, now in South America, Air Con is determined on whether the window is open or shut, so I am no longer freezing on every journey!
Lastly we headed to
Huacachina. A small village built around an oasis. Daphne excluded, I hope I am not the only one who didn´t realise that there was a desert similar in looks to the Sahara in Peru.
The oasis was just as you´d imagine. A pool surrounded by palm trees! But the best was yet to come.
SAND BUGGIES and SAND BOARDING!!!!!!! We drove over the dunes in a cage on 4 wheel drive, and screamed with exhilaration as it skimmed the sand slopes at terrifying speeds considering their gradient. At the top we teetered down the other side leaving our stomachs way behind us and whooping in delight. Better than any rollercoaster I had ever been on.
If that was not dare devil enough we lay on a snow board which had been greased underneath and sped down the steep slopes on our stomachs. Smiling causes sand to get in your mouth, but even that didn´t seem to matter.
As I said, extreme exfoliation. Only meant for tough girls - like exfoliating with an electric Sander. But MUCH MORE FUN!
After a fairly decent nights sleep for a night on a bus, we arrived in Arequipa - The White City. A pretty little colonial town nestled amongst surrounding volcanos and mountains. We had a free day so just went and explored.
We stopped on route in the National reserve and saw some Vicunas - 1 of the 4 South American Camelids. They are so cool!
he dirt track road, and we often had to stop the minibus for a few stubborn sheep. 
