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Other entries in Pisco Bay

Penquins in the Desert

I was picked up at 7:30 by the tour bus to go on the boat trip to Islas Ballestra - called the "poor man's Gallapagos".  We went to Paracus and got on a speed boat that holds around 24 people and headed off into the Pacific to the Islas.  Luckily, I had brought a plastic poncho and by layering a few things beneath it, I was able to stay warm and dry. 

As we left the bay, several pods of dolphins began playing around our boat.  They said it was pretty lucky if we saw the dolphins and we saw a bunch!  They were so cool!  There were also lots of pelicans.

Our first stop was the Candelabra which was this HUGE graphic carved in the side of a hill.  The thing resembled a 3 candle candelabra - hence, the name.  They do not know why it is there - it may have been for religious reasons or for directions.  The candles had the shape of leaves, so some think it may have represented the San Pedro cactus used in their religious ceremonies.  There is so much unkown out here! 

Next stop was the islands.  These islands appear to be solid rock, but upon closer look, it is mounds and mounds of bird guano on top of rock.  These islands are home to millions of birds including blue and red footed boobies, corcorans, sea gulls etc. and they make LOTS of guano.  So much so, that for many years, the guano (i.e.shit) used as fertilizer was the main export for Peru bringing in millions of dollars.  Today, it is still exported, but not as much.  They have guards protecting the guano from poachers, since it is so valuable. 

This was some of the birds mating season, so the birds were really thick - 12 to 15 per square meter.  It looked like a carpet of birds.  They were also very thick flying around, so it was highly suggested that you wear a hat so you did not get a surprise drop on your head.  We watched some of the boobies doing their mating dance.  Pretty spectacular. 

I think the biggest surprise was the penguins - yes, penguins!  This is home to a type of penguin that only lives here and in Chili.  It was so funny watching them waddle around the rocks in the heat of the tropics.  I always thought penguins were in cold areas. 

These isles are also the home to many sea lions.  We went by one beach that was their mating area.  There were hundreds of moms, pops and babies wallowing around.  Watched on big male practically run over a blanket of sea lions in pursuit of one special one.  Didn't know they could move that much blubber that fast!

In the afternoon, we went to the Reserva Nacional de Paracus - a national park where some ancient Paracus civilizations ruins were found.  It is such a desolate area!!!  So dry that the ruins have had very little decomposition.  This civilization would wrap their children's heads in various ways to create a unique (usually elongated) head shape to create an individual look.  They were called "long heads".  This sometimes caused the brain to not have enough room to grow, so to relieve the pressure, they would drill a hole in the skull!  OUCH!  Many of the skulls had holes the size of silver dollars in them.

At the reserve, they also had a lot of migratory birds.  Flamingos are one of the more popular ones and there were only a few left to watch since this was the end of their migratory period.

The reserve made their roads out of salt.  Since there is very little rain (2 mm/year), the salt holds up like asphalt.  It even looked like asphalt from all the trucks driving on it.

The Pacific Ocean borders the reserve, so we went to the coast and took in the incredibly beautiful views of shear cliffs, grey sand and crystal blue water.  You did not dare stand too near the edge because the rock is mainly slate.  There were several natural rock arches, too, that added to the beauty.  We walked on one of the beaches.  It was amazing that we were the only ones there.  Since they are not frequented, the beaches are covered with shells.  I have never seen so many shells in one place in my life.  You could not walk without stepping on a bed of fully intact shells.  Beautiful!

We ate lunch at the reserve's harbor and had an incredible fish lunch.  They have a couple of specialty fish - sea bass and rock fish - that are fantastic.  It is difficult to catch these, so they definitely are a delicacy.  While we ate, we were visited by a very pursistant pelican - huge, standing about 2-3 feet high.  

It was quite a day!  Back to Pisco to catch the bus to Nazca.......  

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