Peru: Part 5 - The "Poor Man's Galapagos"

Next we headed out to the beach town of Paracas. Of course it was to cold to swim, but it was not why we went there. Paracas is the home of the Islas Ballestas, also called the poor man’s Galapagos. There you can find flamingos, sea lions, penguins, dolphins, and 250 species of birds.


This was our guide. He was very knowledgeable and funny.







Also, there is the mysterious Candelabra (Google Paracas Candelabra). This three pronged symbol in the sand is huge and sits on the Northern face of the Paracas Peninsula. The origins are still unknown.

Peru: Part 4 - Chivay

We were going to see the condors fly and had to stop in a small town called Chivay. It didn’t look like much, but it was in the guide book. It said that just outside of town was a natural hot springs. We arrived in Chivay about 10am the morning and our bus did not leave until 3pm so we decided to check out the not springs. When we got there, there was a sign that said zip-lining which we both had never done so we decided to ask how much it was. It was really cheap so made the instant decision of going zip-lining before the hot springs. The zip-lining was actually over a shallow part of the Canon de Calca, the second largest canyon in the world. The zip-lining was a little scary at first but extremely fun!





Afterwards we headed to the natural hot springs to relax. Hot was an understatement! Then we headed back to the bus stop to wait for the bus.

It was about 2:30pm when the security told was to see the condors we would have to pay a fee. When asked how much, he said $35 dollars!! It was super expensive to have a maybe chance at see them, so we decided to stay in Chivay for the night. Thank goodness, we did the day trip of zip-lining and hot springs or the day would have been a waste.

Peru: Part 3 - Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is a big lake between the Peruvian-Bolivian border. Half of the lake is considered Peru and the other is Bolivia. It is the largest lake in South America but that’s not what makes it special; it is because a floating reed plant, called totora, grows in the lake and no where else in the world. The root floats and a reed like plant grows straight up out of the water.



The people cut the reed and put layers upon layers of the reeds on the floating root. That way it becomes a floating island…



The people use the reed to make their houses, tools, to cook, and boats…







It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the life and people on Lake Titicaca to my community. Tourists essentially do the same things at the two locations. They come in on a boat, walk around the community, look at the people’s houses and their way of life, the tourists are then hassled to buy little trinkets, they take million pictures, and then they leave. It was interesting to be on the tourist side of it and see it from their perspective.

Peru: Part 2 - Machu Picchu

Well we woke up super early and headed to the bus stop. We were told to get there an hour before the bus leaves so that we could get to go to Wandu Picchu. From this overlooking mountain, you can get great pictures of Machu Picchu, but only 300-400 people are allowed up each day. Well, we turned the corner to the bus stop and were shocked at an enormous line! We were not sure if we were in the cut or not, but waited an hour and hoped. Then the line finally started moving and we made our way up the steep mountain on tour buses. After, we waited for an addition 30 minutes to actually get into Machu Picchu and were told when we got to the entrance that Wandu Picchu was full!

A little disappointed but still excited to be at Machu Picchu, we went in to explore. About after an hour of exploring, we found a trail that was called Mount Machu Picchu and decided to go up it a little ways. We found a little hut with a worker and asked him about the trail. It was actually twice as high as Wandu Picchu and you could not only see Machu Picchu but also the tops of the Andes. We decided to climb it. Due to being out of shape and at a really high altitude, it was really hard but really worth it…


View from Mount Machu Picchu


This was part of the trail up Mount Machu Picchu. Narrow stairs beside a straight drop!

Peru: Part 1 - Lima and Ica

I flew into Lima, the capitol of Peru, on Wednesday, July 14th for my long-awaited vacation. I meet my friend, Jolly, there who has been traveling in South America for almost a year. Over the next two weeks, we traveled non-stop all over the southern part of Peru and did some really crazy things. We had so many adventures that I just can't squeeze them all into one blog... I was really tired the first day so we just hung around the hostel...which was actually pretty interesting because it was a mansion turned hostel. There was huge painting and strange sculptures all over the place. The next day, we headed out to the flea market because I had to buy some warmer clothes. My DR beach wear was not going to cut it on the top of Machu Picchu. I ended up buying gloves, a hat, a jacket, and warm fuzzy pants...all for under US $20! Then on the way back to the hostel, we ran into a protest. There were a long line of people marching down the main street flanked with cops with riot equipment on. It was a peaceful protest, but we decided to get off the main street just in case, but not before getting some getting a couple of pics...








Then we grabbed our bags and headed on the bus for the main bus station. I was sitting in one seat with my huge bag when a man and woman came on. The woman sat next to me so I scooted over toward the window and the man stood next to her. He was looking at her pretty intently but I didn't think anything of it because I thought they were together. I turned my head, heard a popping sound, and turned back to the couple just in time to see him run off the bus. The guy, obviously now that they did not get on together, had pulled her necklace off her neck and taken off the bus before the door closed. It was so fast; I can't believe that I had my head turned for just a second and missed seeing him doing it! She wasn't hurt just a little embarrassed while explaining that the necklace wasn't anything "oro ni plata" gold nor silver, just an old plastic cross necklace. The guy had obviously saw her necklace and thinking it was worth something, followed her on the bus to steal it. It was a crazy thing to witness.

Sandboarding in Ica: We headed down to Ica about a five hour bus ride south of Lima. We got there that night and I tried “Salchipapa” for the first time. It is French fries, with chicken, and a green salad on top. Then they put sauces; ketchup, ranch, mayo, and a spicy sauce; all on top and mix it all together. It sounded a little gross, it looked pretty gross, but it was actually pretty damn good! I noticed during the next two weeks that Peruvians liked to mix things you wouldn’t expect to eat together a lot and it was usually surprisingly good. The next morning we headed for the desert to go on dune buggies and go sand-boarding. That’s right sand-boarding! It was really, really fun and so cool to just be in the desert.