Slick's Shoe Box

Paracas Candelabra

The Paracas Nature Reserve is a must for anyone visiting Peru, many have called it the Peruvian Galapagos and for good reason. The area around the Ballesta islands is home to a multitude of animal species including penguins and seals. We arrived a little late and had to rush out to the tour boat with everyone already waiting on us. The boat itself had room for roughly 14 and was perfect to take pictures from as we traveled out to the islands past the Paracas Candelabra which is a glyph from around 200 BCE. Historians and archaeologists are unsure as to what it symbolized but it was absolutely massive, being roughly 600 feet tall on the hillside.

A fishing vessel we passed on the way to the Ballestas

Ballesta Islands

The islands themselves were like a scene out of The Birds, the vast numbers and types were astounding. Additionally the islands are inhabited by seals which were raising their young on our visit, we were extremely lucky to see some of the baby seals both in the water and along the shoreline.

These guys were quite the characters

The birds...they are everywhere!

Quite a meme-able expression

The king of the island

We spent a solid two hours out around the islands before heading back to the shore. I probably should have put a little more sunscreen on as I was pretty red by the time I made it back on land. We spent the next hour touring the the town at Paracas, eating some seafood and snapping a few touristy photos like this one:

It just wanted the fish

It took some convincing to get her to stand next to the pelican but I think it was well worth it! After we left the town we went to the newly constructed nature center located in the protected area of the Reserve. The nature center provided lots of interesting information on the ecosystem of the area as well as being located near a beautiful beach unlike anything I had witnessed before. The colors were gorgeous!

The yellow limestone was etched out in some areas

The contrast was stunning

We left Paracas and headed back to Lima for the night before flying out to Puerto Maldonado bright and early the next morning. When we stepped off the plane we could instantly tell the difference in climate; the air was thick and humid, the forests were lush and creeped into civilization anywhere possible. The airport terminal was open air and had no jet-ways or other common modern airport conveniences beyond a single luggage conveyor belt. From the airport we were loaded onto a large jacked-up van where our luggage was lifted and tied down on the roof. Once we sat down we were told to look under our seats and were greeted with a snack of local fare including plantain chips, macadamia nuts and other treats. The van took us to the main "offices" of the company that operates the Refugio Amazonas Eco Lodge located in the Peruvian Amazon. There we had to show our immunization records (Yellow Fever can be a serious issue in the forest). The lodge was located 4 hours up river and required us to board a small boat that would take us there.

Our sweet ride for 4 hours

HDR anyone?

 The boat ride was peaceful and engaging. We passed locals who rely on the river to conduct commerce and as their main avenue of transportation. 

The largest Papayas I've ever seen

Stopped along the way for a bathroom break... intimidating to pee in the Amazon.

Along the way we saw a wide array of animals that became more prevelant the deeper into the forest we went including Macaws, turtles, Camen, and any number of parrots and other birds.

Just a couple Macaws kissing...

Apparently the butterflies drink the turtle's tears

The venerable Capybara-largest rodent in the world

A freshwater Camen

Along the way we also stopped at the check in station to the nature reserve where we were required to sign into the park, show our immunization records again and received an awesome stamp in our passports for the park. When we finally arrived at our destination we walked up a staircase built into the river bank and up through a candlelit path in the forest. It opened up to the lodge, a stunning two story complex open to the jungle that even had a bar and spa.

Refugio Lodge walkway to the suites

Refugio Bar, proprietor of jungle libations

Refugio walkway

Our room only had three walls, the forth was completely open to the jungle. We were even provided with a safe to keep any food items we had in just in case a monkey decided to wander in. Meals were served at set times for the whole lodge and the food was outstanding. It was all locally sourced and included many types of fruits and vegetables I had never experienced before. The lodge also had plenty of room to lounge around, read, and decompress as you listen to the noises of the forest around you. It also acts as the rally point for all sorts of excursions. While there we took a guided forest tour detailing some of the fauna and flora as well as taking a canoe tour around one of the lakes in the area.

Small bats resting on a log

Dragon fly I captured while walking to the lake

A bird through the reeds

A pretty butterfly

The Army Ants were everywhere Two other tours we went on during our stay took us up a canopy viewing deck ( I only made it halfway before my fear of heights overwhelmed me) and to a local sustainable farm across the river from the lodge.

The friendly pet monkey we met

Priceless We left Puerto Maldonado with heavy hearts, it was a marvelous experience and one I am surely not soon to forget. At the same time we were extremely excited for the last leg of our trip...Cusco and Machu Picchu!

View of an incoming storm from the ruins at Machu Picchu

You'd almost think this was in the Sahara

Perfect for sand boarding

Prior to our arrival we had hired a driver to take us south to the towns of Pisco, Ica and eventually on to the oasis at Haucachina where we would stay for a couple days. We were picked up promptly from the airport and whisked away through the streets of Lima at the break of dawn, thankfully before rush hour bogged us down in a sea of three wheeled taxis called tut tuts, motorcycles, and delivery trucks. The drive took us along the coast before the scenery shifted to an arid, desert landscape, unlike anything I would have expected; we were venturing into the extreme northern reaches of the Aticama desert, one of the driest in the world. Some parts of the Aticama have never seen rainfall and it has been labeled as having some of the most Martian like terrain on Earth. Because of this the area has served as both a test bed for NASA as well as a great film site for Hollywood.

Wide array of Pisco options

Old school method of fermentation

On our drive down we stopped in small villages along the way that specialized in the production of a grape based liquor called Pisco. The liquor has a long history in the region since the time of the conquistadors originally carrying over grapes from Europe with them. To this date there is still a long running feud between Peru and Chile on which nation actually originally distilled the liquor. At the various stops we learned about the process of hand picking the grapes and the ceremonial foot stomping that occurs every year accompanied by music, food, and drink. Much of the actual modern day product takes a much more mechanical approach, for better or worse I suppose. Of course, at the end of all these historical tid bits and touring the vineyard we were taken to the gift shop and provided with some samples, including a complimentary Pisco Sour (the national drink of choice consisting of Pisco, simple syrup, lime juice and an egg white fluff on top). Being the sucker I am for international booze I purchased a couple bottles of the stuff even though frankly its not very good straight. From there we continued south to Haucachina.

Haucachina Oasis

The road into Haucachina  drops you into a patch of greenery nestled between two massive dunes which seems quite surreal. The town itself was really nothing to speak of, it is almost entirely a tourist based economy which tends to take away from the uniqueness of it. Additionally, a few decades ago water levels in the oasis began to drop substantially due to the towns usage so now water is actively pumped into it, which was a bit of a downer to learn. What the town lacked the surrounding desert surely made up for, and thankfully one of the main tourist attractions was the buggy tours conducted by what seemed to be every Peruvian in the town.

You would think sand would be an issue here...

Backseat was the most exhilarating

The buggies were basically supped up versions of the dune buggies sometimes found at Costco except with a V8 engine and room for 10. Our driver was not afraid to floor it going up and down the dunes. Along the way the driver stopped on top of a massive dune and gave us the opportunity to sand board down. Its much like snow boarding and the sand even sounds very similar to snow passing underneath you. I'd strongly recommend partaking!

The Pan American Highway

Nazca Hummingbird

The Astronaut

Nazca Lines from the air

 A lot of mystery still surrounds the creation of the lines, shapes, and creatures dug into the desert. What can be said for them is that they are an impressive sight. We were able to hire a pilot and a 6 seater Cessna to fly us over the Nazca Lines for roughly 45 minutes. The ride isnt for the weak stomached as my girlfriend found out after throwing up for much of the flight but if you can stomach it the experience is once in a lifetime. Some of the lines, like in the ones pictured above, extended to the horizon. Other shapes were perfect rectangles and triangles. The animal shapes, along with the astronaut, were breathtaking. The craftsmanship and skill that went into these figures was simply outstanding and left me in deep thought for much of the rest of the afternoon about how these could have been constructed and what purpose they would have served to the civilizations that built them.

Maria Reiche's VW

Jess pondering cute animals or something I'm sure

Before leaving Nazca we stopped at a local museum housed in the former residence of Maria Reiche, the German woman who came to Peru and began studying the Nazca lines in the 1940's. She was an advocate for the protection of the region from further development to the day of her death and was even buried in the area. The museum was filled with artifacts from the region including a mummy of a girl found buried beneath the desert.

Our final stop before heading back north was at a small workshop specializing in traditional Nazca pottery crafted utilizing the same tools, techniques and materials used by the Nazca culture centuries ago. The shop was owned and operated by an extremely friendly gentleman named Toby who was eager to show us around his workshop, detail the techniques he utilized, and of course show us some of his final products readily available for sale. The care and precision he put into the pot we saw him make (a traditional Nazca water pot) was outstanding; he explained what rocks and soil was gathered for the various dyes and pigments used to paint colorful figures and stories on the exterior of each pot. Toby was indicative of many of the people we would meet across the country, extremely friendly, industrious and proud of their culture and heritage.

Toby illustrating traditional pot making techniques

Toby polishing and painting

In part 2 we travel north to the Paracas Nature Reserve and then on to Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the Peruvian Rainforest...