Sunday, October 5, 2008

Paracas: The good, the bad, and the delicious

Tuesday September 30, 2008. My alarm disturbed my slumber at 5:15am. Quick shower, warmed up soup for breakfast, packed and headed out.

It was our first ever experience with Cruz Del Sur, supreme luxury bus. The prices are so high that only foreigners and very rich Peruvians ever take it. The bus station reminded me of an airport. The bus was double-decker with foot-rests and nearly fully reclining seats. The bus-attendant went through a safety talk before serving our breakfasts. Not soon after, we began a bingo game for a bottle of pisco. The next step up would have been back-of-the-seat entertainment.

I almost didn’t want to get off at Paracas, a beach town 15 km south of Earthquake-rocked Pisco. We were met with a hot sun and persistent hostel representatives. Nate and I opted to walk into the center of town. We looked at each and every hostel. Price, services, staff friendliness.

The sun was very hot and we had all of our bags on. I started getting crabby. The guys from certain hostel keep following us, which just turned us off more. We hiked all over town looking for places and ended up at one that gave us a good deal on a boat to the Islas Ballestas. Sweaty and exhausted we dropped our bags and headed out to eat.

What to eat in a beach town? Seafood? Ok! We feel adventuresome enough to try the ceviche de corvina (raw fish marinated in lime and hot pepper topped with onion) and the chicarrón de calamar (mmmm… fried calamari). Both dishes were big steps for Nate and I commend his efforts to chip away at his food-phobias!


The ceviche came first. Moment of truth, would he like it?? Would I like it?!



It was odd at first, but then we both decided that it was quite tasty! Mmm… I loved the spicy sauce and the combination with the onion. The texture was a lot like sashimi (hey, I wonder why?!).





Next came the calamari, battered and fried. And… Nate liked it! Success on all fronts! Hooray for delicious seafood!






With nothing to do for the rest of the day, we set out walking for the National Reserve. They all said it was too far for us to walk, especially that late in the day, but what else were we going to do? So we faced the sun and set out walking. We passed luxurious houses with beautiful flower gardens, we passed the sites of future development exploiting the natural beauty of the coast, uninhibited desert winds, friendly dogs and unpaved roads.




We finally arrived at the entrance of the park where we met a friendly park guard. The sun was on its way down as we started our walk back into town.



Dinner was a little bit of a disappointment after our spectacular lunch. And my stomach wasn’t having anything to do with it.

Wednesday October 1, 2008

I woke up at 2am in pain. I woke up at 4am in more pain and weak. I knew it was time to set aside my pride and just get medical help. Around 6am, Nate went downstairs to ask about the nearest hospital. There was only a clinic in Paracas, but that didn’t open until 11am. I put on some clothes and we headed out to Pisco. The people in our colectivo were super nice. The driver tried to ask for more money than he was due.

The earthquake a few months ago flattened much of Pisco. The hospital was one of the buildings destroyed, so much of the complex is tent city. I paid my 4 soles ($1.33) for an emergency room consult and was attended to almost immediately.

I got a prescription from a friendly doctor and we returned to Paracas. No IV because my dehydration wasn’t severe enough to warrant one. We got back to the hotel at 8am sharp. We had a boat reservation for that time. Let's go!



We hop down to the pier where there's a massive crowd of tourists. After paying our 1 sol exit tax, we are shuttled onto boats. Vrroooom! We're off!





First stop Candelabra! Next stop islands! And birds. Lots and lots of birds. It was practically impossible to take a picture without a orange life-vested tourist in the way. Sea lions. Dolphins. They call it the poor man's Galapagos. It was definitely cheaper than the 5 day Ecuadorian cruise and we sure saw some wildlife.







Back on land we buy our bus tickets for Ica. The pharmacist runs away with my prescription. We sit in a park until the bus arrives. My poor stomach tries to fend off the bad germies.




Good thing the bus ride was a short one. And since we had the last row, we could recline our seats all the way. Wheeeeeee!



Arrived in Ica and and over-friendly ambitious taxi driver (and tour booker) drove us to the desert oasis town of Huacachina. He drove us to all his friend's hostels and we finally found one within our budget. It was a bungaloo with bunkbeds and shared bathrooms. We'll take it!

The microwaved lasagna makes me feel sick. Bed time.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

glad you're feeling a bit better!
Happy Belated Birthday!