Monday, March 9, 2015

Day #37…Sunday, March 8, 2015
Pisco (Paracas/San Martin), Peru

We arrived at the San Martin pier and were bused about 11 miles to the Paracas region near Pisco, Peru.  Paracas means “raining sand” and we will be spending the majority of our time today visiting the Paracas region.  The ship has arranged shuttle service at a cost of $8.00 per person each way if one wants to visit this area.  We have been warned that the pier area is not a safe place to walk so we chose to take the shuttle bus.  We will need to be back on board by 4:30 P.M.

The port of Pisco was established in 1640 for the exportation of pisco, a Peruvian brandy, that is still the most popular drink in the country.  Pisco sits on the Paracas Peninsula in southwest Peru, about 150 miles south of Lima, the country’s capital city.  Unfortunately, an earthquake destroyed about 70% of city and it is in the process of rebuilding.

The population of Pisco is approximately 134,000 people and the currency is the Nuevo Sol (PEN) with a conversion rate of 3.1 = 1 USD.  The primary language is Spanish.  In some areas near Pisco, Quechuan, the ancient language of the Incas, is still spoken.

Climate in this area is seasonal and the opposite of North America.  The weather is relatively hot and very dry all year around.  Temperatures in the summer months (December through March) are in the 80’s.  Today’s temperature was sunny and 72° F. 

When one thinks of Peru, visions of Inca emperors striding atop high sacred temples such as Machu Picchu, come to mind.  In this area, an advanced culture known as the Nazca, established itself along Peru’s southern coast long before the Incas arrived.  Their empire lasted from 200 B.C. to 800 A.D. and is best known for the mysterious lines they carved into the vast, empty desert plain.

In 1528, a Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, led an expedition along Peru’s coast and destroyed the Incas.  Thereafter, the Spanish brought grape vines with them and soon vineyards flourished in the region.  Wines and brandy became the main industry and the town of Pisco was born.  Today fish meal and fish oil are the leading exports.

We boarded a shuttle bus at 9:00 A.M.  in route to Pisco, Peru, about 11 miles from the San Martin pier.  While riding in the bus, we passed miles and miles of desert and sand dunes.  Sand dunes stretch out over 170 miles along Peru’s coastline. 

Upon exiting the bus, we went to the Paracas maritime terminal and were met by locals offering tours to the Tambo Colorado Ruins, the Paracas National Reserve and the Islas Ballestas.  These tours were similar to the ones offered by the cruise company for a fraction of the cost.



We chose the Islas Ballestas Islands cruise tour and boarded a 24-passenger speedboat to see marine wildlife and beautiful and bizarre rock formations.  Natural rock arches, tunnels and caves were abundant during our scenic cruise.  The Ballestas Islands are nicknamed the “Galapagos of Peru” and shortly into our cruise we began seeing colonies of sea lions, fur seals, terns, zarcillos and the endangered Humboldt penguins.  Some of the islands had colonies of up to 600,000 bird pairs and were a wonder to see.  A “fur seal nursery” with hundreds of young seals and their mothers were hovered along several of the rock formations.

A photo stop was made from the boat to see the 500 feet high Candelabra.  This mysterious geoglyph was carved thousands of years ago and is one of two of Peru’s great wonders.


After we returned to Pisco from our wildlife cruise, we found a quaint café along the boardwalk area and had a delicious Peruvian lunch of marinated chicken breast, onions, fries and rice.  Peruvians love their potatoes and our destination lecturer explained that Peru grows over 3,000 varieties of that vegetable.   We opted not to try the national drink of Peru, the Pisco Sour, that is made with pisco brandy, lemons, syrup, egg whites, ice and bitters.  We were less venturous and enjoyed a piña colada instead.


While dining, we were entertained by several street performer bands and a pack llama and his shepherd.  Child performers were singing and dancing for money and were thankful for any tourist who would give them a donation.

Vendors were set up along the Pisco boardwalk area and we were able to purchase an authentic Peruvian blanket.  Dennis bought a shark’s tooth necklace with hand-beaded work in the chain.  A few vendors were selling their wares at the San Martin Pier and we also had a chance to do a little souvenir shopping there. 

Dennis is definitely feeling better today, but continues to have a few pretty severe coughing spells. 

We had been warned that we should be very cautious in Peru, as there has been an increase in tourist robberies recently.  We did not have, or witness any safety issues today and absolutely loved this port of call!

Tonight we met Frank and Judy for dinner in the Horizon Court and the four of us will make plans for the Callao (Lima) Peru port of call tomorrow.  We were able to talk to our three sons and Dennis’s parents and sisters today via cell phone. Dennis’s father is still in the hospital and is feeling somewhat better today. 

Before retiring, we were entertained by Tom Briscoe, a comedian, in the Princess Theater. 







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