April 08th
Arrived in Lima, Peru, and I was ready for my next adventure. Went to the counter for Bus Express which is a new service offered. Problem is that they only travel from the airport to the Miraflores Region. They suggested that I go to the Green Taxi service. At this counter, they have a set rate and I had read that it was usually 60.00(Peruvian Pesos). They charged me 50.00 which is under 20.00 CDN and I was pleased with that.
I was concerned about what it would cost to eat out in this district as I read it was the most expensive area in all of Lima. When I talked to them at the desk, they mentioned where I could get some groceries and also where a mall was located. I walked down to the mall and thought I was using the currency converter wrong. When I looked up the cost for a meal at the food court, it worked out to be around 7.00CDN average. I ordered a meal and paid by Visa … I checked my account to see how accurate the currency exchange was … it was pretty darn close. Cheapest meal I have had to pay for in a long time. Love it!!!
April 09th
Today, I have to take it easy as I leave at 3:00am for my next tour! Wow! 3:00am! Never have I gone this early for a tour. Anyway, I went for a short walk in the afternoon and had a poodle try to attack me. The owner was the problem here, and I warned her that if that dog tries to nip me again, I will have to lift it. Well, it made an attempt and I did give it a little lift and off it ran yelping. I barely touched it and it yelped as if I had run a car into it. LOL
I then headed to the mall for a bite to eat. I decided to try Popeye’s chicken. A young pregnant lady served me and when I paid, she gave me over $10.00 in change! I looked at her in astonishment and she apologized. I asked for a copy of my bill. She passed the bill to me and then passed me some more change. It was then that I realized that she was trying to rip me off! She went back into the kitchen and didn’t come out until after I was served the food … interesting … and disappointing. Food was pretty good though.
Got back to the room and went straight to bed … 7:30pm as I had to get up at 2:30am and get ready to go.
April 10th
This was one of the tours that I have been looking forward to. I have read about them and seen documentaries about them … the Nazca Lines!!! I had booked this tour through Viator and I have had relatively good success with Viator. However, the company that they used here … amazing!!!! Gray Line, Viajes Pacifico Day Tours was so well organized, was I impressed.
I went downstairs at 2:50am and the guide was already there waiting. We sat down and he explained to me what was going to happen. We then went outside and got in a van that drove me to the bus station. The guide took me into the bus station and showed me where to go and when to line up. Now, I have travelled on a variety of buses, but this bus company, Cruz Del Sur, were … unbelievable!!
First, if you have luggage, you go to the booth and they weigh it and give you a tag. Then, you line up and someone checks your tag. When you go outside, there is someone that checks your carry-on and has a hand-held security frisk scanner and quickly goes over your body. When you get on the bus, the seats were so amazing. They were similar to the first class seats that you find on a plane. The seat reclines over 45 degrees with lots of leg room and your own television. Just when you think you are about to get underway, I security comes onto the bus and videotapes every person. Now we are on the road and I was able to have a lovely nap. The drive from Lima to Paracas was 3 hours and 40 minutes.
I was met at the bus terminal by another guide who held a sign with my name on it. I was ushered outside and taken to their office. Here, she mentioned that I would have about half an hour wait before getting on the boat tour. So, I walked around town and by the harbor to see the sites and take a few photos.
I returned back to their office and was ushered into another vehicle, with a different driver and driven a short distance to the wharf.
At the wharf we were to leave at 8:00am, but because of a couple straggler tourists we lost 15 minutes of our touring time. We finally got going and our first stop was at the oldest lines in Peru, the chandelier. Apparently this particular lines (officially called Candelabra of Andes) predates the Nazca Lines and supposedly can usually only be seen by boat.
We then headed out to Isla Baltestas. I have never seen so many birds all in one place, with a smell to match. LOL On one spot, I thought it was a patch of dark green bushes, but was informed that it was cormorants gathered together! Wow!
There were seagulls and a huge variety of birds.
We then saw four penguins on top of the island and would be the only penguins we saw today.
We also saw a number of Sea Lions.
While the boatload of us were taking photos the guide was doing a great job explaining in English and Spanish, what this was all about. Our final stopping point was a little inlet with a huge group of Sea Lions including a lot of baby Sea Lions. This tour lady informed me before we went on the tour that this was a perfect time to go to the island especially to see the baby Sea Lions.
When we returned we were offered free coffee and croissants. Again, I was met with a tour guide who took me to a different car and drove back to the office. We waited for about half an hour and then I was ushered into a van with two other people and we made our way to the airport which was ten minutes away.
At the airport we were taken up to the counter and all of us were weighed to determine which side of the plane we sit on. Going through the airport security and then had to wait to walk out to our plane. This plane could seat 11 tourists but there were only 7 of us on this plane. The plane that left before us was full.
The flight was a total of one hour and forty minutes long. It took thirty minutes to get to the Nazca Line site. The pilot did an awesome job explaining what we were about to see and gave us plenty of warning so we could get our cameras ready. He flew over for the people sitting on the right side of the plane to see first and then swung around for us, who were sitting on the left side, to see. I was fortunate that no one was sitting across from me, so I reached my phone over and the seat and did a few videos of the lines. When the plane swung around for us to see, I used my good camera to take photos of each line. It was absolutely incredible.
For those that do not know much about the Nazca Lines, they are a huge mystery. They were created by moving the surface rocks to each side of the line exposing white sediment. The rocks on each side were perfectly geometrically lined to create some amazing shapes. It was explained to us, on our way to the airport, that because of the heat that comes from the rocks that were piled to each side of the white sediment, that more heat comes from that and the wind does not get into the lines. Because of the temperature and minimal amount of rainfall, there is no erosion. The only threat to these historical lines being destroyed are humans.
I was fortunate to see the following shapes:
Ballena Whale
Compass
Trapezoids
Astronaut
Monkey
Dog
Hummingbird
Spider
Condor
Tree – Hands – Lizard
Parrot
Heron Bird
The time flew quickly and we started to head back to the airport 30 minutes away. Before we left the airport 4 people mentioned that they were told to make certain they had a light breakfast before this flight. Well, with the up and down and sideways movement of the plane, it was having an impact. LOL One guy was a little green when he got into the van. Hahahaha
Next, I was taken back to the office and went in an elevator next door to a restaurant. Lunch was included in my package. I was impressed with the choices and there was a great deal of food.
After lunch, I went back down to the office and in about fifteen minutes was taken back up to the bus terminal. I got on the bus and headed back to Lima. Again, they offered ear phones that you can borrow to watch TV, lent blankets and pillows and gave a sandwich with a dessert and a glass of soda. This service is by far better than most plane companies.
At the bus terminal in Lima, I was again greeted by a different guide who ushered me to a van and drove me back to the hotel. I was picked up at 2:50am and dropped off at 8:15pm … a long day … a long tour. It was absolutely amazing! For a complicated tour that involved cars, vans, buses and planes, they made it look so easy. Communication and organization was this company’s strong suit. They just celebrated twenty years in business and I would highly recommend them. Also, the company Aerodiana that flew us to the lines was very professionally run. I had heard that there were some plane outfits that were not safe to fly in … this was not one of those companies.
What a fantastic day!