Adventures in Paracas and Huacachina, Peru

It was nice to leave the business of Lima, as we were excited to see some real Peruvian culture, and that can sometimes be lost in a big city. We found a company called “Peru Hop” which is a bus tour company that stops at the major tourist destinations. The best part is that you don’t have a strict itinerary to follow and you can stop at each city for as long as you want and get back on the bus when you are ready. The bus also stops at various free tours along the way.

Our first stop was in Paracas. A fishing village along the coast and gateway to the Ballestas Islands (aka the poor man’s Galápagos Islands). We spent only one night here because all we wanted to see were the islands, and it ended up being heaven on earth for the kids because there was a sandy beach! Oh boy, give our children sand and they are good for hours!

We had to pull them away for some dinner, and since we were in a fishing village, we had to try some sea food. We each chose a dish and shared amongst the family. We had:

1. Ceviche (raw fish in vinegar - Amanda was very uncertain about this one but ended up liking it very much)
2. Grilled Octopus
3. Battered fish pieces and fries
4. A whole fish in a delicious yellow sauce (we still have no idea what the sauce was, but it was amazing - the family favourite! Adeline even sucked on the bones!)

After dinner, it was straight back to the beach!

Thr next morning we went on out boat ride to the Ballestas Islands. We passed so many beautifully painted fishing boats along the way. The fist bit of wildlife we saw were Cormorants. The birds were fishing along side the boats. Perhaps the boats were churning up the fish, but it was amazing watching the birds dive down from high above the water and then come bobbing back up again. There were literally hundreds perhaps thousands of birds massed together diving and fishing. It was a spectacular show! It took about half an hour to get to the islands where we saw a few Humbolt Penguins, Peruvian Pelicans, Terns, a bazillion Cormorants and Peruvian Boobies, but the most exciting part was definitely the sea lions. Some lounging on the rocks in the sun, some swimming leisurely in the water, others fighting the waves to climb the rocks... But being surrounded by so many birds, someone was likely to be hit by some guano (bird poo), and of course, Amanda was the lucky one! One little plop and a splatter that made its mark all over Amanda (pants, shirt, face - everything)! But that is a sign of good luck, right?



On our way to the next town we stopped at an old Hacienda (manor house in the country) where they used to have slaves work for the owners. In fact, they used to smuggle slaves in to avoid paying taxes and so an intricate system of tunnels were built underneath the property in order to transport the slaves. It was so sad to hear the story of the past and how people were treated. We were escorted though the tunnels and were shown the punishment rooms that still had some bones from the past. Our guide told us that there are ghosts that are still seen by the guests that stay there, as it is used as a hotel now. It was definitely a beautiful property with a wonderful yard the kids could play in for a little while before getting back on the bus,

The next town we stayed in was Huacachina. This town is centred around a lagoon, but is completely surrounded by sand dunes! We arrived at our hostel and almost immediately set out for an amazing dune buggy ride and sand boarding adventure. David warned us all before we started that it was like a rollercoaster ride, but all Amanda could think about while we were driving was “oh no, I promised my mom that I would keep her grandchildren safe!!” It was a crazy ride, up and down, turns and bumps! There were seat belts made out of old car seat belts that worked most of the time. Both David and Amanda found themselves in a situation where they realized that they weren’t buckled in, and when you bump, you really get launched, so we made sure they got buckled up quickly. Both of the children were whooping and hooting because they were having such a  great time, while Amanda was peeing her pants and  playing worst case senarios through her head. What would she do if the buggy flipped over. What would she do if one of the kids fell out, etc. The adrenaline ride was accompanied by some very fun sand boarding. While the dunes looked quite steep, we were only allowed to lay down on the board like a toboggan. Our guide waxed up the bottom and gave us a push and down we went. The kids were addicted! The adventure ended while sitting and watching an amazing sunset. There is something magical about sunsets in the desert! This was a favourite so far, and there is still lots to do!