Lima - Paracas - Nazca

This is the first chance to blog properly. Im writing this offline on the bus on the way to Nazca, which is a small town a few hundred km south of Lima.

Yesterday we left the hotel in Lima at 6:30am and drove for about 3 hours and went to Paracas. From there we did a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands which is like a Galapicus Island excursion. It was a guided tour with about 20 passengers on the speed boat. We visited about three islands full of birds and sealions.

From there we travelled another bit and stopped off near a town called Ica. We had lunch and all did another excursion out into the desert in dune buggies and we all did some sand boarding down the dunes. Basically its like surfing or bodyboarding down the giant sand dunes. It was unreal craic. After that we watched the sun set over the horizon and they set up a BBQ and camp fire out in the middle of the desert and we ate under the stars. We had a few beers with us and an unlimited supply of Pisco Sours which is their local cocktail. Its a bit like gin and tonic and is fairly strong. We had our sleeping bags with us and we rolled them out in the sand and all slept under the stars with no mats or camps.

It really was an unreal experience. There was sand dunes everywhere and no vegetation whatsoever so it was a real desert experience, like something straight out of a film. I woke around 6:30 am and we cleaned up the camp site and headed back to our base around 7am. The base was like a miniature resort with a pool and showers and things like that. We ate breakfast and jumped on the bus, where im emailing from now.

The way the food works is that we get all our meals while travelling and doing excursions. We were split into three groups and each group has a day setting up the food and eating utensils. We all wash our own plates and cutlery. I escaped being in any group and instead myself and another guy are responsible for unloading the bus, including all the food at meals and the gas cookers. Its grand as when thats done we can relax and watch everyone else get the food ready.

There are 14 people on our tour. A few Scots, English, Kiwis and Aussies. There is a girl from Belfast who is the only other Irish person on the tour. Its a nice mix of people and they all seem sound. There is 34 seats on the bus so there is plenty of room.

Im now finishing this email at our second base in Nazca. Its like another little resort with a pool, small bar and restaurant. We set up our tents in the shade on the lawn right beside a small petting zoo. We had lunch earlier and we will head into the town in a while to pick up a few bits. So far so good, im very impressed with the tour.