Neuve Neuvo Heuvos! ⇒
That is about the extent of the Spanish I have learned so far...nine new eggs!! Not much hope for me is there? After our last update, we met our tour group and leader. It is a very full trip with 34 people on it! Our group leader has an interesting nickname, Flo. His real name is Lawrene, but he did several tours in Europe and his name sounds like Florence, so that«s how he got the nickname! Most of the people on our tour are from either the UK or Australia, with a smattering of Kiwis, Austrians, Irish and some other Canadians. All in all, a very good group.
Lima is not a very nice city. It is crowded (over 12 million people!!!!!) and dirty and dangerous. We did go see a great museum though, the National Museum. It showed the progression of civilizations that lived around Peru. Neat models too. And we successfully ordered a taxi back to our tour! Christine is sure picking up Spanish quickly! We were glad to get out of Lima.
From Lima we headed out to Pisco, a small little town with nothing in it! It is, however, the birthplace of the famous Pisco Sour, a great, potent drink! We are not sure what the alcohol is...some kind of fermented plant definately, plus lemon juice and egg whites. Very nummy. And dangerous to drink too many! The next day we went to Ballestas Island off the coast of Pisco. It is known for its Guano, that was worth more than gold in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is still collected there and sold for use in fertilizer. There is also a huge seal colony there...there must have been over a 1000 seals!!
Next stop, one of the attractions that we were really looking forward to, the Nazca Lines. These are large geometric shapes and pictures created by the Incas hundreds of years ago. No one know why they did it; some say they were praying to the gods for rain, some say it is cosmic-related (some of the long lines, line up with stars and the sun/moon). To see them, you must fly over them in a little tiny plane. The ride is quite the stomach turner as the pilot first banks hard one way and then the other so that both sides of the plane can see each picture. We were glad to land!! But it was very, very cool to see them! I hope our pictures turn out as it is very hard to take pictures from the bumpy plane through the window.
Yesterday, we went to the Puerto Inca resort, which is just a small resort on the ocean. Not much to do there...laze on the beach, laze at the pool, walk around some Inca ruins...just take it easy. The afternoon had the world famous Nibble Party, put together by Peeky (our driver) and Flo. A whole bunch of different appetizers...and of course much booze! Then dinner (and more booze) and then of course, kareoke!! Boy, are we ever lousy singers! This resort also has the worlds hardest pool table!! The pockets are so narrow, it is almost impossible to pot anything!!
Today we arrived in Arequipa, which is a lovely town. Very clean, some really cool sites to see. Tonight we have a group dinner and then we may catch some of the live music or visit a club or two. Tomorrow is the convent, the cathedral and the market and then more great food! The weather is steadily improving and we finally have some sunshine! We were getting a little worried about the weather as it has been unseasonably cool and overcast.
We are off to Colca Canyon the day after tomorrow and then on to the Inca Trail. We will report in from Cusco.
Adios!