New Year's in Pisco

In an attempt to speed up our travels south, Jeff and I decided to spend our New Year´s in Pisco. We figured the namesake of such a tasty beverage would be a good place to ring in the new year. Perhaps we should have done a bit more research. The town was hit hard by an earthquake in 2007, though in many respects it looked as though the earthquake could have occurred yesterday.

Both Jeff and I were thoroughly disappointed by Pisco and felt as though two nights was more than enough time (too much time!). We were, however, very impressed by the two half-day excursions we made during our visit.

We arrived in Pisco on the morning of the 31st and immediately went to check out tour possibilities for the Paracas National Reserve and the Islas Ballestas, which were the primary reasons for our visit to Pisco. Though both attractions could be viewed as part of a one-day tour, we decided to split the two up in order to have more time in the National Reserve.

Both Jeff and I were impressed by the rugged terrain and the incongruity of the sea in the middle of a vast dessert.

For lunch we got to eat at an ocean-front restaurant. I enjoyed some fresh grilled corvina (sea bass) and Jeff, our culinary adventurer, had some tasty fried tiburón (shark).

A fossilized dinosaur egg

Neither of us were up to celebrate the new decade, as we had to be ready for our 7:00 A.M. departure the next morning. Pisco has earned the name "The Poor Man's Galapagos" because of the Islas Ballestas, which are home to a number of bird species and sea lions. We took a half-hour boat ride to the islands, stopping to take pictures of the Paracas Candelabra. The exact origins of these lines are unknown.

Paracas candelabra

When we got to the islands themselves I was stunned by the vast array of wildlife. I did not stop smiling during the entire boat ride, as I happily took picture after picture of all the different animals. Though Jeff and I agree it would have been more fun to actually get off the boats, I am fairly sure we would not have been able to take a step without crushing an animal or stepping in bird excrement. When we returned to the docks, my first question to Jeff was "can we go again?"