Thursday, May 13, 2004
Paracas and the Islas Ballestas
Today Paula and I took a trip to the Ballestas Islands and to Paracas National Park. Our boat left the dock about 8am and sped off towards the Islas Ballestas with a group of Czechs, a few Peruvians, and myself. On the way out to the islands, we went around the Paracas peninsula, and at the seaward edge we had a good view of "El Candelabro", another mysterious figure similar to those we saw at Nazca, carved into the limestone hill on the seashore. There are two theories about the origin and age of this figure, but nobody knows for sure where it came from. The first theory is that this figure was made by the Nazca culture, or perhaps a precursor to the Nazcas that lived on the coast before migrating inland, making it an ancient work of art. The picture was made using similar techniques and styles to the lines at Nazca, and some claim that the figure actually depicts a cactus, rather than a candelabra. The second theory is that this figure is a Masonic symbol left behind by the Argentine general Josè de San Martìn, who fought to liberate Peru from the Spanish. This theory would date the figure to around 1820, and proposes that it was left behind by the general as a sign to passing ships.
After leaving the mystery of "El Candelabro" behind, we jetted off to the Ballestas Islands, where we saw a wide variety of avian and marine wildlife. My favorite were the Humboldt penguins, since I have loved penguins since I was a young boy. We didn't see nearly as many penguins as I saw in South Africa last summer, but it was a treat nonetheless. We also saw a large quantity of Peruvian boobies, both on land and dive-bombing for fish out in the sea. The sea lions that abound on the islands were more of a novelty for the Peruvians and Czechs aboard than for me, since we have plenty back in California, but they always put on a good show, so it was entertaining nonetheless. Sea lions always seem to know when people are watching them, and I think they actually enjoy primping and posing for the strange pink land mammals that peer at them from afar.
In addition to the wildlife, we also got some glimpses of the local economy at work, witnessing the guano harvesters combing one of the islands for fertilizer and local fishermen plying their trade. Apparently bird guano is one of the best fertilizers, so locals scrape it off the rocks of the island and sell it in bulk to local farmers and gardeners. We also saw a small boat with some local fishermen, who showed us their catch. They were fishing for rays, which they sell for about 6 soles each (about US$1.60). We were tempted to buy one for dinner, but we didn't act quickly enough.
Later, we returned to shore, had a brief lunch, and then hopped on a bus to the wildlife reserve on the Paracas peninsula. We saw a few flamingos that had just arrived on the peninsula (it is the beginning of the migratory season, and only a few have arrived so far), and then we headed to my favorite part, La Catedral. La Catedral is a natural stone arch that reaches out into the ocean from the cliffs on the shore, forming a natural shelter beneath. The tan-colored rock contrasts sharply with the brilliant blue water, and makes for a spectacular sight. The formation takes its name from the chapel that is located inside. Apparently, the underside of the formation looks like the inside of a cathedral, so local religious types decided that it would be the perfect place for chapel (despite the steep cliffs and the changing tides). Unfortunately, tourists are no longer allowed to descend the cliffs and enter the chapel -- undoubtedly due to some unfortunate soul falling or drowning in the attempt -- so I was not able to verify this myself. Finally, before heading back, we stopped for drinks at tiny fishing port called Lagunillas, where we relaxed in the sand and sipped our drinks while we watched the fishermen arrive with their catch for the day.
After leaving the mystery of "El Candelabro" behind, we jetted off to the Ballestas Islands, where we saw a wide variety of avian and marine wildlife. My favorite were the Humboldt penguins, since I have loved penguins since I was a young boy. We didn't see nearly as many penguins as I saw in South Africa last summer, but it was a treat nonetheless. We also saw a large quantity of Peruvian boobies, both on land and dive-bombing for fish out in the sea. The sea lions that abound on the islands were more of a novelty for the Peruvians and Czechs aboard than for me, since we have plenty back in California, but they always put on a good show, so it was entertaining nonetheless. Sea lions always seem to know when people are watching them, and I think they actually enjoy primping and posing for the strange pink land mammals that peer at them from afar.
In addition to the wildlife, we also got some glimpses of the local economy at work, witnessing the guano harvesters combing one of the islands for fertilizer and local fishermen plying their trade. Apparently bird guano is one of the best fertilizers, so locals scrape it off the rocks of the island and sell it in bulk to local farmers and gardeners. We also saw a small boat with some local fishermen, who showed us their catch. They were fishing for rays, which they sell for about 6 soles each (about US$1.60). We were tempted to buy one for dinner, but we didn't act quickly enough.
Later, we returned to shore, had a brief lunch, and then hopped on a bus to the wildlife reserve on the Paracas peninsula. We saw a few flamingos that had just arrived on the peninsula (it is the beginning of the migratory season, and only a few have arrived so far), and then we headed to my favorite part, La Catedral. La Catedral is a natural stone arch that reaches out into the ocean from the cliffs on the shore, forming a natural shelter beneath. The tan-colored rock contrasts sharply with the brilliant blue water, and makes for a spectacular sight. The formation takes its name from the chapel that is located inside. Apparently, the underside of the formation looks like the inside of a cathedral, so local religious types decided that it would be the perfect place for chapel (despite the steep cliffs and the changing tides). Unfortunately, tourists are no longer allowed to descend the cliffs and enter the chapel -- undoubtedly due to some unfortunate soul falling or drowning in the attempt -- so I was not able to verify this myself. Finally, before heading back, we stopped for drinks at tiny fishing port called Lagunillas, where we relaxed in the sand and sipped our drinks while we watched the fishermen arrive with their catch for the day.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Still Learning
Sometimes I wonder if I get stupider as I travel rather than wiser. Today I managed to prove once again that even experienced travelers can do incredibly stupid things and pay the price for it. On the bus from Nazca (where we visited the famous Nazca lines) to Ica, I had my small daypack stolen from the luggage rack above my head. With as much time as I have spent in Latin America, I should know never to put my things there, and indeed I always keep my pack at my feet. However, today I was getting on the bus with Paula and a guy struck up a conversation with her and then for some stupid reason I let him handle my bag, something I never do. He put it above the seat, where it is most vulnerable, and I now realize that he was one of the thief's accomplices. Of course, I knew at the time that this was suspicious, and I actually took my bag down at one point for this reason, but for some reason unknown to any sensible person, I put the bag back up there again, so as to have more leg room for the relatively short journey.
Well, I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much. Despite the stupidity in losing the bag, my travel experience has made me more flexible in terms of dealing with losses like that, and I am able to bounce back from them emotionally relatively quickly. And my travel experience did lead to guard all my most important things, like the camera, passport, money, etc. in a much less vulnerable spot. The worst things I lost were my biggest memory card (which luckily only had about 20 pictures on it), my spare battery and battery charger, my CDs and CD player, and some mementos from my travels. That's not too bad, though, since many of the CDs and the CD player itself were copies, and I can replace them relatively cheaply here in Peru. And I have a copy of the photo CD that I lost, which I will copy again and mail immediately to safeguard the Baltic and Sweden photos.
Now we are in Pisco, from where we will visit the Islas Ballestas and Paracas tomorrow. Paracas and the islands are nature reserves with many birds, sea lions, and natural beauty. I will give a report on the islands and on the Nazca lines soon.
Well, I guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much. Despite the stupidity in losing the bag, my travel experience has made me more flexible in terms of dealing with losses like that, and I am able to bounce back from them emotionally relatively quickly. And my travel experience did lead to guard all my most important things, like the camera, passport, money, etc. in a much less vulnerable spot. The worst things I lost were my biggest memory card (which luckily only had about 20 pictures on it), my spare battery and battery charger, my CDs and CD player, and some mementos from my travels. That's not too bad, though, since many of the CDs and the CD player itself were copies, and I can replace them relatively cheaply here in Peru. And I have a copy of the photo CD that I lost, which I will copy again and mail immediately to safeguard the Baltic and Sweden photos.
Now we are in Pisco, from where we will visit the Islas Ballestas and Paracas tomorrow. Paracas and the islands are nature reserves with many birds, sea lions, and natural beauty. I will give a report on the islands and on the Nazca lines soon.
Nazca Lines
Today I visited the extraordinary Nazca Lines, the enormous figures drawn in the earth by the ancient Nazca culture. The truly amazing thing about these figures is that they can only be fully viewed and appreciated from the air. From the ground, where one would presume the pre-Inca culture of Nazca would have seen these pictures, they appear to be nothing more than shallow trenches dug into the soil. However, if you pay to take a short flight around the site, the trenches transform themselves into giant pictoglyphs of a hummingbird, a monkey, a condor, a spider, a figure called the "astronaut", and many other animals and geometric shapes.
Of course, these strange and mysterious figures have given rise to several theories, including the ever-popular alien-visitation explanation. Due to the odd "astronaut" picture, which seems to depict some sort of other-worldly anthropomorphic being, and to the fact that the pictures can only be seen from the air, many have postulated that these figures were the work of inter-planetary visitors. Other theories propose that these figures had religious and ceremonial purposes, since the figures bear a striking resemblance to the pictures that shamans draw after emerging from their drug-induced trances. The presence of the many straight lines and geometric figures lends credence to this explanation, as it is believed that many ceremonies involved walking in perfectly straight lines. Perhaps these trenches were meant to guide the priests and religious processions, since any deviation from the straight path was blamed for crop failures, deaths, and any other misfortune that befell the community.
After the morning flight, I decided not to stick around Nazca any longer, since the lines are about the only thing of interest, so instead we headed over to Pisco on the coast. Tomorrow we will visit Paracas and the Islas Ballestas, a popular site along the south coast of Peru.
Of course, these strange and mysterious figures have given rise to several theories, including the ever-popular alien-visitation explanation. Due to the odd "astronaut" picture, which seems to depict some sort of other-worldly anthropomorphic being, and to the fact that the pictures can only be seen from the air, many have postulated that these figures were the work of inter-planetary visitors. Other theories propose that these figures had religious and ceremonial purposes, since the figures bear a striking resemblance to the pictures that shamans draw after emerging from their drug-induced trances. The presence of the many straight lines and geometric figures lends credence to this explanation, as it is believed that many ceremonies involved walking in perfectly straight lines. Perhaps these trenches were meant to guide the priests and religious processions, since any deviation from the straight path was blamed for crop failures, deaths, and any other misfortune that befell the community.
After the morning flight, I decided not to stick around Nazca any longer, since the lines are about the only thing of interest, so instead we headed over to Pisco on the coast. Tomorrow we will visit Paracas and the Islas Ballestas, a popular site along the south coast of Peru.
Monday, May 10, 2004
Arequipa Culinary Explorations
After knocking organized tours in my last blog, I have to be fair and admit the good things that can come out of a tour as well. The best thing that resulted from the Colca Canyon tour was my friendship with Paula, a local from the outskirts of Arequipa. Since our return to Arequipa, she has taken me to quite a few of the local haunts and introduced me to many of the Arequipeña culinary specialties. Yesterday she took me to the suburb of Sachaca, where she treated me to chupe de camarones, a local dish with crayfish ("crawdads"), fried cheese, potatoes, and vegetables in a tomato broth. Quite messy, but also very tasty. And the trip to Sachaca was worth the effort simply for the view, the peaks of the Chichani and Ampato volcanoes rising behind the sprawling city, with fieldworkers tending the fertile fields in the foreground. In fact, I may take a trip out there again today just to take a few pictures and soak up the spectacular paisajes.
On Saturday, Paula introduced me to locro (I'm not really sure what kind of vegetable it is, but it seems to be some sort of mashed gourd) and rocoto relleno (stuffed pepper), as she was slightly aghast that I had not yet sampled this traditional Arequipeña dish during my stay. Both were surprisingly delicious, and since she knows the town, we were able to get the plate for about half what it would cost in the tourist area around the central plaza. All of these dishes, combined with the chicarrón de chancho (pork baked in a wood-burning oven) on Sunday for Mother's Day, and grilled alpaca meat from the street corner, have succeeded in changing my opinion of Andean cuisine. On my last few trips, I was not impressed by too many South American dishes -- apart from Peruvian ceviche, which I love -- and I had just about given up on Andean cooks. With my local guide, however, I have discovered that there is a lot more to Peruvian cuisine than I had previously thought, and this has only added to my love for this country.
I have not really visited any of the "must-see" tourist spots here in Arequipa, such as the Santa Catalina convent or the Juanita mummy museum (the Inca woman that was found in one of the local volcanoes), but instead have had a more in-depth exposure to the local life and culture, which is the way I prefer to travel. Part of the reason I travel is to learn more about different cultures and ways of life, and I have definitely had an eye-opening experience here in the south of Peru, visiting Paula's family and getting to know the places where the Arequipeños live and socialize, as opposed to the over-priced center of town where the rich tourists and pickpockets congregate. It is possible that I will go to some of the tourist spots before I leave for Nazca, but probably not. I have to leave something for my next trip, after all...
On Saturday, Paula introduced me to locro (I'm not really sure what kind of vegetable it is, but it seems to be some sort of mashed gourd) and rocoto relleno (stuffed pepper), as she was slightly aghast that I had not yet sampled this traditional Arequipeña dish during my stay. Both were surprisingly delicious, and since she knows the town, we were able to get the plate for about half what it would cost in the tourist area around the central plaza. All of these dishes, combined with the chicarrón de chancho (pork baked in a wood-burning oven) on Sunday for Mother's Day, and grilled alpaca meat from the street corner, have succeeded in changing my opinion of Andean cuisine. On my last few trips, I was not impressed by too many South American dishes -- apart from Peruvian ceviche, which I love -- and I had just about given up on Andean cooks. With my local guide, however, I have discovered that there is a lot more to Peruvian cuisine than I had previously thought, and this has only added to my love for this country.
I have not really visited any of the "must-see" tourist spots here in Arequipa, such as the Santa Catalina convent or the Juanita mummy museum (the Inca woman that was found in one of the local volcanoes), but instead have had a more in-depth exposure to the local life and culture, which is the way I prefer to travel. Part of the reason I travel is to learn more about different cultures and ways of life, and I have definitely had an eye-opening experience here in the south of Peru, visiting Paula's family and getting to know the places where the Arequipeños live and socialize, as opposed to the over-priced center of town where the rich tourists and pickpockets congregate. It is possible that I will go to some of the tourist spots before I leave for Nazca, but probably not. I have to leave something for my next trip, after all...
