We took off Friday afternoon for Paracas, a fishing village about 250 km south of Lima. We rode with Ormeno bus line — the Royal class — which provided a double-decker bus, sandwiches, and a movie that we would not characterize as family friendly. The ride was not bad, Will slept for the start of the trip and was only antsy for the last 40 minutes or so of the 3-4 hour trip.
Checking into the hotel was a bit of a bummer. We were hoping to upgrade to a garden-view bungalow in order to get two rooms (ie: a separate quiet room for Will’s early bedtime and napping). None were available and we weren’t about to pay a ton more for an ocean view room. In the end, we splurged the extra $10 or so per night for a crib — it worked out great and we would not hestitate to use this arrangement again. That night, we visited the super-friendly concierge and booked an 8am tour of the Islas Ballestas and inquired to possibly getting into a tour of the Reserve as well (they need a tour to reach a certain number of people before it can be booked).
The tour Saturday morning was wonderful. (See details below). We lucked into a 2:30 Reserve tour — at first the concierge suggested 10:30, right after the island tour, but because of Will’s naptime we passed. We weren’t sure we’d be able to do the reserve, so it was nice to have the opportunity. With the timing of lunch and nap, there was no pool time on Saturday. This was probably a good thing: the sun was out in force and it was a hot day! Because dinner is served so late (after 8pm) we ate the “lonche” sandwiches available from 4-7 each night. The food was great — although expensive and fancy compared to normal Peruvian prices. The hotel sort of sells itself as an “all exclusive” with meal deals, activities, and the like. We opted to pay a-la carte for each meal and it worked out fabulously. Our average meal was maybe $15 and included generous tips to the staff and drinks and food plates for all three of us. I ate meat much more this weekend — vegetarianism is difficult in Peru and cheese is not enough for a pregnant mother! Paul subsisted on alfredo pasta, mushrooms, cheese sandwiches, and rich chocolate and ice cream crepes. (Will and I enjoyed a cheeseburger, the “completo” — egg, ham, and cheese sandwiches, and the “mixto” — hot ham and cheese.) Breakfasts were a rich assortment of scrambled eggs (only made with ham, but easy to eat around if you so wish), breads, jams, fresh-squeezed juices, coffee and tea.
Sunday was a pool day! Check out was at 3. Our bus didn’t leave until 4:45, so we timed the day to eat lunch late — basically at 3 — and only let Will nap for a little over an hour so that we could maximize time in the pool. The hotel boasts three pools. One is a kids pool, which we avoided because it wasn’t that comfortable for adults and well, you know what they say about kids pools. The second was a longer lap-type pool that the child-less adults hung around — it was by the restaurant and had the “be seen” kind of feel. The third was a round river type pool with an island, bridge, swim-up bar, waterfall, and generous stairs. We chose this one: plenty of stairs for Will to play in and lots of other families. This one also was by the ocean, so it provided a nice view.
After check-out, we hung out in the lobby with the other folks waiting for the bus. We met a wonderful Canadian couple who Will quickly adopted (within a few minutes he spontaneously began calling the man “grandpa” — taking him by the hand around the lobby, showing him all his toys, etc.) They were wonderful and all too happy to play with Will (they are grandparents, too, and had been traveling around South America for over a month! On the bus, we met a super nice Australian fellow down on his luck after having his bag stolen in a bus station — passport, credit cards, all his money, camera, etc. We offered him help in Lima and gave him use of the internet phone for getting through to credit companies and figuring out the passport situation. Will adores him (his name is Clinton) and he’s a high school teacher in Sidney who is exactly 1 day older than Skip. So even the trip back was fun and exciting!
Side note: Pisco, the town closest to Paracas, celebrated their annual “Pisco Sour” holiday on Saturday. Wineries surround this area of the coast and produce a variety of beverages, most notably, pisco. The Pisco sour (a cocktail mixed with pisco, egg whites, lemon juice, sugar, and bitters) is effectively Peru’s margarita — and it’s holiday is the first Saturday in February. We managed to see a little of the local celebration: complete with a stage, speeches, and a Pisco sour queen. The drink itself is light and frothy with bitters garnished on the foamy top. According to Frommer’s, this is the recipe:
2 oz. pisco, 1 oz. lime juice, 1/4 oz simply syrup, 1/2 egg white, 1 dash Angostura bitters. Shake with ice and strain into glass; garish with bitters on the creamy top.
Free drinks were given at meals — Paul tried one and managed to get about half of it down before worrying about his ability to walk. He explained to the friendly locals that it wasn’t that the drink was strong, it was that he was weak. They got a great laugh from that. If anyone would like to try this at home (think tangy, homemade moonshine) send us an email and we’ll pick you up a bottle of pisco.
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