Peru Extract

	Touchdown at Bonaire
After a 4am pickup at Shalford for a 6.30 flight to Amsterdam, we overflew Guildford again at midday before touching down 11 hours later at Bonaire in the Caribean. After a further 4 hours we reached Lima in the early evening.

	Marguerita at the museum
A 9am start for the morning tour of Lima - starting at the archaelogical museum. Here we see Marguerita as enthusiastic as ever, explaining the significance of the animals shown in this early carved stone.

	Mummy
The ancient indiginous Peruvians buried their dead in foetal position. This is a well preserved example due to the dry atmosphere.

	Erotic pots
The museum contained many examples of ancient Peruvian pots. They were in the form of animals, people, objects and these sexually explicit pots seemed particularly popular.

	More pots

	A dog jug
A particularly fine example of a jug in the form of a dog.

	Llama pots.

	The Museum
The archaeological musem from across the square, plus the statue of Simon Bolivar.

	Typical house
Typical house in a posh part of Lima. Note the cage around the front garden.

	Changing of the guard
Changing the guard at the presidential palace.

	The real guard
The real guards of the palace plus the band.

	The main square, Lima
The palace from across the main square. (Composite photo)

	Central Lima
Entrance to Old Post Office Arcade on Aliaga Street in Lima.

	Central Lima

	San Francisco Monastery in Lima

	Cloisters at old monastery

	Old Monastery

	Monastery Church

	Monastery Cloisters
We are led by Marguerite

	Main square in Lima

	Lima
View North West showing shany town on lower slopes of mountain.

	Lima

	Lima
Showing half built half occupied houses in front of more shanties

	Park
The next day we started on our coach journey south heading first to Mirafiores. View of the pier from park in Mirafiores district of Lima

	Park
Lovers statue in Mirafiores park.

	Pier at Mirafiores

	Peruvian hairless dog

	Pachacamac
Model showing the pre-inca temple complex of Pachacamac - the next stop along the coast to the south.

	Pachacamac
Pachacamac - Temple of the Sun

	Pachacamac

	Pachacamac
View of encroaching shanty town.

	Pachacamac
Guard overlooking the site

	Pachacamac

	Pachacamac

	Pachacamac
View from temple to the Pacific

	Pachacamac

	Motorway South

	Toll booths

	Road safety

	Shanty town stage 1
The houses in a shanty town start by laying down mats and matting walls.

	Shanty town stage 2
Then a more permanent structure is established.

	Shanty Town
And then it grows into an entire town - overlooking the Pacific in this case.

	Cycle Race
Just because it's the only main road south doesn't stop it being blocked by a cycle race and this truck of supporters.

	Cycle race

	Hacienda San Jose
A late lunch at the Hacienda at Chincha.

	Hacienda San Jose
The entertainment

	Hacienda San Jose
Music from an animal's jawbone by rattling the teeth.

	Hacienda San Jose
In the cellars

	Hacienda San Jose

	Hacienda San Jose
The hacienda's church

	Jean
Photographing cotton on the way from San Jose back to the main road.

	Paracas
After a long day in the coach, we finished at Paracas just south of Pisco. Overnight at a waterside hotel with pools and a fantastic view http://www.hotelparacas.com/welcome/index.html

	Paracas
Our bungalow

	Paracas
View from the bungalow

	Paracas
Pelicans on the jetty

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Next day, our journey to the Ballestas Islands by speed boat.

	Ballestas Islands
but first we paused at this promontery - full of pelicans.

	Ballestas Islands
and an ancient drawing in the sand of a candelabra cactus

	Ballestas Islands
Further out to sea, our destination. An island group, home to thousands of seabirds and their guano.

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands
including this group of penguins

	Ballestas Islands
and baby sealions

	Ballestas Islands
and not so baby sealions

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands

	Ballestas Islands
And yes, the boat did drive through this arch - and unlike a boat in the week of 8 May 04, didn't hit a rock and eject its passengers.

	Ballestas Islands
sealion beach

	Paracas
Back to the hotel - the private jetty (composite photo)

	South of Pisco
And then we continued South - down this road which needs to be constantly swept for sand.

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even here, the shanty towns spring up

	Ica Museum
Lunch was a picnic in the grounds of the museum. We borrowed the chairs from the museum cafe - to which the surplus food was given! Note the Inca Cola - Peru is the only country in the world where Coke isn't the market leader.

	The road to Nazca
Fellow traveller Pete videos where we're about to go.

	The Road to Nazca
Yes, this really was the main road! And we haven't changed to the bus with the strengthened suspension yet.

	Nazca
It's all right we'd pre-booked

	Nazca
our trip on a light plane to view the Nazca Lines.

	Nazca
The Nazca lines are scratched into the surface of the desert and are only visible from the air. The weather is such that despite being hundreds of years old, the lines are still visible.

	Nazca

	Nazca

	Nazca
Back at Nazca, these holes go down to underground water channels.

	The drive South East to Arequipa
Next day, our journey continued South - pausing for a walk along the beach.

	The drive South East to Arequipa

	The drive South East to Arequipa
and Howard went for a paddle in the Pacific - warmer than off Half Moon Bay in January!

	The drive South East to Arequipa
coffee (or coca tea) stop

	The drive South East to Arequipa

	The drive South East to Arequipa
and lunch - another picnic, this time by the sea. (We think that this picnic might have been responsible for the food poisoning outbreak on the trip!) We can't be sure, but we suspect this was the cause of rampant food poisoning in our Bales tour group. It wasn't helped by the intense sun, lack of any shade and no facilities!

	The drive South East to Arequipa
But it did have a tremendous view of the Pacific Ocean

	The drive South East to Arequipa
if very little shade from the intenense sun. The coach park had lots of room.

	The drive South East to Arequipa
Jean and cacti

	The drive South East to Arequipa
More cacti and the Pacific behind.

	The drive South East to Arequipa
This is where the road went (enhanced photo)

	The drive South East to Arequipa
(enhanced photo)

	The drive South East to Arequipa
(enhanced photo)

	The drive South East to Arequipa
Thankfully we were driving by day.

	The drive South East to Arequipa

	The drive South East to Arequipa

	The drive South East to Arequipa
Now where's the RAC when you want them. We broke down due to a hydraulic fault which our two drivers repaired. It really was in the middle of the desert and a long drive in any direction to the nearest town. We'd been giving a lift to two policemen most of the day, but they deserted us for the police vehicle that stopped to assist.

	Arequipa - Misti volcano
The breakdown meant it was after dark, so our first view of the volcanoes surrounding Arequipa was the next morning. This is Misti. We changed in Arequipa to a different bus - with a strengthened suspension.

	Arequipa

	Arequipa

	Arequipa
Street vendors ignoring the attempts to move them on

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent
The Santa Catalina Convent is almost a city within a city. Initially more of a finishing school than a convent it is now in a very small part still a convent. Tourists are shown the older parts as they would have been in the 17/18th century. http://www.cusco-peru.org/cultural-cusco-museum-cusco-santa-catalina-convent-museum.shtml

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

	Arequipa - Plaza des Armes
The main square in Arequipa.

	Arequipa
La Compania church, just off the Plaza des Armes

	Arequipa
La Compania church, just off the Plaza des Armes

	Arequipa
La Compania church, just off the Plaza des Armes - close up of detail of carving

	Arequipa
La Compania church, interior

	Arequipa
La Compania church, interior - back chapel being restored

	Arequipa
Cloisters next door to the church, now mainly up-market alpacca shops.

	Arequipa
Collonade covering pavement round Plaza des Armes

	Vicunias on road to Colca Canyon

	Refreshment stop on the way to Chivay
This is where the metalled road stopped and the dirt roads began. We stopped here for coca tea (made by infusing coca leaves in hot water - not to my taste and not legal in the UK!) We also picked up these 4 policemen who wanted a lift for about 50 miles.

	Our hitchhikers take their seats

	The road to Chivay

	The inevitable tourist trap with alpacca

	We went the other way
Our hitchhiking policemen leave on foot for the rest of their journey!

	Spot the rabbit

	Spot the main road

	Chivay market

	near Chivay
A stop on the way up the Colca Valley to the Colca Canyon

	near Chivay

	near Chivay
They were breakfasting on a porridgey drink and bread.

	Colca Valley
Terracing for cultivation

	Waiting for the condors
We had a two hour stop at the point where Andean condors regularly soar in the thermals above the Colca Canyon.

	Andean condor
They turned up for the last 15 minutes!

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