2014 Latin America Adventure: Day 55-56 - Pisco - Sand dune surfing & "Poor man's" Galapagos

Previous Post: Nasca Lines ( Chariots of the God )

Photo Album: Pisco Sea creatures to Sand dunes

Note: to view a better version of any photo, just click on it. To return, click on the "X" on the top right corner after viewing.

Posts for other dates are located on the left. Expanding other months opens the posts within that month.

We left our hostel in Nasca later than usual, after 9. Our usual time had been 7 or sometime even earlier, however, that is no rush today.
We were still hugging along the coast towards Lima, which we should arrive tomorrow evening.

We were still traveling along the coastal deserts of the Peruvian Pacific coast, with patches of green farm lands, but largely dryness.

Our next stop was Huacachina oasis, in the middle of a huge and majestic sand dune reserve, and they are tall and deep.

The best way to explore monster sandune, is to ...........get on a buggy, which is basically a modified 4x4 with a strong roll cage, for a roller coaster ride over the dunes.

And some sand surfing down a few dunes.

At some stage, I was wondering, why am I doing this....?!! Compare to what we did on Stockton Beach back home, we have some of these high dunes as well, but I would never push my luck so far.

Then again, I figured, with us strapped in properly, and a strong roll cage, what could happen if the buggy rolled, well probably not, may be just a whole lot of sands over us. Assuming there were no fuel spillage !!! Then I also assumed the roll cage is strong......!

Anyhow, we all awarded ourselves an ice-cream after the hour long adventure, and another excitement filled afternoon pocketed.

It's time to leave for Pisco for a Pisco Sour.

When we arrived at the small seaside town of Pisco in the late afternoon, the sky started to turn grey. So it was an early night for me, while the young one went out in search of the local drink.

The next morning, the sky was staying grey, and was not budging at all.

We came to Pisco for a reason....that was to see some marine lives along this stretch of the coast, and a speedboat was waiting for us....No, we waited for the boat for over an hour.

While they clear up the bird poos.....

Oops, sorry, wrong boat !

While doing that, what can be more entertaining than watching our collection of utility knives ( kitchen, cheese...etc.) being sharpened by a man with his motorized sharpener. And it took him a good 40 - 50 minutes to sharpen a grand total of 5 knives. I think it was more about wearing them down !! Good grief ! But, no more blunt knives for the rest of the trip, for sure!

When we finally boarded the boat for our trip to cruise around the Islas Ballestas...but unfortunately, the sky was still very very grey.

These few small islands just off the coast are as also nick named as the "Poor Man's Gallapagos". Micro islands, they are, teeming with marine lives ( birds, sea lions. penguins etc ) and a giant ancient geoglyph along the way as well.

Another giant gelgylph on the sandy slopes.

While the Galapagos would be the last leg of this trip, I certainly can identify these islands with some of those off Brunny Island, south of Tasmania. If not because of the greyish sky, it would have been a fantastic day out.