Lima and Ica

Lima, the capitol of Peru, is a large, polluted, seaside city. Traffic is horrible and all the buildings are grimy from smog. However, there is an afluent suburb called Mira Flores that is in stark contrast with the rest of the city. We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast here run by two English-speaking local women who were extremely helpful. We arrived early in the evening and after dropping our bags in our room went for a long walk toward the ocean. This area is very safe and enjoyable to walk around. There are lots of restaurants, hotels, stores, businesses and homes. After our six-hour bus trip from Trujillo we were ready for some dinner and headed to an area that is lined with Italian restaraunts. We shared a small pizza and spaghetti bolognese along with our first Pisco Sour. This drink is what the margarita is to Mexico; a national drink of sorts. Pisco is a brandy made from grapes and named after a bird that is plentiful in the town of Pisco located to the north. A Pisco Sour is Pisco blended with lime juice and egg whites. Sometimes they add bitters and a pinch of cinnamon and sugar. For someone who doesn´t drink much alcohol anymore, I must admit that it´s a pretty tastey drink! Our first one was included with our meal and it hasn´t been the last we´ve had either.

We spent all of 1 1/2 days in Lima and walked all over Mira Flores. At the recomendation of our hotel hosts we partook in a splendidly delicious buffet meal at a restaraunt in an upscale outdoor, multi-level shopping center high on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The steep cliffs create the perfect lift for parasailing and we marveled at several that glided overhead as we wandered through this shopping complex. The weather in Lima is overcast and cool pretty much year round. I was already cold and feeling ill-equipped for the climate which will only get colder as we progress because of increases in altitude. So, we both purchased warm jackets and are now feeling better prepared for what´s to come.

From Lima, we traveled by bus further south to the town of Ica. This involved another five hours on the bus with not much to see besides sand and dunes. There were a few times when rocky sections of pretty coastline popped into view. The dunes on the west side of the highway are so high in most sections that you can´t even see the beach which is only a "stones through" away. The volume of sand is mind-boggling. And, these are no ordinary sand dunes. They are the size of mountains. Apparently, the winds come from all directions and create huge mounds of sand that are constantly shifting and changing. There are only two reasons to visit Ica. There is a small oasis located just outside the town that consists of a lagoon fed by an underground artesian spring. This lagoon is completely surrounded by huge sand dunes and is rimmed with vegetation. A little town sprouted up around the lagoon consisting mostly of hotels, hostels and restaraunt. People come here to relax and to sand board down the dunes. You can arrange tours of the wineries in Ica that make wines and Pisco. There is also a chocolate factory in Ica you can visit.

We stayed two nights in the little oasis town of Huacachina about five minutes outside the larger town of Ica. Our first day was spent strolling around, relaxing and reading. At four o´clock we were picked up for our dune buggy ride through the dunes. We were in a four-seater by ourselves with the driver. We bobbed and weaved our way up and down dunes of various sizes. The drive was exhilerating and fun. Our first stop was what our driver referred to as a small dune. He popped out the sand boards and asked if we planned on boarding down on our feet or on our stomachs. Actually, he asked if we´ve boarded before and when we said no he retorted that now was not the time to learn. So, he proceeded to instruct Barry how to lay on the board, since we agreed he´d go first while I video taped his rapid descent. Basically, you lay on top of the board, which looks just like a snow board, and prop youself up on your elbows. The lower half of your legs are apart and drag behind you. Your feet are used as brakes if you want to decrease your speed. Once instruced, Barry was off in a flash and hooted and hollered the whole way down. Then it was my turn. Barry watched from down below as I barreled toward him digging my toes into the sand as much as I could in an attempt to go slow. Well, it may have slowed me a tad. Barry said it sent a huge projectile of sand behind me. Once, I did it the first time without terror I was ready for another go at it. My subsequent descents were at full throttle. We descended a total of six times down a variety of dunes, graduating from shorter runs to longer ones. The driver would pick us up at the bottom and either take us to the top again for another run down the same dune or take off toward a different dune. It was a blast! I´d do it again in a heartbeat.

Today we took a tour of the chocolate factory followed by a visit to two wineries. We were with a fun group from Sweden and two other Americans. The first winery was much like any other and we ended with a tasting session of wines and Pisco. The second winery was very primitive in their methods which provided an interesting contrast to the first. If you show up in March when they are harvesting you can even help stomp the grapes in a giant cement vat. This tour ended with tasting also. It was another fun day. We are now waiting to be picked up and delivered to the bus terminal for an overnight trip to Arequipa. So, I´ll have further updates in a few days.

Love and blessings to all . . .

Northern Coast of Peru

Our 15 1/2 hour bus trip from Quayaquil, Ecuador to Chiclayo, Peru was relatively uneventful other than the news that the air conditioning was non-functional on this first class double-decker bus. This was a bit disconcerting, however it was an overcast day and the overhead vents in the ceiling in front of our seats allowed ample air as long as the bus was moving. There were only a couple of times when it was uncomfortable for a few minutes. The scenery was quite bleak because the coastal region of northern Peru is desert. So, it was mile after mile of sand as far as the eye could see. We both buried ourselves in our respective novels and after about six hours we were close to the Ecuador-Peru border. As customary, the bus stewardess came around to make sure everyone had their Ecuador tourist visas ready to relinquish at the immigration office. I was in a slight panic when I realized we never received one when entering Ecuador on the plane from the U.S.. The stewardess was very concerned about this which got me very tense. I fretted for awhile and expressed my concern to Barry who said not to worry about it. Well, I couldn´t get passed the fact that this young lady was obviously concerned and I figured she had good reason to worry. Well, I did what is natural for me when I am concerned about something out of my control. I asked the Lord to enable us to get through immigration wih no problems and let it rest. We got off the bus to wait in line with the other passengers at the border and we saw our young stewardess tell an Ecuadorian official that we did not have our tourist visas. He looked our way and without hesitation told her it was not a problem as he ripped out the form for her to give to us. I was so relieved and thanked God. The form we began to fill out is the same one we completed on the airplane and gave to the immigration official at the airport along with our passports. For some reason when they stamped our passports they did not give us the usual tourist card along with it and neither of us noticed it at that time. So, here we are quickly completing this form so we can present it to the guy at the window when it´s our turn. I´m sill alittle concerned because the guy at the window might question why it´s not stamped. Then I noice the official who gave our bus steward the form has been replaced by a different official. I tell Barry I´m worried that the man at the window will question our form and the ¨nice guy¨won´t be there to come to our defense. Barry´s reply was magic to my ears, ¨Dont worry. He´s now the guy at the window!¨ I just love it when my God does those things! Once again, I was reminded not o worry but to pray. Things always work out best when I follow this principle. We later met a young German girl at our hostel who, along with two other travelers, lacked this tourist card also and were detained at the border. The only way they got through was by eventually wearing down the official by arguing and not giving up. Boy, things are easier when God is on your side!


The only other thing worth mentioning about our bus trip is the following: We just crossed the border into Peru and we were both engrossed in our books. Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise. I looked up to see overhead wires caught underneath the hatched vent lid. Th outer insulation was being stripped clean off and there was a horrible sqreaching noise. Sparks and peeled off insulation began flying into the bus and then in split second the hatch snapped off and flew through the air landing on the side of the road. This all happened in a matter of seconds just before pulling into the next bus terminal to pick up new passengers. Once the driver was alerted to what happened he actually ran up the road and retrieved the lid. Someone else quickly got to work re-attaching it while we all waited. Once this was complete we all boarded he bus. Much to our disappointment the vent lid was now secured in the closed position restricting air from entering through tha vent. We did manage to still get some air circulating from the two remaining vents behind our seats.

We arrived in Chiclayo at 3;00 a.m. and took a cab to our hotel. We slept for about five hours and managed to catch an organized tour with a group of about nine other tourists from all over the world. We visited two archeological sites that were fascinating. The first ruins were discovered in 1987 by a visiting archeologist. Massive mounds of soil that look like mountains were discovered to be ancient pyramids built entirely out of mud bricks. These bricks were not fired, but dried in the sun which made then extremely suscepible to erosion over the years. For this reason they just looked like hills until archeologists discovered the mud brick structures beneath the decieving facade of loose dirt that built up over the centuries. This site represents temples, communal living areas and burial grounds for a culture named Moche. This civilization dates back to the first and second century. They engaged in agriculture, war, mythologicl religions, pottery making, as well as animal and human sacrifices. The only knowledge about them has been derived from what they left behind which excludes any form of written communication. Most telling are the tombs where bodies are buried together in layers. The leader of this society was the Lord of Sipan. His remains were discovered at this site along with many others. They believed in an afterlife and would sacrifice the lives of select people who the deceased wanted to have with them in the next life. The Lord of Sipan was found buried with his wife, one or two concubines, his priest, a warrior to provide protection, other family members, lamas and dogs. The guards always had their feet amputated before burial; this was to keep them at their post the experts suppose. I´m sure glad that western culture does not use this practice of killing others when someone dies!

Because funding is lacking it is taking a long time to uncover the pyramids and excavate the burial sites. Despite this, they have done an admirable job maintaing the integrity of the site while allowing public access. Looting was once a serious threat to this site, but now they are doing a better job of policing the site. The Moche did use gold and much of it was buried with the Lord of Sipan, some of which was robbed but later recovered. Once the original skeletal remains, jewelry and other artifacts are recovered they are displayed in a very impressive public museum. Then they replace these with very convincing replicas at the original burial sites, thus creating an on-site museum that allows the public to appreciate how the burial sites looked when originally discovered. Pretty powerful stuff!

We are now about to leave our second city, called Trujillo where we have visited other archeological sites the passed two days. These are equally, if not more, impressive and represent more Moche culure as well as a subsequent culture called Chimu which existed from about the ninth to the fifteenth centuries. They were conquered by the Incas in the mid to latter part of the fifteenth century. After that the Spanish conquerors arrived and between those two events much of the Moche temples and pyramids were damaged, destroyed or left to deteriorate. One of these sites is already a world heritage site and another will be once more restoration has been completed. We have gotten a truly amazing glimpse into the past visiting each of these sites and their respective museums. And we have just gotten started. Peru is full of ancient history. This will be a major theme of our time in this country.

We are leaving for Lima tomorrow morning which involves an eight to ten hour bus trip through more sand dominated landscape. Up until now, we have seen a few interesting things besides the ruins. Enroute to one site we encountered many sugarcane laden burros packing their cargo along the road in an area that was acre upon acre of sugar cane. Approaching them looked comical because all you saw was a head prodruding from a bunch of green shrubbery. Anoher oddity are the Peruvian hairless dogs; this is one ¨butt-ugly¨animal! I love dogs but would have a hard time snuggling up to one of these mongrels. They are all dark grey to light black in color, medium sized (30 - 40 pounds) with tufts of hair only on their heads and tails. And you see them everywhere.

I´ll leave you with that image in mind for now and will check in again after our next eventful experience. Love and blessings to all . . .

Back in Ecuador After Summer Fun In U.S.

We arrived in Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador the night of September 11th. It took a 1 1/2 hour shuttle to LAX from my parents home in Fontana on the 10th, a 4-hour flight to Atlanta, a 4-hour layover, and then another flight of 5-hours to Quito, Ecuador in the Andes. We stayed at our usual hotel in Quito in our usual room. They always give us their largest room because we like it and it gives us plenty of space for the multitude of bags we always travel with. As usual, we arrived toting boat parts in one bag. Fortunately, in all of our air travel we have yet to encounter any problems with customs. After a good nights sleep we boarded a bus for the 8-hour scenic ride through the Andes toward the coast. There are stretches of road that are laden with tropical vegetation and waterfalls. We never tire of these magnificent mountains!

Yesterday was our first day back so we had one of the other boaters take us out to Blew Moon in her dinghy. Yikes, was she filthy outside! We got one of the local guys cleaning her right away. Down below she looked just like we left her. Actually, her living space was the cleanest (no mold and very little dust) of any time we've left her closed up while back in the states. That pleased us both immensely. In the afternoon we took the ten-minute bus trip into town to see what other cruisers were in town. We had a good visit with a few people we knew and met some new people. Most of the cruisers at Puerto Amistad were from boats that arrived after we flew back to the states. So, we have many new people to meet still. We learned of two marriages while we were gone. One couple, a man from the U.S. and a local woman, are two of our closest friends down here. They had been waiting and waiting for Olenka to get her travel Visa so they could be married in the states. Their wedding is today in La Jolla Cove and we are really happy for them. We are going to a birthday party this afternoon for a truly sweet young lady who is a waitress at Puerto Amistad. Janet is one of our favorite people here. Then, this evening everyone is gathering at Susie’s hostel/café for pizza and live music. It will fun to catch up with more of our friends and to make some new ones.

We are staying in a room at Saiananda, the eco-friendly, riverside animal refuge/inn where Blew Moon is moored. Since we plan to only stay until next Tuesday, when we'll head to Peru for some more exploration of South America, this keeps the boat clean until our next return. Our plans include visiting Bolivia as well. We're allowing three to four weeks for this trip. Then we'll get Blew Moon ready to leave Ecuador. Our anticipated departure is October 28th. This excursion will take us passed Columbia and Panama to Costa Rica. This will be a five-day trip if we stop in southern Costa Rica and a day or two longer if we continue to our final destination of Puntarenas in the north. There, we'll have her hauled out for new bottom paint, new port holes and some repairs on the head.

This year we will fly home for Thanksgiving and Christmas since we’ve only spent one Christmas with family these passed four years. Blew Moon will stay in dry dock in Costa Rica while we are away. The plan is to return to Blew Moon in early January and cruise the waters off Costa Rica and Panama. We’ve decided that this will probably be our last long season of cruising so we’ll begin to head north and see how far we make it by mid May. Our goal is to get Blew Moon to Mexico where we will keep her for future exploration of the Sea of Cortez. Once she’s closer to the U.S. we can visit her more easily and spend shorter periods of time sailing her. So, no more six month absences from the U.S. for us. Barry says he’s happy that he will have gotten his desired five years of cruising. That makes me feel good, too! We’ve been living a great adventure and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am looking forward to more time at home with family and friends. It will be so much easier to get involved in our little community in Idyllwild once we are more permanent fixtures. And don’t forget, we LOVE having visitors!

You will hear from us next somewhere in Peru. Till then, blessings to all.