Peru… Incas, Nazca Lines, the Amazon and Paddington Bear

From the Andes Mountains to the altiplanos, from sandy beaches to the ancient shores of Lake Titicaca, from the headwaters of the Amazon to lush rainforests, Peru has it all. A diverse, culturally rich country, Peru remains one of our favorite countries to explore.

There’s lots to see in Peru. You can scroll down through the page or click on any of the links below to go directly the different parts of this great country…

A Quick History:

The Chavin Indians developed the first known civilization in Peru reaching its peak from about 800 to 400 BCE. The ancestors of Peru's Indians also include the famous Incas, who built a great empire in Peru from the 1200s to the 1500s. The first Europeans reached the country in the 1500s, led by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish conquered the Incas in the 1530s establishing Peru as a Spanish colony.  Peru declared its independence from Spain in 1821.

About Paddington

Although Paddington now lives in London, he originally hailed from “Darkest Peru” where he was brought up by his Aunt Lucy after he was orphaned
following an earthquake when he was just a few weeks old.  When Aunt Lucy went to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima, she decided to send Paddington to England to live. After teaching him to speak English, she arranged for him to stow away in a ship’s lifeboat.  Eventually, he arrived at Paddington Station and was adopted by the Browns.

For five weeks in September/October 2004, we traveled mostly by bus from Ecuador into Peru and Bolivia.  Both countries are rich and varied in their indigenous history and cultures which extend far before and beyond the Incas. We started our trip in Guayaquil, Ecuador aboard a plush Royal Class Ormeno double-decker bus complete with videos, baños, sleeper seats and meal service. The bus stopped at both the Ecuadorian and Peruvian borders to handle passport details. Our first stop was Trujillo on the Peruvian coast … a 16-hour ride on the Pan-American Highway which took us from the plantain plantations of Ecuador to the desert coast of Peru.

Trujillo

We found a hotel and immediately arranged a tour. The first stop on the tour was the Huaca Arco Iris (Rainbow Temple also known as the Dragon Temple). This temple was covered by sand until it was uncovered in the 1960s so it was very well preserved. Subsequent El Ninos have taken their toll, however. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the image.

Next we went to the Tschudi (Choo-dee) Complex (named after a Swiss naturalist). This is one of the nine major compounds of Chan Chan, each one built by one of nine successive Chimu rulers. There are high adobe walls surrounding the compound, within which are several ceremonial courtyards, plazas and a labyrinth of paths leading to the sanctuaries used by the priests for sacrifices as well as the royal living quarters.  Of particular interest were the designs and symbols on the walls. Pelicans and other birds, various animals and sea creatures as well as geometric patterns, were very evident. Chan Chan (Sun Sun) was the capital city of the Chimu Empire and was built around 1300 AD.  The Chimu Empire existed from about 1000-1470 AD and was conquered by the Incas in about 1471, which puts them in the same timeframe as the Aztecs of Mexico. Chan Chan is considered to be the largest mud city in the world (dubious honor, methinks!!).

Huacas del Sol y del la Luna (Temples of the Sun and the Moon) were built by the Moche, another pre-Columbian civilization (pre-Columbian = before Columbus and the Spanish arrived), which pre-dated the Chimu. They thrived from about 100BC to 700AD (same time as the Mayans in Mexico) and are known for their exquisite ceramics and pottery. The Temple of the Moon was “adopted” by Backus, a large corporation that owns all of the beer companies in Peru. Backus has financially sponsored the excavation of the temple for more than 10 years and the results are remarkable. There are six levels, each new level built upon another by each successive king. The paintings on the walls were extraordinary … original vivid, rich colors of red and yellow with black and some blues and greens, mostly depicting the gods and animals they revered such as the condor, jaguar, octopus, fox and owl.  We went up and down ramps and viewed several of the six levels. It is still an active dig site and a wall uncovered the previous June and July was already on display for us to see. It was a work in progress. Absolutely fascinating!

The temples are constructed of adobe bricks … millions of them … and brick-making is still done in Trujillo. We stopped at a “modern-day” brick-making site. Oh, my…what a life! The people (it appeared whole families) worked out in the hot sun in a large open pit, several feet deep. They mixed the local clay soil with water, then packed it into forms which rendered about four bricks at a time. Two boys (10-12??) were each packing and leveling the forms. They would hoist the form and carry it to a level spot where they would remove the forms, sprinkle them with sand and let them dry. Several other people traipsed back and forth with armloads of dried bricks to a waiting flatbed truck where other men were stacking them to take them to the oven for firing. This is what they did all day, every day. The whole group receives about S/80 ($24)  per 1000 bricks and they make about 500 bricks per day. Our hearts broke when we saw a whole stack of bricks fall off the truck in front of us and smash to the ground. We noted the boys’ cheeks all bulging with coca leaves, chewed to ease fatigue and hunger.

Many of the 50 million bricks used in the building of the temple have symbols on them. About 100 different symbols have been identified to date. The theory is that each community had its own symbol and was “taxed” a certain number of bricks by the king for each brick we made and sold.

Huanchaco

Only a 15-minute ride from Trujillo, the small port town of Huanchaco, is known for its distinctive fishing boats made of the local totora reeds. These boats, used by local fishermen for centuries, are comprised of two tubes of woven reeds and the fishermen straddle them rather than sit inside. Hence, the boats are called “cabellitos” (little horses).

Lima, Peru’s Capital City

Our next stop was Lima, a 10-hour bus ride from Trujillo. The capital city of Peru, Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535. About 1/3 of Peru’s people live here. We had the good fortune to meet Gonzalo Ravago and his wife, Magdala who live near Lima.  An avid sailor, Gonzalo had e-mailed us when he noticed our "Passage Notes" in Cruising World magazine. It was friendship at first sight and they became our hosts in Lima. We toured their city and visited Huaca Puc'llana, a temple of the Lima culture. They introduced us to Pisco Sours, the national alcoholic drink and took us to their home for dinner.

We also visited the catacombs beneath 17th c San Francisco Monastery. It was very eerie as we ducked under low ceilings and followed the guide through the maze of corridors and rooms to view the bones of the 70,000 (!!) people buried there. The smell was musty and dank, and my claustrophobia kicked in immediately. Bones were separated by type ... skulls, femurs, etc., and displayed in clear, plastic-covered boxes.  

The Rafael Larco Herrara Museum is located in a little suburb called Pueblo Libre. This private museum boasts the largest collection of ceramics from all the various Peruvian Pre-Columbian cultures in the country. We spent several hours discovering the similar and unique characteristics of the nearly 30 cultures, covering five eras of development from 7,000 BC to the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s. The different shapes, styles, designs, colors and motifs were fascinating. Not only pottery was on display, but also textiles and metallurgy.

At the Artisan’s Market in Pueblo Libre, we came across a woman named Amanda who carved extremely intricate designs on “calabazas” (gourds) which were absolutely stunning. After much discussion and pondering, we settled on two gourds and negotiated a fair price which included a photo of  Amanda and her name carved on both pieces.

Nacional Reserva Paracas

Gonzalo & Magdala invited us to go with them to Nacional Reserva Paracas, a 2-1/2 hour drive down the Pan-American Highway which hugs the desert coast of Peru. The scenery was dramatic as mega sand dunes drifted down to meet the rugged shore.

The Nazca Lines

The world-famous Nazca Lines date back to 900 BCE and were discovered in the 1960s.  Huge geometric and animal figure designs are drawn in the desert sand and are visible only from the air. There are several dozen and we saw about 15 of them from our little 4-seater plane. No one knows exactly why they were drawn or by whom, but best guesses indicate the Nazca people built them as part of a ceremonial tradition.  Other theories range from agricultural calendars to aliens and UFOs.  One of the lines resembles an astronaut. We boarded a 4-person Cessna and took off lickety-split for a 30-minute ride over the Lines. The pilot talked like the comedian, Jose Jimenez, and we worked hard not to giggle as he talked.

It was very bright and there was little contrast on the white sand below us. If you squint (and use some imagination), you can make out the monkey and astronaut in the photos below.

Arequipa

From Nasca, we boarded a bus once again and headed to the city of Arequipa. This overnight trip took us from the sea high into the Andes and we began to feel the effects of altitude almost immediately. We both experienced shortness of breath, headaches and mild nausea. There are several remedies for“soroche”, however we stuck with mate de coca (coca tea) and coca candy which seemed to help. Arequipa ended up being our favorite city in Peru. We were particularly impressed by its magnificent plaza, filled with vibrantly colored, blossoming trees and flowers and a large fountain in the center. On one side is the Cathedral, an immense ornate building that stretches the entire length of the block. The Cathedral was originally built c. 1656, but was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt then destroyed again by an earthquake and rebuilt yet again

More indigenous people live in Peru than in any other country in South America. The “indigenes” make up nearly half of the country's people and about a fifth of the total indigenous population of North and South America. The indigenous clothing, especially the women's hats, is most distinctive and distinguishes one group from another. Those little hats are actually imported from England and all the women wear them.

Monasterio de Santa Catalina is actually a convent for cloistered nuns, which was built in 1580. By custom, the second daughter of rich Spanish families entered the convent. This convent, however, allowed the wealthy young ladies (nuns) to have servants and live a fairly luxurious life until the Pope heard about it and sent a new Mother Superior there. She immediately released all the servants and sent all the money to Rome (so the Cardinals could use the money to live in luxury???). The place is enormous, an entire city block surrounded by high walls. The entrance fee of S/25 (very high for Peru at US$7.50) was well worth it. Guides were available, but not necessary as most of the exhibits had information placards available in four languages plus the guides seemed to hurry everyone along and we had no intention of hurrying! Santa Catalina was exquisite. It is, by the way, on the “1000 Places to See Before You Die” List and we can see why.

We were fascinated by the rooms, nooks and crannies that we could wander into and explore. There was lots of period furniture; the religious oil paintings, mostly 18th century, were wonderful. There are seven “streets” (all named after cities in Spain) leading to separate areas of the compound with numerous side lanes and alleys meandering off. We would enter one room, which led to another and another and another with little anterooms off them. It was spacious with lots of high ceilings and skylights. The floors
were all cobblestone brick with little trenches along the sides to provide an outlet and direction for water. There were long corridors of archways, the walls painted in vibrant colors of indigo, terra cotta and yellow with stenciled art adorning them or sometimes beautiful scenes in tiles. There was a small tea garden that offered snacks and we sat and enjoyed the ambiance and morning sunshine while sipping café con leche and eating a pastry. In all, we spent about 3+ hours there…absolutely wonderful. By the way, about 20 nuns still remain there in a separate cloistered area of the convent.

Colca Canyon

Colca Canyon is described as the Grand Canyon of Peru. It is spectacular and is allegedly the deepest canyon in the world at 3,400 meters (11,000 feet) deep. Maybe we’re biased, but the Grand Canyon in our estimation was more “grand”. Nevertheless, the scenery was great and watching the huge condors gracefully glide through the canyon, riding the air currents was beautiful. Condors are not very pretty birds up close, but oh, to watch them soar, six foot wings extended, is awesome.

The altitude took its toll on both of us...nausea, headaches, lightheadedness, shortness of breath. "Chew coca leaves; drink coca tea", we were encouraged by our guide...and we did and it did seem to help.

Puno

Founded in 1668, Puno is Peru’s major port on Lake Titicaca and is also a central place to stay in order to visit some of the islands in the Lake. At an altitude of 12,000+ feet, we were still laboring with catching our breaths, but it was becoming somewhat easier. We were finally acclimating to the altitude. 

The Yavari is an iron-hulled boat built in England in 1862 in kit form. Its 1383 pieces were shipped to Arica (now part of Chile), transported to Tacna by train, then carried by mule to Puno, where it was reassembled and finally launched on Lake Titicaca in 1870. It was 100’ long with a 17’ beam and 10’ draft. It was originally designed as a gunboat, however the guns never arrived! It remained in service, however, as a transport vessel for over a century and was then stripped and abandoned. In 1987, the Yavari was acquired by the “Yavari Project” and since 1998, the boat is once again floating and open to the public. Restoration work continues with the hope of using the boat as a tourist ferry for crossing the lake.

Lake Titicaca - The Floating Islands of Uros

Puno is on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.  Our first excursion onto Lake Titicaca was a day tour to the Uros Islands and Taquile (Tah-KEE-ly). It was a 20-minute ride to the floating Uros Islands. Our English-speaking guide provided history as well as lots of legends, lore and local color. There are several floating islands of the Uros people and we visited Kamisaraki which in the native Aymara language means “Hello, how are you?”. The islands are made of layer upon layer of totora reed and are totally free-floating. The island we visited had houses, a school and even a post office. As we stepped off the boat, it was a weird, undulating sensation beneath our feet, like walking on a waterbed.

The Uros make totora reed boats called balsas similar to those we saw in Huanchaco on the coast, but these are large enough to ride in and hold 15-20 people.  The larger balsas have beautiful woven puma or llama heads on the bow and stern.  We were disappointed to learn, however, that the Uros only began incorporating the figureheads after a visit from Thor Heyerdahl in the late 1950s when they saw his reed raft decorated in that fashion.

Lake Titicaca - Taquile

Taquile, an island (not floating) with ~2,500 people, is very different from the Uros and in fact, the two groups do not get along. Their language, Quechua, is the Incan language, as opposed to the Aymara language of the Uros.

We landed at the docks and began a slow, labored ascent to the village above, via a switchbacked, scenic trail. It was hard enough for us to climb the trail with just daypacks. The locals, however, carried full loads of supplies back and forth up the trail on a regular basis. Young and old alike, managed the climb without complaint.

The curious thing about Taquile is that the men are always knitting and the women are always spinning yarn.  Old men, young men and boys all have knitting needles in hand and make beautiful sweaters, scarves, hats and other items including their wife's clothes. They knit as they walk or as they sit and talk.  The woman spin with a drop shuttle. They  hold it with their feet or throw it like a top to the ground and spin the alpaca and sheep's wool into yarn.

Cusco...Gateway to the Incas

From LaPaz, Bolivia, we bussed to Cusco, Peru. The scenery was awesome and I woke up at one point to see huge snow-covered mountains in the near distance and snowflakes swirling outside the bus window.  Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire, is our last stop on this trip and our most anticipated destination. Cusco reminded us lots of Cuenca, Ecuador. Red clay roofs, a large cathedral and distinctive roof toppers to protect the homes from evil spirits. To the far right, taking an alpaca for a morning walk.

Sacsayhuamán

We had picked up a great book, Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost, which David had been reading to prepare for our self-guided tour of the city. We decided to take a trek to some Incan ruins close to town. The book called for an hour’s trek and though we got lost once, we made it to Sacsayhuamán (gringos pronounce it “sexy woman”  much to the chagrin of the locals) in about 40 minutes. Lots of stone steps and my legs were killing me, but breathing wasn’t nearly as labored as it had been in Bolivia.

Sacsayhuamán (which translates to “speckled falcon” in Quechua)  is a combination sacred city and fortification overlooking Cusco. Francisco Pizarro, the famous Spanish conquistador, defeated the Inca king, then held him hostage till the Incas paid a huge ransom in gold. He then executed him anyway. Pizarro appointed another Inca, Manca Inca, as king, but Manca Inca, realizing the Spanish were here to stay, raised a huge army and rebelled against the Spaniards. The deciding battle was fought here at Sacsayhuamán.  The ruins of this fortification exemplify the superior engineering talents of the Incas. The “fit” of the huge boulders, some with a multitude of hand-cut facets, is extraordinary, even today.  In some places, even a razor blade could not be inserted between the stones. They’ve stood for over five centuries withstanding earthquakes that razed later-built Spanish buildings. We toured several other Incan sites by horseback enjoying the views, knowing we were riding on the famed Inca Trail and soaking in the energy of the hundreds who had passed this way before. We visited the sites of  Qenqo, the Temple  of the Moon, Puca Pucara and Tambamachay.

Sacsayhuamán is the second most important Inca ruin site, second only to Machu Picchu, and while much of it has been destroyed, enough of it remains to get a feel for the monumental engineering expertise and feats performed by this so-called “primitive” people. They had elaborate tunnel systems, aqueducts and reservoirs, constructed huge forts and temples, devised an agricultural terracing system that efficiently used all arable, though mountainous land and much of this is still in use today.

Aguas Calientes

The town of Aguas Calientes (literally hot waters in English) is the gateway to the Incan city of Machu Picchu. The scenic train ride from Cusco lasted about three hours. The map below shows the route.

We opted for a tourist hotel, Gringo Bill’s, which was affordable and very comfortable. We walked around the town to become acquainted with our surroundings and checked the bus schedule for a trip to Machu Picchu the next morning.

Machu Picchu

At last, the high point of our trip … a visit to Machu Picchu. David had done his homework. If we caught an early bus to the site and crossed to the far side of the ruins, we would find the trailhead up Huayna Picchu (also called Waynapicchu), the peak that provided the perfect spot from which to view Machu Picchu as the morning fog burned off. From a distance, Huayna Picchu looked ominous and very, very steep (and it was). We were #6 and 7 to sign out with the “guard” and up we went. What a trek!

Up, up, up...steps, steps and more steps! The trail was well worn with thick, lush jungle foliage encroaching from the sides.  We were in a cloud of mist and lost sight of the valley as we climbed higher and higher.  The trail was narrow, single file only, and some of the steepest parts had cable or ropes to hang on to.  One area required us to go into a cave, squeeze through a narrow, low passage, then finally in a crouched position, wiggle our way up narrow steps out of the tunnel.  Not for the weak or the chubby!  We stopped frequently to rest and catch our breath.  With a last push, we made it to the very top by just 0800...not too bad for old farts.

From Marcie's Journal...
"There were maybe a dozen people total when the fog finally burned off by about 0845.  Everyone was quiet or speaking so very softly, and there was a collective "ahhh" when Machu Picchu first came into view far below.  It was mystical, awesome, inspiring, breathtaking ... beyond description. The fog would drift back, then, wisp by wisp, dissipate, finally rendering a crystal clear Machu Picchu far below us.  It is a place of contemplation and meditation.  I write these notes as we sit atop Huayna Picchu and what I see is so magnificent, so beautiful, it literally brings tears to my eyes."

We remained there for nearly two hours, taking it all in, desperate to remember every detail and etch it into our minds.  I took photo after photo, knowing I couldn't possibly capture all the beauty and emotion I was experiencing, but I tried nonetheless.

We climbed part way down, then took a side trail to the Temple of the Moon. First, down, down, down, then up, up, up again … steps, steps, steps and a ladder and low overhang with steps below. Reverse the trek and down, down, down, up, up, up (and those godforsaken steps!) and we were back to the guard checkpoint by about  2pm for a closer look at the terraced splendor of Machu Picchu itself.

It was pretty warm in the open sun and the place was thick with tourists. We wandered around the ruins, David reading the guidebook aloud as we progressed from one area to another. Always steep stairs to climb … oh, our aching legs!  Llamas grazed on the open terraces. We touched the “sacred wall” to feel its energy and climbed to the astronomical observatory and to the guard house. We sat on a grassy terrace and drank water and ate fruit. We admired the fine architecture and exceptional Incan masonry. We had to keep reminding ourselves that all of this was built six centuries ago and has withstood earthquakes, landslides, weather and the Spaniards!

Peru Revisited - 2005

Visiting Peru by land last year (2004) prompted us to consider a trip south from Ecuador with the boat. We loved the country and the people, but the trip south is a tough slog against the prevailing southerly winds and the mighty Humboldt Current.  We gave it lots of thought and decided “What the hell? Let’s give it a try.” So much for heading west across the Pacific this year. It took us just about a week for the 1,060 nautical-mile trip. Our thoughts of coast-hopping and anchoring at night came to no avail as the coast offered no safe places to tuck in. Instead, we pretty much motor-sailed straight through.  We saw lots of whales, dolphins and sea birds along the way and so enjoyed the passage despite the motoring, we almost regretfully headed into port. Peru is not used to handling foreign-flagged yachts and so we were limited to visiting the ports of Callao (Lima) and Pisco (near Ica) ... limited yes, but well worth the trip.

Peru’s coast is mostly desert with high cliffs and huge sand dunes. The coastline took on a different look this time as we viewed it from the sea instead of the Pan-American Highway. Fishermen use raft-like vessels with sails which give them the appearance of walking on water. This fellow was trying to sell us the fish he’d just caught.

Yacht Club Peruano, La Punta

Our home and host in Peru was the Yacht Club Peruano (YCP) in La Punta, the oldest and most prestigious yacht club in Peru. The hospitality shown us by staff and club members was overwhelming. There are currently about 360 members and 480 boats moored and on-the-hard at the club. Our stay was totally “gratis” for the entire month  Services included fresh, potablewater at the dock, 24-hour security gate and 24-hour launch service to and from our boat. Our only cost was fuel and indeed that was at a premium. We paid $3.53/gal of diesel and it went up each day we were there. We were treated like royalty by the club and its members. Everyone seemed interested in meeting and chatting with us. We were invited for coffee, drinks, dinners, lunches, birthday parties and picnics. We were asked to speak at a Toastmaster's luncheon, interviewed by the yacht club reporter for an article in their newsletter and taken on tours of  a glass factory, a jewelry factory and a vineyard. Life in Peru for Nine of Cups and crew was wonderful.

The YCP is located on the small peninsula of La Punta near, but away from Callao, Peru's major shipping port. It is a "gated community", quiet, safe and very picturesque. Above, a mansion decorated for Dia de las Patrias; a typical tree-lined avenue; and fishing boats on the shore. La Punta has only a couple of main streets with restaurants and shops and a nice area to take a walk.

Iquitos - A Visit to the Amazon

When we visited Peru in 2004, we spent six weeks touring Peru and felt we had really explored the country well except for the Amazonia area. After two weeks in La Punta, with Nine of Cups safely on a mooring at the yacht club, we booked a flight and tour to Iquitos, the largest Peruvian city on the Amazon River. There are no roads to Iquitos. The city is accessible only by river or plane. The plane trip was only two hours long, but crossed drastically diverse terrain as we traveled from the gray, cool shores of Lima across the brown cordillera, and the snow-covered Andes and then watched as brown, winding rivers cut sharply through dense green jungle and we arrived in steamy Iquitos.

Some Amazon facts:

• World's second-longest river (4,000 miles) and the chief river of South America

• The Amazon River Basin covers about 2,700,000 square miles and includes the world's largest tropical rainforest. It is considered the “lungs of the world” since it produces about 15% of the world’s oxygen.

• The Amazon rainforest contains a wider variety of plant and animal life than any other place in the world.

During 1541 and 1542, a Spaniard, Francisco de Orellana, led the first exploration of the river by a European. During Orellana's journey, his group was attacked by what appeared to be giant female Indian warriors. The Spaniards called their attackers Amazons, after the female warriors in Greek mythology. The name was later given to the river and the nearby area.

The Heliconia Lodge was our jungle "hotel". During high water, the river rises more than 20 feet to cover this mudbank. During low water, we climbed the rough, steep stairs over the mudbanks. The hotel had limited potable water, cold showers and electricity for only 4-6 hours each day ... sounds like the boat, huh? We spent only 4 days at the lodge, but during that time we took several forays onto the river and into the jungle. One morning was spent searching for pink dolphins and fishing for piranha. We spent another day trekking through the jungle, visiting local villages and tasting the local aguadiente (white lightning). We spent an evening in a canoe, watching the sunset on the river and listening to night sounds. One morning, we paddled silently watching the sunrise and listening to the river wake up.

We've all seen those movies where a cow falls into the Amazon and five minutes later only a skeleton remains, the flesh picked clean by piranhas. Huh! Our guide assured us that piranha are only attracted to blood and red meat. We were fishing for piranha on the Amazon one hot, sultry morning when David landed one of the big suckers. It weighed in at close to 5 ounces and was nearly 6 inches long. David disproved the guide's assurances when the "catch of the day" took a bite out of his finger. The guide commented that this was very irregular behavior since David wasn't bleeding at the time. We returned to the lodge in time for lunch and were served this badly behaved piranha as our appetizer at which time David returned the favor ... quite tasty!

We visited a local rum distillery one afternoon. It wasn’t Bacardi Black Label by any means. David and Herman, a German lodge guest with whom we became acquainted, took turns grinding the sugar cane for the bubbling vat. We each tasted some of the final product … it packed a punch.

We ventured out on the river early one morning by canoe. The Amazon at sunrise was beautiful and unworldly, the steam rising to meet the sun, portending the heat of the day ahead.

Back in Iquitos City, we spent a few more days exploring the city itself as well as the local villages along the river. The city itself was loud and clamorous to the point of deafening. There are more mototaxis and motorcycles per capita than we'd ever seen or heard in our lives.

The famous Iron House was built by a Rubber Baron during the rubber boom days of the late 1800s. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, constructed in Paris and shipped in pieces to Iquitos where it was reconstructed in 1889. It currently houses some shops and a restaurant.  

After reading Lonely Planet and a local tourist' newspaper, The Iquitos News, we made plans to explore some of the little villages along the river. We found a "collectivo" (water taxi) along the dock that was heading in the direction of Padre Cocha and we climbed aboard with the other 25 people heading there. On arrival, we met a young fellow (Jim) who offered to guide us to the Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm and a Bora village.

The butterfly farm was much more than butterflies. The butterflies were fine, but actually, it was the rest of the animals that intrigued us. It appeared that Gudrud, the Austrian owner, had become the local repository for unwanted and injured animals.

Jim continued to lead us on well-worn paths through the jungle and when we heard the distant beat of drums, we knew we were getting close to the Bora village. It was a tourist presentation, but we were the only people there, so we enjoyed all of their attention. Decked out in headdresses and shell necklaces, we "cut the rug" with the Boras doing the "anaconda dance" (we would have called it "snap the whip").  We were a bit overdressed!

Another day was spent exploring Belen, touted as the "Venice of the Amazon". The floating houses of this barrio (neighborhood) are all  constructed of balsa and rise and fall with level of the river. We wandered through the maze of streets that led to the river's edge and then found a canoe for hire to paddle us around. It was fascinating as we watched children playing, people bathing and women washing clothes in the river midst the traffic of canoes, water taxis and various other boats.  David's comment as we were returning to Lima:  "You know, we could have sailed here from the Brazil side! Maybe next time."

I always try to collect something unique from the areas we visit. Iquitos’ market offered lots of trinkets and novel souvenirs.

PN Paracas

We left La Punta and the Yacht Club Peruana in the late afternoon and headed south for Paracas and overnighted for a mid-morning arrival. The yacht club was expecting us and greeted us warmly. The Ravagos were coming for the long Fiesta de Santa Rosa weekend and would meet us on Saturday morning so we could spend the weekend together. Paracas is a resort village and a national park located on a peninsula that juts out from the mainland. It is all sand dunes. Nearby are the Islas Ballestas which we had visited last year to see the Humboldt penguins, sea lions and birdlife. Birds were abundant where we anchored and every once in awhile a whiskered sea lion nose would poke its head out of the icy water.

Our time in Paracas was busy dawn till dusk everyday. The Ravagos arrived on Saturday mid-morning and we were invited to Vista Allegre Winery with Gonzalo and family. The winery has been owned by the Picasso family for 150 years and Rafael, one of the owners, is one of Gonzalo’s best friends. We arrived around Noon and Rafael gave us a personal tour then we relaxed, drank pisco sours  and had a late lunch in the hacienda with about 20 other family members and friends. They served their own wines and pisco, of course, and lunch was a wonderful pasta dish with a white cream pecan sauce, the pecans grown and picked on the hacienda grounds. Once again, we were privileged to share an unique experience with a very unique family.

A write-up in Lonely Planet describes the Bodega Vista Allegre as being the most accessible from the city of Ica. We rode with the Ravagos for nearly two hours to get to the vineyard from Pisco. The day was hot and dry, a typical winter day in Ica which is comparable to Napa Valley in its climate and wine-growing capabilities. Vista Allegre makes red, rosés and whites, but its absolute best product by far is its pisco, the national drink of Peru. During the years of the socialist government (70s-80s), the vineyard and all lands were seized by the government and left to go fallow. Only in the late 90s, was the Picasso family able to “buy” their land back from the government and begin the process of growing grapes again.

Pisco Sour
Peru does many things well, but one of the best is this
drink made with the locally produced Pisco Puro, a
white distilled brandy. Our friend, Gonzalo de
Ravago, gave us the recipe and we've been drinking
them ever since … whenever we can get pisco, that is!
We met cruisers who had converted a water tank on
their boat into a pisco tank. That's dedication!

2 oz Pisco Puro          1 Tbsp sugar         1 egg white
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice                4 ice cubes
2 drops Angostura bitters

For each cocktail, combine all the above ingredients
(except bitters) in a blender until ice is dissolved and the
drink is frothy. Garnish with bitters. Multiply ingredients
accordingly to make additional cocktails. Note: For up to
4 cocktails, only one egg white is needed.

Warning: Very addictive!

A Sandstorm and Adios

Our time in Paracas was coming to an end. We bid the Familia Ravago farewell. They needed to return to Lima to work and to school and we needed to make our way south to Chile. We hugged goodbye, said farewells and promised to stay in touch. As a family, they had given us so very much. They accepted us as part of their own. They showed us any number of kindnesses by taking us into their home, sharing meals and memories with us. Gonzalo went out of his way innumerable times to sort out problems with our paperwork and saved us an inordinate amount of time, money and aggravation by his intervention. These are friends for life not just for our time in Peru and we are very fortunate to have met them and shared time with them.

When we first arrived, we asked the meaning of the name "Paracas" and were told it was a sandstorm. It's good to know what it is so that you can put a label on it when you're in the middle of one. For two days, we holed up in Nine of Cups and the wind howled. We clocked the winds at 52 knots. Fine desert sand blew into every nook, cranny, crevice, crack and cubbyhole on Nine of Cups leaving us with nearly 1" of sand on parts of the deck and grit everywhere. Our efforts to clean it initially resulted in mud pies on the deck. What a mess!

From Paracas, we planned to head straight to Arica, Chile. We checked out of port heading south, but after 5 hours of beating into a stiff wind and major seasickness, we headed back to Paracas for a night of calm waters and tried again the next day. We made it as far as Bahia de la Independencia where we hung out for four days with a fleet of fishermen while winds of over 50 knots blasted us from the south.  We were reminded by Gonzalo in an email, that Bahia de la Independencia was the location that San Martin used to plan the revolution to overcome the Spaniards and become independent from Spain.  In all, it took nearly 9 days to go the 514 nautical miles from Pisco, Peru to Arica, Chile including the days we waited out the wind.

Adios, Peru!