Its a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll!

Leaving our host family we walked back down to the boat with Isa. We had only been here one day and night but it really did feel like forever. We now knew the paths and as we passed the donkeys in the fields we looked them in the eye and thought.. was it you who brayed all night and kept us awake!!!

Luckily we didn't know!

Felt strange to be on the other end of the farewells, so many times we have hugged our B & B guests and wondered when we will see them again but this time we were the ones leaving!

A short trip this morning but it contrasted greatly with the day before which had been a calm placid lake... today the waves rolled and the boat pitched. Its ok Edwin told us, our captain is very experienced and knows all of these waterways. BUT within five minutes an old fellow who somehow we had picked up to give a lift back to Puno was driving the boat and the Captain was asleep up on top of the boat!

Only an hour trip before we got to Taquile and we were all relaxed telling stories of our homestay, when suddenly the boat tilted and the boat hook and oar shot forward and then as the boat righted itself the boat hook shot into the sea.... the Captain awoke, leapt to the back of the boat and looked balefully out... only to turn to us yawn loudly and then back to the sleeping post!

Publish Post

Docking was interesting as the captain, his mate and Edwin scrambled to pull the boat into dock with no pole but somehow we did it and suddenly we were on shore and heading up, up up!

Gorgeous blue sea behind us and winding path ahead of us ... another altitude and attitude moment.

leaving Amantani

The next morning was like waking with a hangover, even though I hadn't drunk any alcohol for a while. Where was I? Mmm.... Was Roger still alive? Was I? .....Phew! He sure was but I was as sluggish as!

We watched as members of the family emerged from the "sleeping/living" room... how many were there? We watched as two old ladies emerged and begnn their tasks. Eventually a tousled haired youth emerged. Isabella and Isa talked quietly in cadenced voices as they cooked pancakes for our breakfast. Suddenly it was time to leave... all too fast.

Strangely we were now walking down the pathways that had become familiar to us and down to the boat. Sad to say goodbye to our family... also strange to exchange email addresses!

Back to Mayhem

Whoo! Coming back down was just so easy. We got back to the square where the festivities had truly heated up. Within seconds the members of our group disappeared into the melee . I will never forget two images. A whole village group disappearing up the hill that was such a wheezing effort for us - but for them it was a cacophony of music and laughter as effortlessly they swung their way up the hill.

The other image is of a VERY drunken guy.. happy as Larry (Now who was he?!) lurching towards the pathway up over the hills. His very happy wife was steering him towards home (now how many miles up up hill did they have to walk?). Suddenly the party sounds caught his ear and quick as a flash he was back down the hill and dancing once more!

VERY sad wife!

After a day that started at 5.00am and a 2 hour walk we were really glad to see Mr Valerio who lead us along dark narrow pathways full of "happy" villagers. 30 minutes later we were greeted by Isabelle who had our meal ready... soup, vegetarian pasta and Munya ( mint tea)

Isabella and her daughter Isa cooking dinner for us

The question of do you want to go back to the festival was greeted by grunts... it was 10.00pm and we were ready to sleep!.. Mmmm 5 heavy blankets, no problem! The noise of donkeys braying now that was another matter.

After about 2 hours of blissful sleep I suddenly realised that the donkeys had stopped braying but there was a different sound.... "Oh no!" That was a sound that over the years I have come to dread. An asthmatic desperately trying to breath. Roger was having a REALLY, REALLY bad attack. What do do? NO electricity! A quick whiff of medication ... Roger sort of sleeping and MOI... totally panic and only the donkeys for company.

Walking the talk!

As we left the the heaving square of colour and movement we started to walk along paved walkways - thanks again to Fujimori. Groups of brightly dressed people singing and dancing disappeared over the hillside to distant villages. We just headed up! Stunning views... no breath.. phew! and lots of stories.

There were two large peaks... female the highest ( of course!) Each January the population splits in two and meets at their temple. A race down the mountain.... if the women win its a bountiful harvest if the men win well guess what!

So how come they still believe this stuff? Who knows?

Breathlessly we approached the top... half way there I had thought .. "do I really need to see the view from the top?" Finally we knew we were there because there were people selling hats, shawls, scarves etc. THEN they said "You have to walk around anti-clockwise three times and your wish will come true" Now I so don't believe in this stuff but I did it anyway... and do you know I didn't really need anything to wish for - except maybe MORE oxygen!

Hey! The view was spectacular!

After the "volunteering" we wandered down the track to the village square. I can tell you we just had NO IDEA what was ahead of us. We were ready to go for a hike up the "Hill of the Gods" what we actually encountered was an explosion of music, colour and experience!

At least ten bands of a myriad of instruments all struck up music whenever the mood took them. What an array of instruments. Lots of brass.. serious looking men in suits, ties and hats grouped around a box of beer produced fantastic music.

We found Peru to be an abstemious place but at 4.00 in the afternoon here on Amantani many beers had been drunk and there was obviously many more to be sunk! The atmosphere was amazing. Within seconds I was dancing , laughing and enjoying the moment.

Reluctantly we left the amazing crowd, noise, costumes, bands and drunken cameraderie to climb the hill(s)!

Up, up was the motto and at altitude that was some attitude!

Homestay on Amantani Island

Leaving Uros Islands we watched people fishing in the traditional way... a group of boats shoo fish into nets which are dragged by one of the boats. The whole scene was incredibly peaceful. The journey took about two hours and was absolute bliss as we skimmed along the waters watching the wildlife. So good just to relax.

We were met at the harbour by a group of women in traditional dress and one really serious looking fellow in a wide brimmed hat. This was Mr Valerio - our host. Hey my good friend at school was called Margaret Valerio I explain in my crappy Spanish only to find that he spoke Quechu language! Check out Amantani

Edwin warned us to remember our hosts names because it was very easy to get lost! How right he was. We wandered off down a track where houses became more and more remote. Women in traditional dress were working in the fields or looking after animals. We noticed that the men on this island did not wear traditional clothes. We found out the reason. The men would go off for 6 - 8 months to work in Puno. In this time they would earn enough money to build their house and put a bit by for the future. Tourism helped to "top up" their finances. They were virtually self sufficient in food and could trade their knitting and weaving for any other goods.

We paid our family directly... $25 for our room, lunch, dinner and breakfast. A lot of the other tourist companies take a chunk of that in commission. The island had ten "provinces" each ruled by a president. Here and in other areas of Peru we frequently saw the presidents of the area spruced up and marching off to some ceremony or other.

The presidents make all major decisions - for example tourists are "rotated" through homestay accommodation. Families would have 1 homestay a fortnight in low season and maybe 2 a week in the high season.

2km later we arrive at the adobe house. Set among its fields which were bursting with crops and flowers, it overlooked the ocean. Our room (specially built) was large, clean and spartan.

Two twin beds with the heaviest blankets I have ever known. We immediately took 4 blankets off the bed... yes 4 and we were still left with at least 5!

Our room overlooked the family courtyard and living/ sleeping accommodation. Three generations lived there.... We rarely saw them except when they emerged from their communal living area.

Isabella and her daughter Isa looked after us... we ate in a tiny kitchen complete with an aga type stove as well as a gas stove. We had bought a gift of fruit in a tupperware container...( oh the angst of tourism should we be changing the culture by bringing in tupperware!!!)

BUT they just LOVED it!

We had a great meal of soup (veggie we think) and omelette. And within seconds of finishing it was time to go off and start our volunteering. We had loved the fact that this was part of our trip - every tourist spends time in the school teaching English BUT it was New Year's day and all the kids were celebrating and so we just worked with a group of very enthusiastic mum's.

Then off again to meet the locals in the square and to climb the hill of the gods!

Our landing on Uros Island was quite different to what I had expected. I guess I hadn't realised that these people construct their own islands from the reeds, decide who is going to live on each island (usually about 6 families) and how self sufficient they are.

We were greeted by a brightly dressed group of women, who quickly explained how they made and maintained the island. We ate the reeds and then they showed us their houses... within seconds it seemed we were in traditional dress and looking (and not buying their very expensive traditional weaving!)

Now that is the cynical view but I must admit to being intrigued as to how they lived. The solar power for lighting, TV etc, the focus on education - Primary & Secondary schools and many students going off for free University education, the general air of contentment but you know they lived on a tiny bit of handmade island in the middle of nowhere!

I guess if if the neighbours gave you grief you could just cut off a piece of the island and set them adrift .

My vague anxieties about where we were going to sleep that night were not allayed by the views of their reed beds in snake infested waters........beautiful but.......

So we caught a reed boat to the next island where they were preparing for the New Year's festival. The guys had been out shooting coots.... which were plucked and laid out on the ground to dry out... now how does that work? I must admit Roger and I have had some great meals but "gut rot " has been our shadow the whole trip!

Lake Titicaca

We headed to the docks area a bit unsure of what lay ahead of us. We clambered over half a dozen boats and were relieved to see a pretty new boat all set up for us. The first person we met on board was Jessie from Toronto. He seems pretty relaxed and tells us he has been volunteering in Chile but is now on his way to an orphanage in Cusco to volunteer there for a couple of months before returning to do more study. We get the distinct impression after the experience in Chile that teaching is not quite as easy as he thought it would be!

The next people to arrive are a group of 4 from Denver. Beth, Nancy and Barbara are all school principals and Mick a roofer, married to Nancy. They had taken the opportunity of the Christmas vacation to visit Peru and this was their last two days.

Our driver or should I say captain is a guy from Taquile who wears all the traditional clothing (as everyone here seems to). He quickly gave up his role and handed over to a woman - again in traditional dress and we are soon on our way down the channel.

What an incredible experience, we leave all the hustle of Puno behind and suddenly we are in a world of reeds, birds and strangely little pigs that forage on the tiny islands. Bliss! Our guide Edwin is fantastic , tells us what we need to know and then leaves us to enjoy the experience.

We finally get a sense of just how huge the lake is. We also keep having to pinch ourselves that we are really here at Titicaca.

On the horizon we see some small shapes ... as they come into view we realise they are the floating islands of Uros

Puno and Lake Titicaca

Woke to a bright sunny day. Yummie buffet breakfast of fruit, cheese, ham and scrambled eggs. Decided to try coca leaves, supposed to be really good for altitude sickness and tummy bugs - we are both suffering from both - tastes surprisingly good!

After skyping, emailing and blogging set off to explore Lima Street. A buzzy little road that is full of restaurants, street vendors and Peruvian life in all its forms.

Am constantly amazed by the efficiency here... no matter what you do it happens in a twinkle. Money from bank in small notes takes seconds it seems! As we leave the bank a tiny wizened woman in traditional dress approached us with arms full of alapaca sweaters "No! no! no!" we say - but then we look again, they are rather nice. We are off to Armanstani in the morning. It could be cold.... so five minutes later, our pockets lighter by $20 and we are the owners of two gorgeous sweaters!

The market was incredible. We strolled firstly through stalls selling clothing, hats, scarves, jumpers and Yellow underwear?!! Celebration for New Year or do all Peruvians wear yellow undies, now there is a thought! A little bikini number took my eye... scanty as ... with a picture of Jesus in the vital spot! I did resist!

Loved to see the women sitting serenely under their bowler hats with their colourful wide skirts billowing around them, spinning wool and using it on the spot to make clothing. Roger was mesmerised and soon found himself the owner of a warm hat. It is really hot here through the day but suddenly at 4.00pm the day cools and warm jackets are needed for the night.

We are starting to wonder what our stay on Armantani will be like, we have been told there is no running water and electricity. We stay with the family - a bit like we did in Vietnam. I imagine mud floors and lots of amimals. mmm we will see!

I wander through the market, a gory bullfight on TV has caught Roger's eye! Suddenly I too am surrounded by blood and gore. In among the yellow undies is a stall selling meat. Men run with huge pigs hung over their shoulders. They dump them on the stall and quick as a flash the pig is cut up and put on display. Women reach over pointing at different bits, the knife flashes and chunks of meat are haggled over vehemently. Its seems prices are high for New Year's eve and the meat passes backwards and forward between buyers and sellers before an agreement is reached.

Some sections of the pigs are quickly dispensed to other stalls and as I look to the right and see a row of pig's heads with tongues hanging out peer balefully at me with their blue eyes.

The meat stalls gave way to flower stalls where women put together small bunches: 1 rose with the petals carefully pulled back, Baby's Breath, a bullrush and a dahlia seemed to be the order for the day.

Great to walk down to Lake Titicaca and hear the bands practicing for the nights festivities – or it could be a festival in itself as there always seems to be one happening!

The edge of the lake is more like Butlins than I expected with paddle boats and a fun fair atmosphere. Water and Fritos Papas set us up for the walk back but the heat and altitude get to us and we succumb to taking a cyclo back.

As we drive back I am amazed at how there is always someone selling something they have made or found. We see people collecting bottles (later used without washing to hold the local wine or chi cha - beer); selling plastic bags, car parts; as well as colourful clothes, hats fruit, flowers – if you want it someone can get it for you!

After a chill out, I realise that I am jealous of Roger's hat! So back to the frenetic market and then Lima Street for dinner. Same lady approaches us with sweaters, we engage the services of a young guy to explain we already have sweaters only to discover somehow we have bought a small oil painting from him!

The small restaurant we chose looks so cosy ... a small pizza oven looks so cute. Within minutes we are peeling off clothing as the oven heats up and we are left gasping for air! Great meal though .. We tend to choose Menu Touristico, as it is economical but also gives you a chance to try local produce. Typically it has sopa, fish, or meat, plus desert for around $6. Here in Puno, trucha is my favourite - fresh trout from the lake. Yum!

Off to celebrate New Year's Eve. As we arrive at the main square we are greeted by the usual scene of police frantically blowing whistles with no one paying any attention!

A couple of hundred people line the square. To us just looking at the array of national dress is fascinating. Two really boring bands were playing, but we noticed behind them were some incredibly dressed dancers. Eventually they took centre stage. The first lot wore bright yellow sparkling- quite outrageous costumes. The women in short, short skirts and high, high heels while the guys wore michael jackson type jackets with huge flaring shoulders - glitz was definitely it! The dance itself was highly energetic interspersed with slow romanic sections which quickly dissolved into pure raunch!

The second group of dancers looked more traditional, the women wearing bright red skirts and white lace "kerchiefs" and tiny white veils. Surprise was in the air here too as the dance exploded onto the square with a general e shooting a young "terrorist" with a pistol. The general kicked the terrorist around the square which set up a keening from the rest of the dance group. The women linked armed and graciously swayed their way around the square. Balaclava clad men toting wooden machine guns leapt an energetic dance and then everyone whooped it out of the square, leaving us in total confusion. Totally awestruck at their energy - how do they do it - altitude gets us after climbing a few stairs!

Two guys then emerge from the crowd and carefully lay a line of gunpowder with fireworks strewn along. One guy runs out and lights the fuse and fireworks shoot into the air or the crowd causing great amusement or fear as the case may be! Every few seconds the gunpowder fizzles out and someone would run out and tentatively lit the fuse once - scurrying back to safety to the amusement of the crowd!

When we arrived in the square we had noticed a large bamboo structure which looked as if it had Catherine Wheels attached. From time to time groups of men had come and added another "storey" or more fireworks to it. It reminded us of fireworks in Mexico. Sure enough as soon as the dancing was finished, a guy emerges with a paper bull on his head. The fuse was lit and he roared off into the square with fireworks shooting out into the crowd. The band played blandly on until they too were showered with sparks and fireworks like everyone else!

Suddenly a police pick up arrived. We wonder what is happening, only to find that it is time for Hot chocolate and panatoni. The crowd eagerly accept the food and drinks which are dolled out by immaculately uniformed police.

Every couple of minutes more men adorned by bulls or goats scatter fireworks into the crowd. In the park opposite men let of sky rockets, most of which explode high in the sky but occasionally the rockets would lose direction and shoot into the crowd. One shot through the door of the church causing great consternation!

At ten o'clock it was time for the major event. The huge bamboo firework display was set alight. Flames shot up the side and Catherine Wheels span with great gusto initially and then faded. The same guy had to tentatively relight them or give them a poke with a long pole. This was repeated for each side of the structure until the final rocket shot from the top. Within seconds, the Hill people and locals had disappeared just leaving the tourists looking in wonder at what had been!

Back at the hotel we are excited to pack our daypack for the island trip. Will leave most of luggage here and just take one daypack with us. Tough to pack as we will need to take all water with us, plus clothing for heat and cold.... and we are bearing in mind all those hills we have to climb.

Just had a thought we now have luggage in Santa Monica, Puno, and of course confiscated boxes in Sydney!!!

Sol de Mayo

We are always guided by Lonely Planet but this time the writers sent us on a real wild goose chase. We went on a walk out of the city to what we thought was going to be a little country town but was in fact more city and more city. Found ourselves in a small plaza where a group of Peruvian women were in town from the farm.... they were so funny but smiles for the photograph... I don't think so!

A sheer delight though was a restaurant Sol de Mayo hdden behind high walls. The food was just incredible! HUGE HUGE servings though…The seafood – which for some reason we didn’t order was fantastic! The best part though was the waiters who ran everywhere – even with full trays.

And now the Aussie customs are after us!

Are you sure you want to know us? Our second calmly phrased email that sent adrenalin and panic through our veins was one from Fed EX. Your luggage has been confiscated by customs and will not be released until you can personally verify the contents. The subsequent storage charge is $100 per day.

As we were not returning to Australia for 15 days that was a pretty tough fee on an already horrendously expensive service. Thank goodness for skype we were able again to confirm that we had done all of the paperwork. Another $300 charge and we were on our way again. We now hear that the box was finally delivered on the wrong day, with no phone call to Caleb. Luckily our neighbour Julie was there along with a visitor Nancy from Colorado and they struggled to put the boxes into the house…Thanks Fat Ass whoops I mean Fed Ex.

Arequipa Panic - to the US we are aliens

As usual spent an hour or so of “chill out time” skyping, blogging and emailing. An email popped up from IIE our exchange sponsors to ask if we had submitted our final reports and documentation. Luckily we had, we confirmed our final plans and thought that was the end of that BUT NO!

A calmly phrased email asked “How do you plan to get back into the USA without a VISA!” Mmm PANIC! We had a 30 day grace on our J1 Visa when it ran out on 31 December, and we knew we could leave and return to the US three times in the year. So we felt quite calm about holidaying in Peru, leaving our luggage in LA and planning our return ticket to Sydney from US. “Oh no” the Lima Consulate told us “Your J1 visa was cancelled when you left US!”

So we were stuck in Peru with no way to get our luggage or to get on our plane in LA… I suppose they could always deport us…mmm a bit too embarrassing and expensive that one.

Yeehah! for the internet, within 10 minutes we both had transit visas, and life was looking good once more!

(OK so haven’t used them yet but if we get arrested in LA at least you know why!)

Food glorious food

The food here is fantastic – more nouvelle cuisine than anything else. Breakfast is usually juice, freshly baked breads, scrambled eggs, tea. For lunch or dinner we will often choose the menu touristica – any thing from 10 – 20 soles ( 10 = about $A3.80).

Of course Guinnea Pig is a favoured delicacy - haven't tried it yet but the alapaca was delicioso! We have also discovered Munya... basically a fine leafed mint which is soaked in boiling water. Great for those tummy upsets that we don't seem to be immune to. Also cocos leaves which help with altitude sickness - yes at 14,000 ft we get that too!

Nuns with attitude

Arequipa was a great place, with a huge central square where people in traditional dress would come to chat, sell their wares or in some cases beg. Watching the bargaining, romantic trysts and general hubbub was great fun. Lovely textiles there and we succumbed to buying a couple of nice things.

Of greatest interest though was the Convent of Santa Catalina. This had been founded in the 16^th century for the 2^nd daughters of the wealthy, who traditionally became nuns. These were nuns with a difference though… they had servants and slaves, invited musicians to play and generally spent their time gambling and having a great time. The local shops sold outrageous trinkets showing drunken nuns playing cards.

This went on for about 300 years until the pope decided to bring them into line. The community there however, is still the most emancipated, owning all the land and taking the profits from tourism. It really was a town within a town and we were grateful to have a guide to show us around.

La Casa Malagar Arequipa

Our bus trip back to Lima was so good, we now understood the landscape and the four hours went by in a flash. Arriving at the bus station in Lima we were inundated by people calling “Taxi! Taxi!” “Quanta costa?’ “Cuarenta” “No… veinte” “Done” and we were on our way for half the price. Mind you the cab was held together by pieces of string and we nearly took out half a dozen cars and people on the way.

Lima airport is efficient and modern and we were soon through to a clean waiting area complete with wifi…we had a couple of hours and so we could skype family and friends and catch up with emails. Always a good feeling to hear from people . Must admit feel that I am living in about 5 different realities at the moment!

As it was only a 2 hour flight we were able to see all the scenery below us. The desert with its paths leading over the hills and dunes, the occasional settlement .. estupenda! A quick snack of tea and sandwiches, complete with cake and chocolate (Roger did well that trip!) and we were there.

We walked across the runway where two large statues of indigenous people, framed by the amazing view of Mt Misty welcomed us with open arms to Arequipa. Mt Misty a stunningly beautiful and supposedly dormant volcano dominates the town. Wondered how on earth anything would survive if it erupted which it could do at any moment!.

We had been told that we would be met by a guide and a sing… by which we assumed there would be a sign… and there it was “Miss Julie”

An hour later we had driven through a medieval landscape of strip farming, mud and daub houses with thatched roofs, cows, pigs and sheep all hobbled and colourful shepherds silhouetted against the sky.

Down a backstreet, honking all the way. Most of the houses here look unfinished, there is no sense of making the outside of a building attractive. We pulled up next to an old looking place made of huge blocks. Suddenly we were into a quiet world of courtyards and gardens.

Our room was huge, with a sitting area and tall doors that opened out onto a lovely private garden.. a real oasis. At $40 per night one of the more expensive hotels, but well worth it!

Nazco

After spending a day meeting quite a few characters who have "got lost" in Peru decided that we needed a bit of a tourist hit. decided to fly over the desert to see the Nazco lines. We didn't really know what to expect. There were at least a dozen options which had been touted to us by many of the tourist operators in Paracas. In the end Miguel from the hotel got it all sussed.

He would organise a taxi to the airport in Pisco - mmm didn't know that they had one! Fly over the desert, take a quick tour of Pisco and then back to the hotel for dinner. Now my Spanish is lousy but I did realise that he was telling me something important about the price.

It wasn't until we got to the airport though that I realised what it was. No credit card payment! Mmm could we pay in dollars - sure. Only problem was that every dollar had to be absolutely pristine! The dollars we had were straight from US and had tiny tears, fold marks and marks. No possiblo! Ok what to do now. Give me half and your driver will take you to ATM at end of flight. Then through security. Basically we had to put anything metal into a container and then we were scanned before going through the gate. They then handed back to us everything in the container that had not been scanned! interesting. Gradually the other 10 people arrived who were sharing the flight with us. We chatted with a Japanese couple. He was extremely nervous about flying but she was full of enthusiasm. The airport was sparklingly new, the previous one having been flattened by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Outside the vast windows we looked across rubble and mess as far as we could see. Looked like something from Spike Miilligan. Out of the dust and chaos came two pilots, meticulously dressed looking for the way into the airport - I kid you not!

In Paracas we had been aware of the wonderful busy port but behind the hotel was a desert where occasionally women in traditional costume wandered out to the road, or we saw a lone figure walking off into the distance. What was out there? It fascinated us. We wandered out to the plane across the debris. Brand new plane, zappy looking young pilots greeted us and gave us the lowdown on the flight and brand new plane. Off we went , it was amazing, out in the desert were huge irrigated oasis with grand houses with swimming pools, surrounded by long sand dunes - and always people and animals somehow surviving in this desolate landscape...and then we were over the lines... the pilot swooped down... below us even smaller planes shot down into the valleys only to to swing out of the dive at the very last minute. Our pilot, keen to make sure that everyone got a good view would go into a stomach wrenching turn first to the left and then to the right and then down, down, down to get a better view and up once more and on to the next spectacular view. Our Japanese friend Miko was decidedly green by this stage while her boyfriend was positively enjoying it. The rest of us were all really quiet!!!

It was a stunning flight though and we just loved it. You can check out this sight to get an idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlp1frj_thM.

On our return to the airport we were met by two grim officials who would not accept our dollars and who insisted that we go to the bank to change more dollars. Evenutually they let us leave when we promised to pay the hotel. When we got to the hotel we just handed over the old crumpled dollars and they were happy as!

What a day... tomorrow 4hr bus trip back to Lima and flight to Arequippa... Should be a long but interesting day!

Islas Ballastas

Can't describe how fantastic it was to see the mist rise and then suddenly we were in another world. The air was thick with cormorants flying and every rock and crevice was filled with seals, sealions, pelicans, penguins and hundreds of other species.

The boat rose and fell and great waves of water rushed through arches through which we could see more and more colonies of seabirds. An amazing two hours.

at the Mirador, we discovered a rather nice pool complete with bar... mmm Pisco Sour could become a habit!

Islas Ballastas

Wow! what an amazing day! Got up to our usual breakfast schmozzle of "What would you like?" We inevitably asked for omelette or scrambled eggs and would wait in anticipation for what would arrive, sometime boiled or fried or even scrambled!

The morning was hazy we could hardly see the ocean, but there at 8.00am was our taxi (minibus). To our amusement another couple who had also been waiting were the docks before us they too had had their own private minibus!

The docks were crowded with tourists of all nationalities. We met our guide who spoke fantastic English. We wandered around the dock watching huge dirty looking pelicans land majestically on the water or dive smoothly into the water catching fish in their huge bills. Cormorants lined up on top of boats shaking their wings dry.

Most interesting though was the swarm of people who regularly rushed up to a small hut which had a tiny window. Not pausing for a minute from speaking on their mobile phone, they pushed and shoved their way into the little hut.

"What's happening"? we asked.........our guide explained that the coastguard would not let them take their boats out because of the heavy mist. We were happy to wait for an hour watching this fascinating world but others were not so keen.

We watched as the boats were unloaded and loaded. Fishermen were paid in fish which no doubt they traded for other goods. Men and women carried huge nets, large containers of fish and barrels of water up and down the pier.

Finally we were off... the ratbag line of tourists was suddenly orderly and eager to go. We hopped into quite modern motor boats, donned lifeboats and we were off. Our guide pointing out birds as we went. Past the commercial boats and the battered local fishing boats, the islands were suddenly right there before us.