Poor Man's Galapagos

Sea lions taking it easy, Islas Ballestas

The first thing you notice when you arrive in Paracas is the strong smell of fish which greets you as you get off the bus. It hangs in the all-pervasive sea mist, which stretches all the way up the coast towards Lima.

Within moments we were met and driven to our hotel by a friend of a friend in Nazca who had kindly arranged for us to have the best room in the hotel - one with a balcony overlooking the sea. Perfect for spending the rest of the day sitting, drinking wine and getting used to the smell.

By evening we were tasting Ceviche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerviche) - a local Peruvian speciality which has apparently won international culinary awards. Raw fish (the sole seems to be the best) marinaded in lemon, onions and a slightly spicy sauce made for one of the best meals yet. A gastronomic highlight (up there with Argentine steaks).

The next morning it was a fairly early start and a tourist speed boat passed an ancient sand geoglyph (a candalabra / cactus etched into the shore) and onto the Islas Ballestas, otherwise known as the 'Poor Man's Galapagos'.

Going here bolsters the South American animal tally considerably. To add to the condors, eagles, hummingbirds, parrots, flamingos, capybaras, coyotes and all forms of llamas and alpacas, we saw Humboldt Penguins, sea lions, pelicans and swarms of cormorants, amongst other animals.

The islands themselves are off the coast of Paracas and despite being quite small are teeming with life...and guano. Masses of it. The stuff is all over the place, covering the ground in metres of white deposit and giving the place a smell similar to a Bolivian bus (see earlier blog).

It's now a nature reserve descended upon by hundreds of tourists in speed boats circling the islands gawping at the array of wildlife. Years ago it used to be a guano quarry, which was once one of Peru's greatest exports, used around the world as a fertiliser.

Abandoned quarry, Islas Ballestas