Tiara in Transit

Having no clue what the itinerary involved, I was pleasantly surprised that the first optional excursion in Paracas was a high-speed, bumpy boat ride to the Ballestas Islands where we were able to view the unusual ‘Candelabra’, a giant design carved into a desert hill, and thousands of sea lions plus many varieties of aquatic birds that covered the rocky land.

It was described to me as ‘the poor man’s Galapagos islands’, for those who couldn’t afford to see the real thing, and if you keep this description in mind, it didn’t disappoint, in fact the scenery was beautifully raw, and the sea lions gorgeous and stinky.

However, being an animal lover, I was surprised at how quickly I switched off from the guided tour, easily adopting a ‘seen one bird seen them all’ attitude, while trying to maintain the look of interest on my face.

My one an only question – ‘What is all that white stuff covering the island?’

Answer – Bird shit.

Amazingly, this is the only piece of information I retained from this highly educational tour.