Monday 12th August
Taking full advantage of our spacious and high pressure shower, we took our time getting ready in our hotel room in Nazca before a spot of work then lunch in town and catching a bus to Ica. Once there, we had cake and coffee (of course) before catching a taxi to Huacachina and settling into our slightly more rustic hostel.
Tuesday 13th August
Our anniversary! After a chilly breakfast outside, we went for a walk around the lagoon and admired the views of the dunes. We spent the rest of the morning relaxing on our balcony before going for a posh lunch then a rest. After a quick café break, we climbed up the dunes to try and catch the sunset, but on the top it was so windy we were breathing in sand so we joined the hoarded back down by the lagoon before dinner at our hostel. In the evening, inspired by our location, we watched Dune.
Wednesday 14th August
After a relaxing morning, we hired a taxi to take us to a few wineries around Ica. In the first, a large industrial complex, we got an interesting explanation of how pisco, Peru's national drink, is made plus tastings of some rather sweet wines. The second was much more basic, but we stayed for lunch in their restaurant.
Thursday 15th August
Once we'd interviewed the owner of our hostel for the blog, we packed up and took a taxi to Ica, where we lunched. In the afternoon, we worked then went for a walk and a café break.
Friday 16th August
Zab stayed in bed most of the morning, as he had a funny tummy. I went to walk around the town in the sunshine and briefly popped into very small art gallery. We checked out of our hotel, lunched then caught our bus to Paracas and found our new digs.
Saturday 17th August
Unfortunately, Zab's stomach continued to bother him so after breakfast I did the tour of the nature reserve on my own. We first stopped at the interpretation centre which explained the geology and ecology of the Paracas peninsula in an interesting and fun way, then we drove to the south side of the peninsula for views of the almost Martian landscape. We stopped for lunch in a small bay mostly full of pelicans and Peruvians trying to persuade us to eat at their place. Back in town I rested with Zab before going out to find him something easy to eat.
Sunday 18th August
Still feeling a little sorry for himself, Zab stayed in bed while I got up early to join a tour to the Islas Ballestas. It was cloudy the whole time, and we saw mostly just seagulls, sealions and a few penguins and it smelled of bird shit. The formations of the islands were cool, though. Back in town, I realised my stomach was playing up as well, so we spent the rest of the day just lazing about.
