The Road to Cusco

Enjoyed our short stay in Lima much more than expected - great museums and friendly people. Next port of call was Pisco, where we visited the Ballestas Islands. Reputedly one of the best marine wildlife reserves in the world, we saw at close hand hundreds of sea lions, pelicans, penguins and other birds. We had our first Peruvian Panpipe experience at our hostal in Pisco, colourfully dressed chaps entertaining us during our dinner and pisco sours (the local drink). Next stop, a desert oasis called Huacachina, near to Ica. Here we sandboarded on the massive dunes, and saw a spectacular sunset. Gareth managed to stay on his feet slightly more than Hannah, who preferred the "sitting down" approach! The highlight of the last week for both of us was the Nazca lines - images constructed from lines drawn in the desert some 2000 years ago. Apparently drawn for the gods, they were only discovered when people started to fly! We took a small 6 seater plane over the lines and saw amazing images of monkeys, hummingbirds, lizards and other creatures. Made our way by bus to Cusco, a 14hr journey from hell, with hairpins all the way, speeding drivers, smelly toilets and the heart pounding ascent to 10,000ft. We´re now enjoying Cusco, which immediately claimed top spot in our list of favourite cities. Happy Easter to everyone.

Nazca Lines - Hummingbird

Peru Panpipes

G with Sandboard, Huacachina, Ica