Days 13 - 15

January 17, 2012 - Day 13 – General San Martin, Peru

We docked at General San Martin this morning at 8 o’clock. On our approach we could see the “candelbra” on the mountainside to starboard. This is a large “etching” on the ground that has variously been called a candelabra or a trident. It is several hundred feet tall by several hundred feet wide. It has been “carved” into the hillside by an unknown process. It looks like a 3-branched candelabra, but no one knows why or how it was created.

We did not take a ship’s tour today, but rather a tour organized by one of  the Cruise Critic passengers, who researched the possibilities before leaving home. We were met at the pier by a guide and a van. All 16 of us were driven into Paracas, a beach resort town devastated by an earthquake four years ago. Rebuilding is a slow process, but it continues. Paracas is about a 3 hour drive from Lima. The city dwellers come here to vacation on the beach, fish and tour the desert. It is very hot and dry with low hills and expansive desert. Sandstorms are a frequent occurrence.

Our weather was perfect. It was warm and windy, but no sand was in the air. Our goal was to boat out to Isla Ballestas. These small islands are called the Galapagos of Peru. There are many birds nesting here as well as seals and sea lions. We toured the waterfront on foot for half an hour, dodging street vendors, stray dogs, and birds. Then we boarded a 24 passenger speedboat, and donned lifejackets for our trip. We headed across the bay toward the Prinsendam, and continued on to the candelabra. We got a super close view before heading to the islands 30 minutes away.

The dominant species of birds on the islands were Peruvian boobies, pelicans, cormorants, and Humboldt penguins. Seals and sea lions were also there in good numbers. Baby seals had been born just a few weeks before we arrived. We also saw a pair of vultures cleaning up a carcass.

The rock formations were very interesting. At times we seemed too close, but all went well.

The local people have built a rock wall at the top of the cliffside to prevent the guano (bird poop) from falling into the sea. Every 7 years teams of workers come to the islands, for about 3 months, to harvest the guano. It is used as a natural fertilizer. We don’t know how the workers can stand it. We were downwind for ½ hour, and found the stench a bit much. 3 months with that odor would have done us in.

The boat trip back to Paracas was 20 minutes of bumping over the waves. The guide warned everyone to stow their electronics because we would get wet. The spray managed to hit everyone. One couple covered themselves with a rain poncho. They were promptly accused of engaging in a "boobie" hunt.

January 18, 2012 – Day 14 – Sea Day

Today was to be a quiet sea day. Hah!

 We attended a 9:30 Q&A with the guest chef. A fun time. At 11:00 it was back to the showroom for a talk on Peruvian jewelry. This was followed by a free raffle in the jewelry shop. The first prize was a very nice necklace with an amber pendant. Alice won it! It may not be the greatest quality, but it is pretty. And the price was right. Lunch with the Cruise Critic group followed in the dining room. At 1 we went to a talk on food markets around the world by the guest chef. She was interesting, and shared our likes for markets in Spain and Asia. Then, we ran off to the port lecturer’s talk on the first 2 Chilean ports. These are a few days away, but he likes to give us time to do our own research to expand on his tidbits. We followed this with some time with the future cruise planner. She will help us find something affordable and interesting for next year. I popped down to the medical center for my first shipboard INR test. In five minutes I had my results. INR = 2.6. This is perfect. They want it between 2 and 3. My next check will be in 3 weeks. The charge was just $35 compared to $88 at home. Dinner was next, followed by a very energetic show with the music of Frankie Valli presented by Unexpected Boys from New York. Then we trekked up to the sport deck forward to star gaze with the 3^rd mate. The southern Cross was clear as can be. In fact, the whole sky was ablaze with stars. A new moon eliminated lunar light interference. A perfect end to a great day at sea.

Was that a run on paragraph or what?

January 19 – Day 15 – MATARANI

This is an industrial port with a very small harbor. We were several miles from town. We took the shuttle to Mollendo. It was a twenty minute ride. There we walked down to a parkway that overlooked the beach. Seemed like Paracas, with a long beach,cluttered with sun bathers. From there we walked back along the main drag where we found the Church of the Immaculate Conception. We wandered through it, and took some pictures. Then, we went into a courtyard behind the altar. When we went to leave the church, the door, through which we entered, had been locked. We found a different, open, door and exited. We went down a long stairway toward a passing street. When we got to the bottom we found the gate was locked. A passerby told us, in Spanish, to go back up to the church. Half way up the sexton came out to tell us he would unlock the gate. He came down, and let us out. Then he could not get the bolt to line up to re-lock the gate. I helped him, we exchanged “gracias,” and went our separate ways.

That took us to the town market. Awesome! Fresh chickens, beef, pork and fish were on display, all without refrigeration. One man was still butchering a hindquarter of beef. Oh yes, we saw some fresh octopus too. There was an area of food service featuring fresh ceviche. We passed, but it did look good. Upon leaving the market building we found ourselves on a narrow street running up a hill. This street was lined with all kinds of stalls offering goods and services for sale. The fruits were all neatly stacked and looked beautiful. Potatoes, rice, peppers both hot and sweet, radishes, onions squashes and watermelons were among the products. There were also clothes, appliances, housewares and hardware. One corner had 4 different shoe repair stands with hand-driven sewing machines for stitching on new soles.

We spent almost 2 hours in the markets. Then we spent the last of our Peruvian solas on ice cream and chocolates.

Our next port is in Chile. Till then, life is good!