He´s a Mexican Indian - How´d that be?

We had a full day travelling to cross the border into Mexico.

They have a random procedure for stopping and searching people as you cross the border you press a button like at a pedestrian crossing. You can guess what happened when I pressed it - fortunately no body cavity searches just a check of my back-pack to confiscate my drugs and booze.

The Mexican buses were well comfortable with reclining seats and air conditioning - they even show films although we saw one film about 3 times - I was glad when I discovered how to turn the sound off!!

We arrived late in Playa del Carmen and went straight out for dinner. Some of us went to a restaurant built inside a grotto of caves at a place called Alux. It was really impresive but we only had starters because it was a bit pricey - we walked around the caves after diner. (I forgot my camera but will try and get some pics to upload).

Our hotel in Playa was pure comedy - Posada del Cowboys - it was above Roy Rogers Cowboy store (Mam you would have loved it for your line dancing gear!) There were statues of horses jumping out of the building. Our room had patio doors that opened onto a square surrounded by four brick walls - someone elses room had holes cut in the floor and a car rental booth outside - quality.



Please excuse the Paraguay shirt - I bought it back at the start of my travels when I´d forgotten that they were in our group!

I had planned to go diving - our guide used to work in Playa and was going to sort us out a good deal - his friend wasn´t around and as we were leaving at 5pm anyway I decided to leave my diving until New Zealand or Oz and do a proper PADI course in one go when I have more time.

Instead of diving we went to visit the Mayan ruins of Tulum. Tulum has a fantastic location on a cliff top facing the rising sun looking out on views of the Caribbean.

In Maya, Tulum means "Wall" - there is a wall running around the city.

The earliest date lifted from the site is A.D. 564 (the inscription on a stele (statue)) This places Tulum within the Classic period, although it became much more important later(1200 - 1521 A.D.) during the Late Post-classic period. Tulum was a major link in the Maya's extensive trade network. Both sea and land routes converged here.



There were lots of lizards running around - some of them were massive.



The best bit about the site was the beach - it has an isolated location and the water was fantastic for swimming.

When we got back to Playa we walked around the shops and the beachfront before catching a bus up the coast to Cancun.

We arrived in Cancun and had a group meal at a place near to the hotel. Our hotel was in the old town and although there was all the facilities we needed all the bars and clubs were in the hotel zone - so we travelled there by taxi for a big night out! The hotel zone is just a huge strip of hotels and is extremely commercialised. There were cruise ships moored and the place was just full of American tourists - not very Mexican at all - you even pay for things in US dollars rather than pesos.

However on the way through the hotel zone disaster struck as we realised there had been a big power cut and the roads were jammed - the club we wanted to go to was closed and loads of people were just milling about. We decided to stay and find a bar that was open - the bar we found (Slices) was packed - all lit by candles and as I was with four girls (hello Jen, Liz, Catherine and Caroline) we got a warm welcome and some good seats - The bar was full of American college students who were entertaining to watch and just kept shouting random things - as there was no music the barman were trying to entertain the crowd. One of the barmen kept jumping on the bar and shouting at our table "Hello England" although we were stone cold sober and couldn´t muster the Whoop-whoop response he required so he got an reserved English "hello" instead!

After a few drinks and no sign of the power coming back on we called it a night.

Next day I stayed in the old town and caught up on Laundry and e-mail and got ready for the next travel day. I also said goodbye to Bjorn my German room mate and met his replacement Matthew from New York.

Caye Caulker

We caught a bus to Belize City which used to be the capital but to me seemed like a really small town. We then caught a water taxi over to Caye Caulker - well it was proper picture postcard stuff with crystal blue water and sandy beaches. Our hotel looked right onto the beach. The island does not have any cars as you can walk everywhere on sandy tracks but there are golf buggies for the really lazy.



First stop was the sports bar to catch the Champions League final - they were serving pints as well - my first in a long time so it was a good afternoon! Then there was just enough time to explore the island.

We had a group meal at Marlas Kitchen a place popular with the locals so we looked a bit out of place but the BBQ chicken and mashed potato was spot on.

My room mate was feeling sick so stayed in the room. Most of the group chipped in for some local One Barrel Rum and some Coke and we sat on the beach drinking under the umbrellas.



There was a very heavy rain shower but we were able to shelter under the umbrellas and carry on drinking. I popped back up to the room an hour later and knocked on the door. As soon as I walked in I saw that the room was flooded - my room mate was in a right daze and it was only when he realised his feet were wet that he got why I was shouting. Basically the bathroom wall was leaking rainwater and it had spread almost accross the whole floor of the room - my roomates stuff was wet but luckily I was just in time to lift my pack up off the floor. Fortunately the hotel did some quick repairs the next day!

The next day I signed up to do a snorkelling trip - the company Toucan recomended didn´t seem too good so we opted to go with Rag-a-Muffin tours which were a lot more professional. Basically it was a sail boat (with motor) where we travelled out to 3 snorkel spots and they provided lunch and rum punch.

First stop was the Coral Garden where we were free to swim around on our own. The fish were spectacular and it was interesting to look at the coral. I was a bit gutted I wasn´t watching the guide though as I missed the Manatee (sea cow) which are really rare.

On the way to the next spot I started getting a bit sea sick - however I was told the cure was to sit on deck in the middle of the boat and suck on a bit of lime! The second stop was the best one for me - shark ray alley . As the name suggests there were loads of sharks (mostly nurse sharks) - all harmless I hasten to add although it was a bit nerve racking jumping into the water as they were pretty big.

There were also rays which were massive - they can sting but the guides showed us what to do to avoid it.

After lunch our final stop was the Hol Chan marine reserve. This was pretty good too as we had a guided tour with our guide swimming down and pointing at stuff before surfacing and shouting out the names - so we got to identify lots of different fish (including Snappers, Angel Fish and Sergeant Majors) and coral (including Brain Correl which looks rank).

After this stop we used the wind and sails to get back to Caye Caulker - on the way we had some rum punch and that took my mind off the sea sickness.

We finished the day with a group meal at a restaurant on the beach and a quick crawl of the islands bars.

Actun Tunichil Muknal

From San Ignacio I decided to visit the caves of Actun Tunichil Muknal. This was an absolutely brilliant day and I would definately recommend it.

We took a 4X4 about an hours drive away to the start of a jungle trek. We then trekked through the jungle for about 45 minutes - we had to cross streams and I was glad I had the trusty battle sandals - however they did not protect me from an ants nest which I stood in - it was the first time I´d been stung by ants and it was like being nettled - fortunately the next stream cooled my foot down and the bites quickly dissapeared.

We had some lunch at the entrance of the cave where they have a campsite. The caves themselves have been visited by National Geographic on 2 occaisions. They are unique as the artifacts and bones left there by the Myans between 600 to 900 AD have been left undisturbed, so when you see them, it is almost the same view as the first person to discover them would have seen.

It is quite entertaining though as you have to wear socks when walking around in the caves so as not to damage anything, however as you have to swim and wade through water and climb over rocks the sandals are also needed - thus giving the spectacular socks and sandals look (of particular interest no doubt to Paul and Antje!!)



Here´s a picture of the cave entrance - you actually have to swim in to the caves and you get given a helmet and lamp which you have to keep dry - we also opted to strap our T-shirts to the helmet which added to the comedy value of the outfit!



Well after swimming and climbing through the caves and admiring the stunning rock formation we climbed up to the chamber where the artifacts were:





As you can see they are strewn everywhere and you have to be very careful not to touch them. There are also bones and skeletons of people who were thought to have been sacrificed in the caves.



The caves are really earie in places and you can try and imagine some of the strange rituals - only the priests would go into the caves as all of the Mayans were terrified as they believed it to be the enterance to the underworld.

After spending almost 3 hours in the caves we emerged back into the sunlight before heading back to San Ignacio.

Flores and Tikal (and something for the geeks!)

We had a very early start, so early it wasn´t even worth going to bed. The idea was to drive one hour to the ruins of Tikal and to climb one of the temples and sit and watch the sunrise. Unfortunately it rained again so it wasn´t as spectacular as it might have been, however we still had a spectacular view of the site and got to hear the Howler Monkeys - it honestly sound like some sort of monster was in the jungle (like on Lost) - I hope I get to see them later on in the trip.

Tikal is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Maya civilization. It was one of the major cultural and population centers of the Maya civilization. Monumental architecture was built here as early as the 4th century BC. The city was at its height in the Maya Classic Period, approximately 200 AD to 850 AD, after which no new major monuments were built, some of the palaces of the elite were burned, and the population gradually declined until the site was abandoned by the end of the 10th century.

Here I am at Temple 1 often used to symbolise Guatemala:



Now Tikal also appears in Star Wars. And for all you who are interested (probably just little bro and Dave!!) It was the Massassi Templeon Yavin 4. This was the location of the Rebel base after the evacuation of Dantooine!



As well as the Star Wars connection I like the site because of all the wildlife. The site is spread out through the jungle and we saw Spider Monkeys and Coatis as well as a Woodpecker and a Toucan.

The spider monkeys were great to watch jumping through the trees:



We left Tikal just as it was starting to fill up with tourists and this made me even more glad that I´d got up so early as the ruins were starting to get a theme park feel to them - also it was getting too hot to wander around.

We took mini buses to the border and crossed over to Belize. For those of you who didn´t know Belize was previously owned by the British and formely known as British Honduras. The coins still have the queens head on them and every one can speak English (albeit with a Caribean / American accent) We then had to squash into taxis where I had my pack on my knee (very hot and uncomfortable) to get to the hotel in San Ignacio.

Rio Dulce, Livingston and Flores

We left Antigua in Mini Vans and I really started to miss Rosita (our truck from the last trip). The vans were cramped with no air con so it was a long 6 hour drive to Rio Dulce.

However when we arrived it was well worth it - we were staying on a hotel on an island and had to catch a boat accross (Hotel CatamaranIsland). There was a really nice pool with a poolside bar and a 4 hour happy hour!! We stayed in cabins which were top quality - there was also a big lizard that we saw on the island but I wasn´t quick enough to get a photo.

Rio Dulce Island



After lazing by the pool for the afternoon (yep - I really miss working for a living!!) I had diner with the group on the island and finished the night with a few beers under the stars.

I opted for a boat trip the next day to the Garifuna town of Livingstone. The trip took us down the Rio Dulce (Sweet River!) to the Izabal lake past the castle of San Felipe de Lara which was used to defend the town from English pirates.



There was a lot of bird life to see along the way as well as some Iguanas which were so hard to spot as they were the same colour as the trees at the side of the river (again I was too slow with the camera!).



Livingstone itself was a small town - the Garifuna people who live there are said to originate from African slaves who were shipwreked close by.

We headed by boat back to the mainland then onward by mini bus to Flores. We decided to go and watch the sunset and were just settling down by the shores of lake Peten with our drinks when a massive thunder and lightening storm started - it was spectacular to watch as the reeds blow accross the lake and the thunder and lightening crash overhead. That night we had to race through the heavy rain for diner and a presentation on Tikal (the ruins which I´ll tell you about in my next entry) - however we had a bit of a wait as the storm cut the power - the presenter was a German Architect who was an Archeologist in his spare time and was so glad we turned up in the rain that we got a free Tequila!

Antigua, Guatemala

Well I just couldn´t believe Miami airport security. They take eye scans, finger prints and I had to go through this special chamber thing which blows air at you and aparently checks for explosives.

Luckily all my flights were on time and I had no missing baggage to contend with this time.

Guatemala City was quite a shock. I have never seen so many army, security guards and police with every type of weapon imaginable. I was looking for a restaurant one night and asked a soldier for directions - he seemed quite bored so decided to walk and help me look. I looked behind and his entire 8 man squad were following us with sub machine guns and pump action shotguns. Far from feeling safe you actually just think you don´t want to be around if it ever kicks off.

Spent a day looking around but there wasn´t much really to see there. Spent a while looking for the bus stop to Antigua only to discover that the Lonely Planet was out of date and the buses did´t come right into the city centre anymore. The street numbering system also took some getting used to. One good place I did visit was the presidential palace which had a free guided tour around it.

Next day I took the local bus to Antigua which was one crazy experience. The buses are old converted US school buses and what I didn´t realise is that they literally stop on every corner. I was the first one on but by about 10 minutes into the journey the bus was jam packed and they kept stopping for more people. The bus driver was mental and because of the bumpy roads you bounce around all over the place - every bend must be taking at even faster speed than the straights. Needless to say I was quite glad when we reached Antigua. I found a cheap back packer hostel to spend a couple of days before I could book in to the hotel to start my Central America trip. On the first day I signed up for a trip to the Pacaya active volcano. The trip left bright and early and it was quite a walk to get up there. It was too dangerous to climb right on top but the lava actually came out of the side of the volcano and we could get right up to it. We also walked on an area where the lava was in the process of cooling every now and again you would look down a crack and see flames. There was smoke everywhere.





When I got back to town I decided to have a look around Antigua which is actually a really nice place and such a contrast to Guatemala City. There are lots of brightly painted buildings and cobbled streets. There are also lots of historically buildings which are partly ruined because the place has been hit by earthquakes. I found a couple of good bars including Sky bar which has excellent sunset views of the city and an Irish bar where I met a good bunch of people.

Well I have just met up with the new tour leader and a few people starting my trip and have changed hotels which seems quite an upgrade from the place I´ve been staying. We leave bright and early in the morning to go to Rio Dulce.

Quito and Goodbye to South America.

So we finally arrived in Quito where my first trip officially ended. People started leaving pretty much straight away and it was sad to see them go. We had a couple of last meals together including a Mongolian BBQ and a Thai meal and needless to say quite a few drinks!

As I was in no rush to leave and had plenty of time to explore I took a trip to the Equator monument. It´s a bit strage as there are actually two Equator lines - one calculated by the French which a monument is built around, however this turned out to be wrong as there is another line 200m away which is the correct line calculated by GPS.

Here I am at the monumnet line:




And the GPS line:




The GPS line is inside a museum. There was lots of good stuff to try here including watching water spin down a sink plug hole in different directions depending on what side of the line the sink was on (right on the line it does not spin at all - WOW!!). There was even one point right on the line where you could balance an egg on a nail apparently this is impossible anywhere else - AMAZING!! Also you actually weigh less on the Equator.

See Martin below be quite literally amazed by the balancing egg.



The museum had some other good stuff to see including a shrunken head from one of the jungle tribes which was quite rough especially when they explain the shrinking process to you - apparently they do not use magic sprinkling powder as I had originally thought. I also got to try out a blowpipe and for you hat lovers I got to wear a head dress too.



I had another couple of days in Quito and did a bit of sightseeing aroung the old town and went up to the look out over the city which had amazing views but stupidly forgot to but a memory card back in my camera!!

It was nice to have a few days at the end of the trip to relax and catch up with all my e-mails and as you´ve probably noticed this blog.

So I finally got to leave Equador and flew up to Miami en route to Guatemala and my Central American tour.

Welcome to the jungle!

From Baños we headed out to Misahualli and the jungle. We stopped off on the way at an animal sanctuary - unfortunately it was pouring with rain but we still managed to see caymen, a boa constrictor, giant snails, a broken hearted parrot and various strange native rodents that I couldn´t translate.

In the town where we stayed before we went out to the jungle there was loads of monkeys running around - they were really funny to watch - they pinched a pack of cigarettes off the truck driver and sat up on the roof trying to eat them.





Next morning we caught these thin canoes out on the river which were really shakey - I was convinced they were going to capsize. The river was a tributary of the Amazon - we went quite a way down river before stopping at the walk to the first lodge. We all had to wear wellies and walked up a long path (in the secondary forest) to the first lodge. The guide was brilliant and pointed out loads of plants and insects and birds including giant ants which can paralyse you and parakeets. After lunch we went for a long walk in the primary forest (the real jungle) and saw lots more strange plants and insects including a real tarzan swing vine and some strange multi-coloured spiders.

The first lodge itself was luxury with a bar, electricity generator and all the cabins had built in bathrooms although we did have one particularly nasty visitor -



On the first night we also had a visit from a Shaman (medicine man). He performed a good luck ceremony on two members of the group which was intresting to watch as he whipped them with twiggs and spat his healing alchol mix at them (I was glad I hadn´t volunteered), he also did some cool chanting and whistling which was very catchy. I particularly liked his hat!!!



It was even funny to watch him change back into his jeans and trainers at the end.

On the second day we visited a family who lived in the jungle by the river. The guide showed us the face painting they do for weddings and special occaisions. We were also shown the crops they grow before being invited into one of their houses which was built on stilts.

We got to taste Chiche de Yucca which is like their beer. When we had all tasted it we were told that the fermentation process is helped by the old ladies chewing the Yucca and spitting it into the drink - lovely!!! Needless to say we didn´t try anymore.

Next we went tubin´ down the river in big inflatable tyres - it was great especially when we went over the rapids and loads of people fell out but I managed to stay a float. When we got back in the boat to head back to the lodge the guide spotted a big snake on the side of the river. It escaped up a tree above the boat so the guide decided to hit it with a stick (yep make the snake angry - always a good plan!)and cut the branches with his machette well you can almost guess what happened next the snake fell into the boat and all the girls (and some lads) were hysterical - one girl jumped right out of the boat - The snake got out of the boat before the guide finally caught it - he then told us it was non poisonous but I´ve included a pic for you to see.



I was really pleased that we got to see at least one animal up close (but maybe not that close next time!!)

The second night was spent in a different lodge. This one was not so luxury but it felt more like we were staying in the jungle as there was no electricity and we ate by candle light.

We got up bright and early next day to head back to Misahualli by the shakey canoes before departing for Quito our final destination on this trip.

Ecuador! Cuenca and Baños

From Punta Sal we headed up to the border with Ecuador. This was one of the most hectic border crossings so far. There were people everywhere shouting and trying to sell you stuff - at times like that I´m glad I can speak the lingo. One of the border guards even tried to get the tour guide to pay a bribe. We actually had to drive the truck through a busy market and it looked quite a task not to take out any stalls.

Anyway once over the border it was amazing how the scenary changes from barren desert to lush green. There was a huge banana plantation and we were told that most of the UK bananas come from Ecuador.

We headed up to a place called Cuenca. We went out as a group when we arrived to a restaurant called Eucalyptus there were lots of international dishes on the menu and I managed to find Lamb Madras! Some of us went out after to a decent bar (Wunderbar) and we had a game of Jenga and a few quite ones.

Next day we went to a factory where Panama hats are made - yep you may be suprised to learn that the Panama hat does not come from Panama but from Ecuador. There was a hat buying frenzy from most of the group although I managed to restrain myself.



From Cuenca on route to Baños we stopped off at our last set of ruins - Ingapirca. These ruins were built by the Cañari who were conquered by the Incas. The Incas built around the existing structures instead of destroying them.



In Baños I actually got to have my own room as one of the lads had complained of my snoring when we had been in a triple room in Cuenca - it´s good to know my snoring can come in useful sometimes.

The first night in Baños was a lively one - we ended up in a biker bar called Jack Rocks (Formally known as the Hard Rock Cafe - till it was advertised on the net and forced to change it´s name by the big American franchise). I was drinking Long Island Ice Teas and was amused when my first one arrived with a real tea bag balanced on top of the ice!!! Any way it was a cool bar with free pool and table football. Tracey managed to beat James the trainee driver 20-1 at footie - shameful.

The next day was spent chilling - the hotel had a DVD room which was good - we watched Crash which was a pretty good film. There are also loads of thermal spas in Baños (which translates as baths). There was one right next to the hotel with indoor and outdoor pools - it was great to sit in the outside pool as the scenary is tremendous as the sun sets and there is a huge waterfall crashing down right next to the pool.

Next day I reckoned it was about time to get some exercise so I signed up for Canyoning. Wasn´t really sure what "Canyoning" involved but it turned out to be brilliant - basically abseiling down waterfalls. There were 3 waterfalls in all - the first one was high but not too difficult to start off with. One side was smooth and after we´d abseiled down we could climb back up and slide down it.





The next one was small but tough - I slipped half way down and it was difficult to recover as there was so much water. The final one was pant wettingly high - what they didn´t tell us either was that there was no wall to put your feet on after the first ledge just a sheer drop. When I pushed off the edge I actually went upside down - but all in all a great experience.



I wrapped up my last day in Baños with another trip to the spa.

Royal tombs of Sipan, Punta Sal and Mancora

On the way to Punta Sal we stopped at a new museum - the Royal tombs of Sipán.

The Royal Tombs of Sipán exhibits the most important archaeological remains of the Mochica Culture. It shows the jewels, emblems and ornaments found in 1987 in the tomb of a Mochica government leader called the Lord of Sipán. After visiting so many ruins which had been looted and destroyed, either by the Spanish or by subsequent robbers it was good to get an impression of what it would be like to discover one of the tombs with all the artifacts and gold still in one piece as it would have been the day the leader was actually buried.

We then headed on to Punta Sal and Mancora. I really liked this area as it has miles of clean beaches. We pitched our tents on the beach again next to a small hotel. It was quite difficult to keep the tents up this time as the sand was soft and it was windy. In fact our tent was one of only a few not to get blown down.

On the first day we drove back down the coast for the afternoon to Mancora. Mancora is usually a good place to surf and I had hoped to get another surf lesson in although unfortunately there were no waves.

The next day we went back to Mancora bright and early and we were lucky to find some waves - the only problem was the crowds all eager to catch the same ones. After trying my luck on the body boards I decided I'd wait for the sandy beaches of OZ before I try again. After trying to surf I joined in a game of footie on the beach with some Argentinias and Peruvians - I got some stick though as I was wearing a Paraguay shirt!

Back at Punta Sal I got to referee between some of the girls in our group and a camp gentleman who had taken them horse riding. Apparently he was not happy at the way the horses had been handled and had said that the girls had not listened to his instructions and all of them were bad riders with no experience. When I pointed out that the girls had lots of experience including Claire who grew up on a farm and that he could have intevened and demonstrated what he wanted them to do at any point if he was not happy he conceeded defeat!

After our last night camping we packed up our tents for the final time before heading off for the border and Ecuador.

Huanchaco and Chan Chan

Huanchaco is a costal resort. It was fairly quiet but I´d noticed that you could rent surf boards. I asked my Australian friend Lauren if she would give me a lesson. We hired a board for an hour and some wet suits although everyone was highly entertained by me trying to get my wet suit on. Well although I didn´t get to stand up on the board I did catch a few waves with Lauren´s help and definately wanted to try it again.

The next morning our guide met us to go out to visit the mud city of Chan Chan. This was one ruin I actually enjoyed visiting probably because much of it was in tact and you could see the original carvings. The guide was English but very amusing as he was like a robot - he was very knowlegeable though. The city itself covers over 26 square kilometres and was built by Chimu kings a race of people which were finally conquered by the Incas.





We also visited another interesting archealogical site the Moche built pyramids of Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna.



Again I found these better than many places we had visited and you could even see the colours in the paintwork - there were a number of archeologists at work there - at the moment they are working to preserve what they have found so far but there is still a lot still to uncover.

Lima, Paramonga and Sechin

Well we arrived in Lima. Lima was the last stop for quite a lot of the group and it was sad to say goodbye. Lima itself was heaving as it was Easter weekend - the streets were packed and you could not get moved. The Peruvians have a tradition of visiting 5 churches over Easter so there are huge queues everywhere.

On the first night we went out as a group to Mira Flores, which is away from the old town on the coast. Well the drinks were flowing thick and fast and it turned into a very drunken night and early morning thanks to my drinking buddies Tracey and Claire. Apparently I moved rooms at about eleven next day but don´t remember when I finally woke up at three in the afternoon I was confused about my new surroundings!

Most of the second day was spent recovering and in the evening we had another goodbye meal when some more of the group left.

On the final day in Lima we met up with some Peruvian friends of my room mate Martin. They showed us around the city (including Mira Flores and Barranco) and let us try some typical Peruvian food including cow heart kebabs which were OK.

We left Lima en route to Huanchaco and stopped off to visit two ruins on the way. The first was Paramonga a well preserved fortress by the side of the road.



The second ruin was the worst of the trip Sechin - I think it would have been a lot better a few years ago but had been badly damaged by an earthquake and by the rains of el nino which had washed much of the walls away.

We then headed off towards the beach resort of Huanchaco.

Pisco and the Ballestas Islands

We stopped off at a place called Huacachina in the middle of the desert with a big oasis. The oasis is surrounded by huge sand dunes.

We stayed overnight in Pisco which is home of the national drink of Peru - Pisco Sour. Although the alcholic drink itself is made with raw egg whites and the Pisco spirit it´s not bad.

We had an early start the next morning to go on a boat trip out to the Ballestas Islands. These are often referred to as a smaller version of the Gallapagos Islands. Nothing could prepare me for the ammount of sea birds we were about to see - there are so many birds that there are actually farms on the rocks which collect the droppings and process them for fertiliser.



The seabirds we saw included - Inca Terns, Peruvian Boobies (snigger..)and Guanay Black Cormorants. Along with these we also saw some Humboldt Penguins and lots of sea lions.



The sea lions make some great noises and swin along by the boat. A lot of the females had just given birth so there were a lot of young learning to swim in the smaller pools.





We then headed back to shore before setting off for Lima.

Chauchilla Cemetery and Nasca

Well as if we hadn´t seen enough mummies in Arequipa we stopped off at Chauchilla Cemetery. Here the mummies are preserved by the desert heat in an area where it never rains. There are a number of excavated toombs in this pre-inca cemetery where the mummies are still intact with hair and skin.

We arrived at Nazca and stayed in a hotel - campsite which had a pool. We spent most of the rest of the day chilling by the pool. That night I decided to go to a talk on the mysterious Nazca lines which we were going to visit the following day.

Thes lines were scratched on the surface of the desert ground between 500 B.C. and A.D. 500. They are among archaeology's greatest enigmas because of their quantity, nature, size and continuity. The pictures and lines known as geoglyphs depict living creatures, stylized plants and imaginary beings, as well as geometric figures several kilometres long. They are many theories to explain the lines from astronomic calendars, signposts pointing out water to one theory which suggests that they are alien landing strips.

Anyway some of the girls had arranged to go to a talk on the lines by an associate of the late Maria Reiche, a researcher who had dedicated much of her life to researching the lines, so I decided to tag along. Well I must admit that strange does not begin to describe the evening that followed. We finally arrived at a dark house in the middle of knowhere and were ushered in to a garage where we had to sit on sandbags infront of a giant map. The lady doing the talk had one of the most off putting stares I have ever seen. One of the girls, Rachel, checked the price as the talk was about two dollars more than in the Lonely Planet - after beeing told "What can we do?" the woman refused to answer anymore questions from Rachel for the rest of the night. The talk itself was quite good and had some interesting theories about the lines and all of the figures depicted however it was mixed with some strange claims like the fact that our host was from the cosmos and travelled everywhere on a flying carpet (although I had seen her bike propped up against the wall!). Our host also explained that she needed volunteers to cut back some trees - we all assumed she meant to clear the lines themselves until she took us out into her garden and showed us her own trees - needless to say we did not hang about any longer than necessary.

The next day I had a flight over the lines themselves which was incredible. The planes were small 4 seater aircraft and I was glad that I´d skipped breakfast as we circled around and around the figures. You wear headphones and the pilot points out all the shapes and figures. I´ve included a few here for you to see - the whale and the owl man (or astraunaut or spaceman).




What makes these figures particularly impressive is the fact that they can only be seen from the air and the civilation of the time had no way of flying and there are no hills or mountains nearby.

On our way out of Nazca we stopped at the viewing tour where you can look down on two of the figures (without getting air sick).

We then headed off towards Pisco.

Arequipa and Puerto Inca

Well our next stop was Arequipa.

When we arrived we went out for a group meal and tried the local speciality - Guinea Pig - it was a bit off putting as it arrives at the table with it´s head and claws still on - in fact it looks like it´s just been picked up and popped in the deep fat frier. It actually tasted OK but there was not much meat. After dinner we went out to a bar - the only problem was that it was the Peruvian elections and there was riot police out and about - the bars were not suposed to be serving alcohol but because we were tourists and obviously didn´t care one way or the other we finally got served.

The next day we went to see the Santa Catalina Convent. I must admit that when I first heard I was going to a convent I wasn´t overly exited but I definately changed my mind when I arrived. It is basically a city within a city founded in 1580 and was closed to the public for nearly 400 years. The walls are all brightly coloured and you walk around a maze of cobbled streets.





After the Convent we went to another museum which shows how a number of mummies were discovered on top of the nearby volcanoes. These had been undiscovered for over 500 years but because of an eruption of a nearby volcano the heat had melted the snow and ice and Dr. Johan Reinhard discovered the first mummy which he named Juanita. Because of the artifacts descovered with the body it emerged that the mummy was of a girl who was about 13 o 14 years old and she had been offered by the Incas as a sacrifice. Subsequent expeditions led to the discoveries of more mummies and other items. What makes the mummies unique is how well preserved they are because of the sub zero temperatures. I decided not to include photos here but if you want to see more then go to http://www.ucsm.edu.pe/santury/ and click on Galeria de Fotos.

After Arequipa we headed to Puerto Inca.

Puerto Inca is an isolated beach and it was a nice change from the crowded cities. The beach itself is surrounded by a number of Inca ruins. We pitched our tents on the sand right on the sea shore and basically spent the next day chilling out, listening to the crashing waves and enjoying the sun. There was one bar but not much else. We had a couple of BBQs and had some great camp fires. You could swim but the waves were pretty rough - we saw a Pelican getting smashed by one of the waves so it had to come ashore to dry off.



We then headed of for Nasca.