Today TSH and Diva are in Pisco, Peru. The scenery is dramatic.
This is the Peruvian desert, with what look like massive sand dunes lining the mostly
bare and undeveloped coast. It does not rain here and there is no vegetation,
yet it is part of the Paracas National Reserve. The place is for the birds –
their contribution is that every seven years their guano is harvested for sale
as fertiliser.
The approach to this small industrial port was interesting –
small heads kept emerging from the water and then disappearing. They were
probably the sealions which circled the ship throughout the day but it is
possible that some were Humboldt penguins.
The Humboldt current brings cold water up from the Antarctic
and along with that comes water very rich in fish, which in turn attracts huge
numbers of sea birds. There are vast numbers of Peruvian boobies and pelicans
plus cormorants and Inca terns.
TSH went on a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands which are
the homes of thousands of birds and sealions. This involved a preliminary drive
round the bay where flamingos could be seen.
The advice from Silversea before going on the excursion was
that something warm should be taken as it could get cool out to sea and that
there was every likelihood that passengers on the boat would get wet. So, many
people took towels with them for the trip but the intrepid TSH ignored the
advice but still managed to remain dry. There was no need for warmer clothes as
the temperature was warm and life jackets had to be worn.
TSH was keen to see a flightless bird – Humboldt penguin – and
he was not disappointed. He also knows
that he can see them at Chester Zoo. The other sea birds noted earlier were
very visible, as were the noisy sea lions. Other sea birds were seen and of
course photographed but are as yet not identified by name. Turkey vultures were
also seen on the islands - they eat the placenta of the sea lions.
On the way to the islands, there was a good opportunity to
see the Candelabrum, a shape in the rocks which is very large and can be seen
for miles. Its origins and purpose are not known.
The fact that three coaches were used to take people to and
from the boat was a concept which challenged some guests. One person found she
was not on the same bus as her friends and wanted to transfer to another bus as
the bus left the port. On the return trip there were two extra people on the
bus as they had got on the wrong one!
In the afternoon, Diva and TSH spotted more sea lions.
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