Nickled and Dimed in Pisco

At the behest Felipe, our hostel host in Lima, we decided to make a stop in Pisco, in order to visit Paracas National Reserve and Isla Ballestes, also known as the "Poor Man´s Galapagos," as it is much cheaper to visit than the famed Ecuadorian ecosystem. After a four hour bus ride we were dropped off along the Pan American highway, a few kilometers from Pisco. Since we had arranged a hostel in advance someone was waiting for us as we disembarked, and he got us into a reasonably priced taxi and we were on our way. The minute we walked in to the hostel we were accosted by a friendly woman peddling tours to the aforementioned locations. Although we read that tours were cheaper if booked directly at the tour offices we succumbed and bought tours from her. (It was easier that way and she was a representative of the agency we booked through, so the mark up was likely negligible.)

The tours were back to back and we had to be ready to depart our hostel at 7:15am on Monday morning. We were joined by a couple of Brazilian dudes on our tour, while an Austrian delegation from our hostel did the same thing with another agency. The agency car took us along pothole-filled roads and past numerous decimated buildings on the way to our fiberglass speedboat in the bay. (Pisco and the surrounding area was devastated by an earthquake in 2007 and much of the town remains in ruins. In fact, we drove past a protest Monday afternoon where residents were voicing their displeasure with how slowly progress was being made in the rebuilding efforts. In much of the town sidewalks are non-existent, buildings are crumbling and the city´s underground infrastructure lay in ruins.)

Once we arrived at the dock the nickle and diming began. You can´t fault a people for trying to better themselves, but these saavy Peruvians get the tourists right where they want them on these tours and then extract every centimo they can from you. We were sold on an all-inclusive tour, yet each had to pay a 1 sole dock fee in order to get on our boat. Granted, 1 sole is about 40 cents, but Heidi & I are budget travelers and not ballin´out of control like this French couple we saw, geared up to the hilt with new and fancy digs from the French equivelent of REI. But, I digress...

We were 2 of two dozen tourists, of many nationalities, onboard the boat, which was equipped with some pretty serious horsepower (dual outboards of 200 hp each). As we cruised towards our destinations birds could be seen dive-bombing unsuspecting prey below the water´s surface, while we zoomed by rickety boats carrying fisherman and a giant oil platform (which are, incidentally, the two main industries in the area). After about 15 minutes we arrived at our first destination: the Paracas Candelabra. This etching in the sand predates the famous Nazca lines and was carbon dated to sometime around 200 BC (and remains to this day because of the arid climate). The impressive image is some 600 feet long and many hypotheses exist as to its purpose and origin. Of course candelabras did not exist at that time and the site gained that name many centuries later when the Spaniards came across it. It is more likely a representation of a native cactus which may have served an important spiritual function, as the plant contains mescaline.

Another 15 minutes and we were amongst the astounding Ballestas islands, which are known as both the "Poor Man´s Galapagos" and "Guano Islands." (The second name is the result of all of the bird shit that covers the area. It is a protected area, but the poo is harvested every seven years and shipped to three continents, as it is rich in nitrogen.) The islands are a number of rock formations which contain many species of birds, including penguins, not to mention sea lions. Birds flourish all year long, as the result of abundant food sources nearby. Our skilled driver took us within feet of crashing into a number of rock formations, all while 5 foot swells rocked the boat...all in the name of good pictures. The area has been protected for more than 30 years, but traditional fishing practices are still allowed. While we were out there we came across a dude who was diving for something, using an old-school line from the surface for air. It looked pretty scary to me, but the man still waved when he saw a boatload of gringos snapping photos as he surfaced.

We started heading back just as the rocking of the boat started to get to Heidi. Amazingly, she fell asleep on the ride back to shore! The islands are an amazing ecosystem, but I couldn´t help but think how devastating an accident (like that which happened in the Gulf of Mexico not long ago) would be to the wildlife and tourism industry in the area.

As we walked off the dock a couple of dudes were offering fish pieces to feed to the pelicans. I grabbed one and encouraged Heidi to do the same. It was only after we fed the birds and they took off their hats that I realized we were, once again, being nickled and dimed. Nothing in life is free, so we tossed a few soles into their caps for the privilege of feeding some birds fish guts. It continued on-shore as a friendly, yet insistent, woman walked over to us peddling chocolate-covered nuts. I declined a few times, and then she unwrapped a piece and said, "free." In Spanish, I asked why and she, of course, responded with an answer I could not decipher, so Heidi and I split the candy. My gal loved it and I parted with another 5 soles for 5 more pieces. They were quite good, but damn...

Next we headed to the Paracas National Reserve, which is basically a desert that used to be a part of the ocean floor. (A 5 sole entry to the park raised my ire even more, feeling like a dumb tourista!) Little molluscs, millions of years old, litter the ground, as do larger mammal bones farther away. The tour through Paracas consisted of a number of stops, the last of which was the most discouraging. The tour was concluded, our guide explained, but we wouldn´t be heading back to town for another 75 minutes. However, there just happened to be three restaurants right there, in the middle of nowhere, if we wanted to pass the time and fill our empty bellies.

As we got off the bus we were accosted by men and women holding menus and giant fish. They all wanted us to eat at their restaurants. By this point I wasn´t gonna be pressured. Heidi and I examined our options and went to, what seemed like, the best deal: a "budget" menu with two courses and a soda for 15 soles each. As we sat down we were given a completely different menu, with prices 3-4 times higher! WTF! I was getting a little pissed by this time and asked for the menu we were shown before sitting and, begrudingly, they obliged. We both had soup and Heidi got a fried omelette while I had chicken and rice. The meal was oky, but the setting along the seaside was pretty fabulous. We even had a seagull swoop down and grab a chicken bone from my soup bowl, after I had put it aside. Brave little bugger! When the bill came it was 36 soles! I know 15x2=30, so I raised another stink. The waitress had brought more soda than we ordered, but I complained and we split the difference: 33 soles and we were outtie. (Despite the haggling I left a tip because I felt kind of bad. What is wrong with me?)

From there the bus took us back to the centra plaza in Pisco, where we kicked it for a while before finding a cheap, yet tasty, pizza joint on one of the many streets torn up after the earthquake from three years earlier. All in all, we had a nice time on the tours, but I can´t help but feel I am being taken advantage of with the constant nuevo sole here and 70 centimos there. I am really turning into a cheap bastard...but you gotta do that if you are unemployed and trying to travel for 8 more months.

We were gonna head to Nazca next, but Heidi convinced me to check out the village of Huacachina, known for its sand dunes, dune buggy tours and sandboarding opportunities. It took some arm-twisting, but it sounds like fun. Tomorrow we head there, with no reservations, bus tickets or arranged lodging. While this sounds mundane for some, I like to plan my bowel movements, not to mention every other detail of life. Talk about living dangerously...