While yesterday was theoretically our chill day, today we take the activity level even lower. We’ve moved hotels to one closer to the water and with better wifi, so the morning just sort of slips by as we are catching up on work and emails, and enjoying the 24 hour hot water (despite advertising hot water, our last place didn’t really seem to ever have any, which is a terminal offense to the one who calls the shots).

We wander over to Mann Beach, which is about 4 blocks from the hotel, and set up camp under a tree with couple of good books. Sam finds a climbing tree close by, and is perfectly content sitting up in a notch just looking out over the water. It is a zen side of him that doesn’t come out too often, and quite peaceful just watching him enjoy his surroundings. The tree climbing little boy in him won’t be around too much longer, so it’s these kinds of moments that we try and capture and store in our minds.

As the afternoon wears on, we wander back into town, searching for a street cart with empanadas and waiting for the chicken and french fry stand we have found to open. We pop in and out of some souvenir shops, and stop by a dive shop to book a snorkeling trip to Kicker Rock (time to see some sharks) for the morning. By 8:00, we’re back at the hotel, and not long thereafter, ready to call it a day.

It seems like there is something memorable we experience every day here, but for the animal lovers amongst us, today was something special. Our plan is to take things a little more released, so we take a short cab ride to a beach called La Loberia, where we plan to spend the day snorkeling and relaxing on the sand. We picked the location because it is home to a large sea lion colony, so figure it will also give us a chance to see them up close and personal (although the ones in town certainly aren’t shy, and as we walk home at night, you have to almost step over them to get where you are going).

On the way in from the road, we spot a couple of hefty marine iguanas sunning themselves on the volcanic rocks. Galapagos is the only place you can see these guys, and they are the only lizard that spends part of it’s life in the sea.

We are not disappointed when we arrive, as there are easily 50 sea lions and pups sprawled out on the sand or under the trees taking advantage of a little shade. There is a large male swimming back and forth in the water keeping tabs on his ladies, so while we’re waiting for him to get tired, we take a few pictures of the pups and hike a bit further down the down to see if we can find anything interesting (we can’t).

After burning an hour or so, the big male shows no signs of leaving the water, but he does seem to be sticking to one end of the beach, so Sam and I figure we can safely enter at the other and do some snorkeling. We’re not in more than a few minutes when we come face to face with a large sea turtle. It is easily the closest I have ever been to one, and it seems entirely indifferent to our being there, calmly munching away at the algae on the rocks. With the underwater camera, we get some great videos and snapshots.

Mom is on the shore keeping a look out for mean sea lions, and as Sam and I start coming back, she lets us know we’ve been spotted, and that the big male seems none too happy that we are on his turf. Not really knowing the proper strategy for dealing with a 600 pound sea lion, we go for the “don’t move” approach. It seems to work, as he glides by just a few feet in front of us, and before he has a chance to turn around, we’re up and out of the water.

Now things get interesting. While we are all down at the shore, one of the sea lion pups has decided to make a thorough check of our stuff. He’s oblivious to our presence, so we just stand back and watch the show.

For the next couple of hours we just chill. Mom and I read books, while Sam plays in the sand, eventually burying most of his body. While we’re minding our own business, along comes another of the pups, sniffing around to check us out. Sam seems especially interesting, a fact he attributes to having disguised himself as a sea lion. To lazy to go around when he is finished, the pup crawls up and over Angela’s legs and heads off into the trees.

In addition to the turtles and sea lions, we are also entertained by the finches. Totally wild, they have no concern about flying right over and landing on our things. As Sam is buried in the sand, they even land on his chest, trying to get a closer look at these funny red and white creatures.

All in all, it is one of those days that I think can only happen in the Galapagos, where so much of the wildlife has evolved without knowing fear of people. It is the kind of think I remember from my travel here so many years ago, and what made it a natural place to include on this trip when Sam chose Peru. From the stories he tells his brothers on FaceTime, I think it is also a day he will remember forever, and I can’t think of a better outcome than that.

While most people traveling to the Galapagos end up staying on small cruise ships that move from island to island, we decide there will be plenty to see sticking with a single location and taking day trips here and there. It means skipping a few things that are only seen on some of the more remote islands, but allows us to manage our own schedule, which better suits our style. Today we plan on checking out the island of San Cristobal, and hire a driver to help us see the handful of sites that are accessible by road.

Our first stop is Laguna El Junco, the only freshwater lake in the Galapagos. It sits in the crater of an old volcano, so requires a bit of a hike to get top, but rewards with panoramic views of the whole island. The lake itself is a pretty big deal for bird watchers, and our guide points out a few that I’ve never heard of, but we’re novices in that regard, and after a few minutes checking out the scenery before heading back down.

Next up is La Galapguera, which is much more our speed. This is a sanctuary and breeding station for Galapagos Tortoises, and hands down the best place to see these gentle giants (there is a similar one on Santa Cruz). The trails are well marked to keep the tourists from getting to close, but there are no walls or ditches to keep the animals penned in so and they are perfectly happy wandering (slowly) down the very same paths.

From La Galapuera, we head down to the shore, where Frigate birds and Blue-Footed Boobies nest. Most of the Frigate birds we see are females, so we miss out on the males with the big red airbag hanging from their chin (they blow this up to look cool for the ladies, but once inflated, it takes all day to deflate), but they still make for an impressive sight gliding just above your head (they look like pterodactyls).

While not unique to the Galapagos, the place is notorious for Boobies (as reinforced by all the Booby paraphernalia for sale in the local shops), particularly the Blue-Footed variety. When they mate, Boobies do a funny little dance where they wave their feet in the air, but none of that today, as they just hang out on the rocks they have covered in their own poop. Now I can look at boobies all day, and since I rarely get a chance to do so on a sanctioned basis, I take full advantage, even capturing a few pictures for posterity.

From our perch, we can also watch them dive bomb fish, which keeps us entertained for a good ten or fifteen minutes before heading back down to the beach.

The last stop is a bay called Las Tijeretas, where we get a chance to do some snorkeling. According to the guide, this is usually a good spot to see fish, turtles, and different kinds of rays (including the occasional manta). We don’t really see much of anything though, which is a bit of a disappointment. We do find out that Sam’s waterproof camera isn’t all that waterproof though, and after documenting almost three weeks of our travels, goes into retirement.

We are finally in Galapagos, but the trip here was definitely not without it’s moments. We’re fairly happy to see the flight to Quito is only about 2/3 full, as we’ve become the people who take up all the overhead bin space with their giant luggage, that clearly won’t fit in the carry-on sizer at the gate, but can still be jammed in if you apply enough force. As penance however, we find ourselves seated behind two sturdy young girls, at least one of whom has intestinal distress. Sam is sound asleep, and sitting in the aisle, I find I can lean our far enough to catch a fresher air current, but wedged in the middle, my mild-mannered travel companion is nearly vibrating with anger as she is repeatedly peppered with air biscuits.

There is a palpable sense of relief as the wheels come down and we line up for approach, but it’s not meant to be, as just short of the runway, the nose comes up and the pilot guns the engines. I’ve been through an aborted landing once before, so at least have an idea what is going on, but it’s a fresh experience for Angela, who has a classic WTF look on her face (Sam just snores right on through it). There is some talk about rerouting the flight due to weather, but after a few minutes circling, things clear enough for us to give it another go (successfully this time).

With only six hours between flights (now five and a half), we made the decision long ago that by the time we cleared immigration, it wouldn’t make sense to find a shuttle to an airport, check in, and then sleep for only 2 or 3 hours before coming back to check in. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake, as it turns out the only thing Mom finds more unpleasant than a home stay is an airport stay. Although she somehow manages to procure the one bench in the entire airport without fixed armrests, the all metal seats don’t provide much more comfort than the square of floor Sam and I have staked out. A few hours later, as check in rolls around, we have a very sad looking road warrior on our hands.

The final legs into San Cristobal go much more smoothly (not that my comatose wife would have noticed anyway), at we touch down just after 10:30 in the morning. We take a bit of time to get through the screening process (there is a whole long list of things you can’t bring onto the islands) and pay the entry fee (it is $100 per person now to get in, kind of like a day at Disneyland) before heading off to our hotel. There are no name brands here to speak of, so we’ve our trust in the hands of Tripadvisor and booked one of the higher rated B&Bs. It’s a beautiful location to just look out at the boats or stretch out on the grass by the pool.

Seriously though, it is quite nice, and most importantly comes with wi-fi and hot water (not necessarily in the order, depending on who you are asking).

It has been almost 20 years since I visited the Galapagos, but it is still one of the trips I remember most vividly, so I am excited to be here again and to share the experience with family. My posse is a little tired, but awake enough that I get them out the door and off towards town. When we get to the boardwalk, the first thing you notice are the sea lions, who flop down for an afternoon snooze pretty much wherever they like. They are wild animals, so we start snapping pictures, amazed that we can get within 30 feet (click), then 20 feet (click, click), then 10 feet (click). By the time you are standing right next to them, and they slowly open their eyes to see what is blocking their sun, you know you are some place magical.

We keep walking along the water, which eventually takes us to a small beach with even more sea lions, including pups.

Further on, is the Interpretation Center, that has some displays about the islands, how they were formed, the history of various settlements on them, and what is being done now to preserve them (since I was here last, both the population and the number of visitors have tripled, both of which are taking a toll). We also see our first Galapagos Tortoise (named Pepe).

Working our way back to town, we find a few food carts have set up next to the beach, and stop to sample some fresh empanadas (amazing), and a few other local treats. Combined with the long trip and sleepless night, the food pushes us over the edge, and even though it is only 5 in the afternoon, we stumble back to the hotel and fall asleep for the night (except Sam, who we find out later stays up quite a bit longer playing games on the iPad – bad Sam!).

Travel day today, so nothing much to report. After a final quiet breakfast looking out over the water, we pack up and get ready to head back to Lima for our flight to Galapagos. The itinerary is not that sexy, as after the four hours bus ride, we fly from Lima to Quito, wait six hours and then fly to San Cristobal with a stopover in Guayaquil. All in, it’s just under 20 hours en route, which, deluxe chicken bus or not, is as bad as it sounds.

We’re down to our last full day in Paracas (which also means our last full day in Peru). We’ve decided the rough ride over the Nazca Lines just isn’t worth the risk for Sammy, so instead hire a driver for the day to take us to Huacachina. This is s small town about an hour’s drive from Paracas known as THE place for dune buggies and sandboarding (we’ve been told the highest sand dune in the world is near there, but I have no idea whether that is true or not). Sam really wants to stay and work on math sheets instead, but bad parents that we are, we drag him away.

Despite being a desert, there is apparently a fair amount of water flowing beneath the surface, and by tapping into this, the area around Huacachina has developed into the prime agriculture area in the region. One of the crops they grow is grapes, which they turn into wine and the Pisco that the area is famous for. We stop for a quick tour of one of the wineries (neither of us are big wine drinkers, but you can’t go to Napa and not stop for a few tastings so it seems like the right thing to do). It’s definitely an old school operation, complete with actual people stomping grapes with their bare feet. I’m sure there’s a very good reason you don’t see this method used much anymore, but it makes for a great presentation.

With that out of the way, we cover the last few miles to Huacachina and set out to find a buggy tour. Just looking at the dunes that surround the town it’s clear they play at a much higher level here (some people hiking up one of the ridges gives some context of the size), so we’re pleasantly surprised to find the tours are a third the price of the one we took in Paracas (or more likely, we got suckered into paying way over market there).

Since I covered dune buggying and sandboarding in an earlier post, there isn’t really anything new I can add, other than to say that here it is much, much, much better. Everything we do is super-sized compared to Paracas (that’s small specs are Sam and I at the bottom of one of the runs), which in some ways was probably a good thing, as the scale here would have been a whole lot more daunting had we not previously confirmed that going head first down a wall of sand did not necessarily equal pain.

By the time we are done, Sam looks like a giant sugar cookie, a sure sign he has had a great day. As a bonus, we actually do get to see the sunset this time (and it was definitely worth it).

We return to Paracas right on time for dinner. As we’ve become regulars now at the old chicken and fires stand, we have to say goodbye to the old couple that run it. It is the end of quite the few weeks in Peru (did we really see all those things in so little time?), but we’re very excited for our next stop in the Galapagos.

We’ve been on the move pretty steady this trip, so there is some momentum building for a day to just sit by the pool. There is still a bit of gas in the tank though, so we rally and head out for a day tour of the Paracas National Rreserve. We’re not entirely sure what to expect, but it gets fairly good ratings on some of the travel websites, so we figure why not.

We start off at a small museum that highlights the history of the area, and provides some great information about the impact people are having on the local environment and how to change that for the better (Sam has a school project that this ties into so is able to get some great material). It turns out this is the northern edge of the Atacama Desert, which explains perfectly why, aside from the ocean, there is nothing (literally nothing) but sand for as far as the eye can see.

From there, things get a little less exciting. We make a few stops, one at a geologic formation that in it’s time was probably quite impressive, but was destroyed by the 2007 earthquake (now there are just some boards with pictures of how it used to look), and the other at a red sand beach. They are both mildly interesting, but it’s an awful long ride in a packed tour bus, over rutted desert roads, so on the whole probably not something I would rush out and do again.

We finish up with a stop on a tiny fishing village, where for an outrageous price they will serve you a “fresh seafood lunch” in a run-down restaurant. The place reeks of tourist trap, so we opt instead to hike a little while we wait for the rest of our group, and then head back to town.

All in all, I have to give this tour a solid “meh”. It was something to do, but compared to the other experiences we have enjoyed here in Peru, it comes up pretty short. Fortunately, we found a fantastic chicken and french fry cart that sets up near where the tours drop people off, so we have a perfect excuse to stop there again for dinner.

A slow news day here today (or as Angela likes to remind me, a normal day for people on vacation). This is our first hotel with a pool, so Sam wants to spend some time there, and I need to move one step closer to my goal of getting lobster skin on all seven continents (although I recall much too late that I already roasted myself years ago in Ecuador).

The big event for the day is a dune buggy/sandboarding trip into the desert. Sam has been talking bout this ever since he read about it back in Redmond, so when the time comes, he is raring to go. Unlike the sporty version you see on TV, these buggies are big, nine person things, and to save people like me from themselves, they don’t let tourists drive, so the experience feels a lot like the Indian Jones ride at Disneyland.

About five miles of back roads from town, we finally get into the actual dunes. It feels a bit strange to be in Peru and looking at a landscape that could have come straight out of Egypt. I suppose I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am (after all, the trip is dune buggying and sandboarding), but I guess I envisioned something more Oregonesque.

Sam is having a blast, and despite the shrieking in my left ear, the video shows Mom with a pretty big grin in her face, so she’ll have to confess to enjoying it as well. After about 15 minutes, we come to a stop at the top of a dune and break out the boards. To start, they have us just sit on the board and slide down, but the slope is steep enough that Sam is still not quite sure. The guide just pushes him over the edge though, and a few seconds later, he’s talking smack about how easy it is.

Walking back up the dune is less fun, but Sam and I make the circuit a bunch of times, alternating between sliding down on our butts, on our bellies, and finally standing up snowboard style. With a bit of cajoling, we even get Mom to go, before loading back up in the buggy for a few more dunes.

When we booked the trip, we chose the later departure in order to see the sun set in the desert. We seem to skip that part though, as about a half hour earlier than expected, we appear to be wrapping up and heading back into town. Given that we paid for two hours, it’s a bit of a disappointment, but all the bouncing has taken a toll on Mom, so we just roll with it. Sam still give the whole thing two enthusiastic thumbs up, ranking it as one of his favorites (after Machu Picchu).

Those following along will recall that in Cusco we purchased a wall carpet from a local artist. As we didn’t want to carry it all over Peru, the shop arranged to send it back to the studio/workshop in Lima where we could pick it up on our return. They also agreed to have a driver meet us in the morning and then bring us back to the hotel when we are done, so the whole process couldn’t have worked out more smoothly, and it has Angela beyond giddy at the prospect of meeting the artist and hearing the story of the piece that we bought.

We end up spending a little over an hour, learning firsthand the steps involved in creating a wall carpet, how the creative process has changed over the years (concept drawings that used to be laid out with graph paper and colored pencils now leverage graphics software like Photoshop), and the inspiration for different series of work that he has done. We also take a tour of the workshop, where we can see the designs from paper being transformed into actual weavings.

With a little time left, we walk a few blocks to the artist’s home, where he gives us a tour of his private collection, and poses for a few pictures with his newest fans.

Back at the hotel, we quickly grab our bags and get in a cab to the bus station. Paracas is a 4 hour trip down the coast, and we are making our way in the chicken bus. Now a more adventurous traveler would visualize this to mean a rickety old bus with chicken coops strapped to the roof, but there’s third world travel, and then there’s third world travel Angela style. There, a chicken bus is where they serve you chicken while you lay back in your leather recliner and watch your personal TV. Having done both, I have to admit I prefer the latter.

Paracas is a coastal town in the more deserty part of Peru. The plan is to use it as our base of operations for day trips to places like Pisco, Ica, and possibly Nazca (there is some ongoing discussion as to whether Sam and his motion sickness will fit well with a tiny airplane bouncing around over the Nazca Lines). Many of the buildings here were destroyed in an earthquake in 2007, and while there are apparently plans to rebuild the area into a world-class resort destination, it feels a whole lot more like a backpacker town and pit stop for tour buses bringing day trippers for a quick run out to the Ballestos Islands.

It’s chilly here at night (another reason it doesn’t feel that much like a beach destination), but we layer up and take a walk around the town. We pick up a few things at the grocery store and make a reservation for a dune buggy/sandboarding (one of Sam’s “must do” items) trip tomorrow afternoon. With that (there’s really not much else to do), it’s back to the hotel for some FaceTime.

Not much to report here. We spent a pretty low key day wandering around Puno, stopping at random shops to look at knick-knacks. By 3:00, we are completely done and head for the airport, even though our flight isn’t scheduled to depart until almost 8:00. There is an earlier flight, but we choose to skip it as it stops in Arequipa first, so doesn’t arrive much before we would anyways. As a storm blows through around 7:00, taking all but the emergency power out at the airport, this seems like a very, very bad decision (sleeping on the floor of a tiny airport in Peru is a little gritty even for me). All works out in the end though, and with a delay of only 45 minutes or so, we land in Lima.

Tomorrow we have a special treat for Mom, and then move down the coast to Paracas for a few days.