A Trip to Ballestas Island to Find a Penguin

Driving in and around Lima is extremely intense! I could do a whole blog on that experience but I don't plan on it. This little rest stop was such a welcome place on the way between the desert town of Huancachina and the ocean town of  Paracas. The food is excellent, music is great and the bathrooms were superb! As I said before, traveling around Lima is intense so when you can find all of the previously mentioned things that you may take for granted, double thumbs up!!!

In Paracas, you can stay at nice hotel before embarking over to Ballestas Island where seabirds and sea lions flourish.

Gray-hooded Gull

Peruvian Pelican

Ruddy Turnstone

American Oystercatcher

Before setting out on our boat, I checked the shores out for new and familiar shorebirds.

The first unusual sight to see is this mysterious carving in the dunes which has been there for hundreds of years. Since it never rains here, it hasn't disappeared. 

Birds and wildlife rarely get their own beautiful spot to live but here they claim the rocks in the ocean.

Peruvian Booby

Inca Tern

Sea Lion

Thousands of Peruvian Boobies, Guanay Cormorants and hundreds of Inca Terns are found all over these protected rocks. Sea Lions and their pups are along the shores or sunning themselves on the edges.

The star of the island has to be these cute little Humboldt Penguins!

We only saw a handful of them. More were probably hidden from sight in on the island or in the sea fishing.

Farewell, Peru. I hope to return one day.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

From Caral to Desert Dunes

A trip to the ancient civilization called Caral is definitely a well kept secret from most tourists!

Archeological work still goes on as the researches continue to learn more about this 3,000 BC site.

I felt like I was on a set for Raider's of the Lost Arc.

La Huanca was an important spot for determining the change of seasons depending on light and shadows. We were offered fried guinea pig for lunch at this remote spot....mmmm...

 Huancachina is a desert oasis town south of the city. Unlike Caral, this place is quite bustling since they offer dune buggy rides and "surfing" the dunes for tourists.

 

The huge dunes that surround Huancachina are endless.

Back in the 60's when this was still a viable oasis, the president has a road "built" of rocks so he could take private baths in the water according to our guide.

I have never ridden on dunes like this before! Quite like a roller coaster ride. When our guide stopped at the peak of one of these dunes to put on his seat belt, I knew the next descent was going to be intense! I was right!

Riding in the desert with no vegetation isn't conducive to birding! In the small town, I found one beautiful male Vermilion flycatcher. He wasn't new to my list since he is sometimes found in the southwest desert but what a beauty! 

Now on to Paracas....

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Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Life in the Jungle - Part 2

Butterflies by morning, piranhas by night...This island is the home of a mariposario. Originally, it was started by a university in Iquitos. Now it is run by local campesinos. Farmers who now see the value of planting for butterflies for the health of the rain forest are in charge of the butterflies in this project.

Our guide through the mariposario works 12 hours a day checking on caterpillars, chrysalids and butterflies. His passion is palpable.

If you have traveled to a Central or South American country, you probably have been dazzled by the Blue Morpho. It is nearly impossible to capture their captivating blue wings that are only seen in flight. When they land, their beauty is hidden.

The chrysalid of this butterfly looks like a  sparkling gold/silver nugget.

Owl Butterfly

Golden Butterfly
Fortunately, some butterflies are easier to see.

Once again, I was amazed at the kindness of the local people to gringos carrying cameras. This young lady was peeling  breadfruit and extracting the seeds. Once they were softened by boiling, she offered us some. They tasted like boiled peanuts.

We saw lots of busy people. A young man loaded down with palm fronds for a thatched roof; a young mom carrying a basket of acai nuts; and a young boy washing clothes.

Every village has a soccer field with net or goal. Great to see kids and adults playing a universally loved sport!

Twelve year old Dante joined our group on a hike across his island. When he learned I liked pajaros, he worked hard finding some for me. He also proudly showed us his pet Boa Constrictor and tarantula. He's not missing out on learning about this beautiful world that surrounds him!

I have to share this really cool iguana! I had a lot of iguanas pointed out but this is the only one that I could really see. What a ferocious prehistoric "dinosaur"!

What's an Amazon River trip without fishing for piranhas? Check out those teeth!

This trip to Peru has not ended but we did say farewell to our new friend, Ari. Life in this part of the world is amazing. We have a few more adventures before us but this part is over.  I already miss the jungle of the Amazon!

Click on photos to enlarge.
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.

Life in the Jungle - Part 1

Rivers are the highways in the Amazon region. All kinds of boats are used by locals to get around. Some hold a few people while others are like taxis.

Sometimes you need to find a shortcut since the river passage is quite long. In our case, we stopped at the small town of Mazan where locals along the river can shop.

We cut our river trip down by many miles by getting a ride on these 3 wheeled motorcars across land. Our next boat was waiting for us on the other side to take us to our final destination on the Amazon River - Ceiba Tops. It was a great excuse to ride in these unique vehicles.

 I was really enjoying the primitive accommodations at Explornapo. When we arrived at Ceiba Tops, it was quite luxurious in comparison! No more pit toilets, mosquito netting or cold showers.

The food was excellent where ever we stayed. We could always count on fish, beans, rice and fresh fruit.

Every morning before breakfast, Ari and I went out looking for birds at the nearby pond on the edge of the jungle.

 Tui Parakeet

Spotted -breast Woodpecker

These are a couple of beautiful birds I found at the pond.

This Blue and Yellow Macaw was easy for everyone to see since it hung out by the dining hall with its pal, the Scarlet Macaw.

Our first memorable trip from Ceiba Tops was a trip to Monkey Island. It's not every day that you get to go to an island full of monkeys. This is a place where monkeys rescued from the black market get a chance to prepare for a freed life in a protected preserve.

 These young monkey are incredibly curious. Before I knew it, one of them was climbing up on my binoculars and trying to eat the caps....We had to check Maya's bag before we left the island. She wanted to take one of these incredibly cute critters home! ha

Click on photos to enlarge

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.