PARACAS AND BALLESTAS ISLANDS - PERU

Perhaps this story should start with a little bit of history. Once upon a time, in the XIX century, there was a war between Chile and Peru, called “The Pacific War”. Isn't that name in itself a contradiction? As the wise Master Yoda said: "Wars not make one great" so, that was not a fairy tale and Chile took away a part of Peruvian territory both in land and in the Pacific Ocean. Since then, time and generations have passed but some still keep war and all its its ramifications alive in their minds. So I can now begin my tale of Paracas and Ballestas, Peru and my experience.  Ballestas Paracas Peru

Being a Chilean person, touring around Peru is always an unexpected and rather bold adventure. In recent years Peru submitted to the La Haya International Jury, a request to get its land and ocean back... and guess what? They succeeded, at least partially. On January 27, 2014 at 11.00 am, the final verdict was to be announced... there were rumors about the possible outcome, rumors about missiles on the border of our countries, rumors about borders closings and brotherhood being forgotten and I just went and entered Peru on that very morning! I even appeared on the front cover page of Arica's newspaper. I was the crazy Chilean who was the first one venturing to cross the border on that historical morning. Arica is the northernmost city in Chile and they, most of all, had plenty of apprehensions about my decision.

I met journalists at Arica's bus teminal, and not to mention I had never gone through customs offices faster than on that day, and journalists again at theTacna (Peru) bus terminal. I tried to be inconspicuous but it was impossible. After replying to a couple of questions about why and how, I bought a ticket to another city and quickly blended in!
At 11.00 I was on a bus on my way North when they announced... Peru won! Chile was to give back a piece of territory and an area of Pacific Ocean called "Mar de Grau" (Grau's Sea) in honor of the Peruvian war hero, Captain Grau.
I had the peace of mind of someone who has never taken anyone else's property, so I kept moving on according to my schedule and arrived in Paracas, my first destination. Ballestas Paracas Peru

Paracas is a lovely little town by the ocean with a long beach and soft light brown sand, palm trees, fishing boats, thousands of pelicans and other sea birds. Easily, I quickly forgot about that ear worm telling me “You, Chilean woman, shouldn't be here today”!
I checked into my hotel and went for a first exploration walk. I walked along the water front avenue feeling the hot summer sun on my skin. The beach was full of people, entire families, vendors of all sorts, children playing, couples enjoying their love exceeded by the landscape. It seemed idyllic!

But those who know me... know that I wasn't there just for the fun beach... I was drawn to Paracas by something else: A spectacle of wildlife at its most! The Ballestas Islands Natural Reserve. Ballestas Paracas

It was hard to choose a restaurant for lunch... There were at least a couple of blocks of restaurants side by side, offering the most exquisite Peruvian cuisine. Peruvians are internationally famous for their food and their Pisco Sour, a drink I love but will not describe because some things should be discovered by every palate. I finally picked one, randomly. I just sat and waited: The waiter came to take my order... “Do you want some "Canchitas"? Do I want what??

I was prior warned to be early at the wharf because I surely was not the only one interested in Ballestas and so it was! I arrived there around 8.00 and there were already several different lines and hundreds of people of every possible nationality, standing there and waiting, just waiting.

Tour operators came to sell the entrance tickets for a reasonable price and the waiting continued for a long while. After maybe one hour... people started getting onto the deck and boarding the speed boats. Little by little the line started to move, until I found myself sitting at the back of a white, modern boat. Our tour guide stepped in front when the boat was complete and gave us all a welcoming and informative speech. All of a sudden the boat started and a few seconds later we seemed to be flying over the water!

To my big surprise, three Spanish men who were sitting at the very rear of the boat, picked their cell phones and started moving their fingers over them. Please, you gotta be kidding me! You are on a speed boat, flying over the waves towards Ballestas, the Nazca desert dunes flanking your left side and you are looking at your cell? Ballestas Paracas Peru

And then, our guide grabbed a microphone and started asking the most feared question “Where are you from?”  OMG! This is the part where they throw me overboard! Heart pounding, throat thickening, cold sweat! “I am from Chile”. All of a sudden, many (probably Peruvian) eyes were over me, but then, this woman, a couple of seats in front of me broke the silence and shouted at me “Bienvenida a Paracas”! Her Peruvian intonation made my day and my week! I was right there, sailing on the Sea of Grau and a Peruvian lady had just welcomed me at the top of her lungs!Ballestas Paracas Perú

Ballestas is a group of islands overflowing with wildlife, sea mammals and birds in their splendor. For the very first time I saw penguins far North from Antarctica! I saw hundreds of sea lions, side by side on a small rocky beach, washed away from time to time. I saw their juveniles playing like children in the white foam while hundreds, literally hundreds of birds piled up and turned the yellow islets black.  Each of them had a voice that wanted to be heard. The sound was unbelievably loud, but it was pleasant, it wasn’t noise but music from nature. Ballestas Paracas Peru

The ocean has always fed me life, energy and peace at the same time but this was sublime! Ballestas Islands were a view and a taste of what Paradise must have looked like. Ballestas Paracas Peru

After sailing slowly around the many islets we returned to Paracas. My heart was filled with the whole experience. Ballestas Paracas

Later in the evening I was walking along the beach, trying to absorb every detail… what I have seen, tried, felt. Unforgettable was my tour to the islands and unforgettable were the three words of that anonymous woman on the boat. There was music on the street, the sun started to set, the heat gave place to a pleasant warm ocean breeze. Ballestas Ba Ballestas Ballestas

Families made their way home and lovers made the beach their realm. If you have a hand to hold and walk along this beach at sunset... then you are truly blessed... if not... maybe Paracas is the right place to find it! tas

The bottom line is... the sun rises, shines and sets for everyone, despite nationality, language, religion, color or any other difference mankind has created... so why not just share? Paracas Paracas paracas

 Meanwhile... as the woman on the boat told me: Welcome to Paracas!