Pisco

Our next destination was Pisco; home of the Ballestas islands and a desert that was once at the bottom of the ocean. The Ballestas islands are a group of rocky islands covered entirely in birds, and consequently, large volumes of bird excrement. Apparently, as a fertiliser it is more valuable than oil in the tonne load, though I have a sneaking suspicion that our tour guide was exaggerating, just a tad. The desert seemed similar to any usual desert, the only difference being that the rocks jotted about were not made of rock but were large clumps of salt forced together over hundreds of years.

After only one night in Pisco we took the local bus (together with all 17 of our rucksacks) to Ica, then taxis to Huanchaco. This is where the fun really started. The only sore point about this place occurred before we´d even walked through the door to our hotel. As our taxi pulled up to the hotel, I made the critical mistake of paying the taxi fare before we had emptied the boot. As we stepped out, the driver pulled the door closed and rapidly pulled off with all of Aaron´s possessions stashed in the back. Aaron gave chase in another taxi, but his bag was long gone.

Unfortunately this wasn´t the first thing to be lost on our expedition. On an average week at least two members of our group will complain of getting something stolen (mainly cameras, jewellery, clothing and money). It´s crazy, but it really takes something as extreme as this to faze us (hence the mention here). In Mancora, James, a friend often assumed to be my brother (based on charm and good looks, I´m sure...), had his wristwatch stolen poolside. Later that day we found it nailed to a wall as a wall clock in a family´s front room. James walked in and removed it. The family barely bashed an eyelid.

Theft is so common here, as the possessions that mean so little to us are worth a month´s wages to the average Peruvian. Aaron´s main regret in losing his luggage was that it contained a travel journal with two years worth of entries and souvenirs; the only thing that couldn´t be sold.