When the bus (oh and god, what a bus ride) pulled up to Pisco I had to stifle a gulp.
In 2007 Pisco was hit by an earthquake that killed around 500 people and it really has yet to recover. If I could describe Pisco in one word it would be crumbled. Also, eery.
My sister Meg actually spent a Spring Break with her college rebuilding in Pisco - we searched all over for her creatively crafted bathrooms to no avail. (I'm sure these were the same fantastical bathrooms that actually included toilet paper).
But I take that initial gulp back.
People were out and about in Pisco, nights felt like the state fair with street vendors and gabbles of teenagers amongst the backdrop of a still-ruined city.
And our hostel, Tambo Colorado, was so peaceful. We nicknamed it Hostel Carla after the woman who ran it, because she was so sweet and accommodating.
Hostel Carla also hooked us up with Jimmy of "Jimmy Tours," who disappeared from our lives about as quickly and mysteriously as he appeared, but not before hooking us up with a perfect day trip to the Islas Ballestas and Paracas National Park.
...in my wildest dreams about the trip, this day was exactly what I had been imagining: lonely beaches, crashing waves, even lonelier desert, bright orange crabs, ramshackle tour bus, adorable foreign kids tagging along, scenic beyond comprehension.
- I want to learn Spanish. Pulpo and lobos del mar are perfect words.
- I only regularly drink Coke while traveling. There's just something so perfect about a Coke in a glass bottle while in transit.
- I was starving at a bus stop (things we've learned about Kate while traveling #1: she must eat every three hours or she gets moody and frantic) and there was only one bodega with practically nothing on its shelves. I left in disgust while Walker ended up buying some forlorn packages of crackers for which I chastised him: Why the hell would you buy crackers!? I don't want to eat crackers!! No one wants to eat crackers!! A few minutes later I begrudgingly ate one out of pure desperation, only to find it delicious and to shamefacedly return to buy several more packs. Thus, I dream up ice cream bars and sandwiches and refuse to settle for anything else, while Walker is better at dealing with the realities at hand.
