12th November

Headed to Miraflores (tourist district of Lima) to meet up with our tour group. Adam and I visited the seaside area, where during lunch, we were joined by a lone friendly Dutch bloke called Sergio. He was drinking Pisco Sour (2 already down the hatch for him). Sergio, although nice enough on the surface, was one of life´s story tellers (not in a good way), and he ploughed his way through a further 3 Pisco Sours. Sadly Sergio could no longer walk, but we left him chatting up a gorgeous waitress who was clearly not interested in a dribbling dutch man. Went to cinema, played air hockey and had a starbucks (Oh, we are so on the edge!).

What is Pisco Sour?

A pisco sour is a cocktail from Chile and Peru which contains pisco (a regional brandy made of Quebranta or Muscat grapes), lemon, egg whites and liquid cane sugar. V.alcoholic indeed!

Met up with our tour group and everyone shuffled around sussing each other out. Very nice group of brits, irish, ozzy, new zealander and a german couple. Adam was most concerned about lack on men on the tour, but you will be glad to know he has now bonded with drinking buddies, Dave and Big Roy. Our tour guide is Francisco, with the lovely cascading hair and looks to match. He is a complete posing show-off which is most amusing, particularly if he hurts himself whilst showing off (see sand-dune surfing).

Journied to Pisco, the main income of which is derived from the production of fish based animal feed (well, you can imagine the smell). Took a boat trip to the Ballestras Islands, home to sea lion colonies, Humboldt penguins, Peruvian Pelicans and thousands of other sea birds. A fantastic trip - loving the wildlife as ever.

From there, off to Ica and the sand dunes for a couple of hours of nuttiness. Great fun. Nearly took out Big Roy at the bottom of the whopper dune, as he looked up hill and I hurtled towards him at 30 miles an hour. Francisco attempted the largest dune, standing upright and took a huge tumble and face full of sand later, limped off in a bit of a mood.

Things I have spotted from the bus window

• Large shanty towns of houses made of reed matting sprawling over sand dunes
• A happy looking dog with a large rat in its mouth
• Skinny cows (as in real cows, not just attractive thin Peruvian women)
• A man doing a poo
• Beautiful hills and desert
• Women in traditional dress (yes they really do wear trilby hats and ponchos)
• Crops of pototoes, corn, bananas, oranges, asparagus and cotton

Today we visited the Nasca Lines. We took a light aircraft over the lines. The lines consist of patterns and pictures etched in the ground over 2000 years ago, crisscrossing a wide area of flat desert. Some of the lines measure up to 10km and yet remain perfectly straight. Depictions of birds, insects and aminals are only recognisable from the air. Spooky! Archaeologist believe these may be part of complex argricultural calendar. I reckon that the Peruvian tourist board are having a laugh with us, but hey, who am I to argue. Amazing none the less. Shame I had a plastic vomit bag hooked over my ears the entire flight! http://www.crystalinks.com/nasca.html

Also visited old Nasca cemetry were mummies have been very well preserved for over a thousand years. We walked around a number of open graves and marvelled (or dry-heaved in my case) at the mummies with their perfectly preseved 20 ft long hair still attached to crumbling skulls.

We also learnt today about local minerals, traditional pottery making and gold mining.

Traveling tips

• Do not attempt to consume more than 3 Pisco Sours in one sitting. (Except if you are Franciso the handsome tour guide, who was clearly weened on the stuff).
• Do not assume that Peruvians know how to make an authentic Italian pizza.
• Always travel with your own toilet roll.