The rest of Peru

Well I survived the Anniversary party! Ha! Lucy went to bed around midnight and I fell into bed at 2am. It was a an amazing party! We started out that Friday evening going to church. Then we came home to get ready for the party. People started arriving around 9pm and lastly the happy couple that had been married for 40 yrs. A mariachi band even came to sing! The food was delicious. I tried sheep lung and cow stomach. The alcohol flowed freely and I had my first pisco sour. It is made with fresh lime juice, egg white and pisco. Pisco is a kind of like brandy and it is made here in Peru.

We all managed to wake up, pack up and drive to Ica (wine country) which is approximately 5 hrs South of Lima. We stayed at the Hotel Carmelo. It is a beautiful old hotel where they also make wine. We woke up early and drove to a little oasis in the middle of the desert to take a dune buggy ride. Oh my God! Talk about scary and fun all at the same time. When I was sure that Lucy wasn't going to fly out of her seat, I actually enjoyed it:) Talk about primal scream therapy. She kept pushing my hand off her leg and smiling ear to ear. My adventurer! Love it! Anyway, we stopped for a while and the driver started waxing up this snowboard...hmmm....Lucy even got into the act. As I was taking another turn, laying down on my belly to slide down the hill, Lucy jumped on my back! I hung onto her arms and away we went! She is definitely an adrenaline junkie. We got to the bottom of the hill and she said, "Otra vez Momma! Otra vez! Again Momma! Again!

I needed a drink after that so we drove to Tacama where they make wine and pisco. It is the oldest vineyard in Peru, spanning 4 generations. The tasting room was my favorite part;) On a side note, all that amazing Chilean wine? Grapes grown in Peru and bottled in Chile. The Peruvians aren't happy about it either!

Then is was off to Paracus to see the Sea Lions. Unfortunately we missed the last boat by the time we arrived. Oh well. Lucy and I were exhausted and it was only 230pm. So we decided to have lunch there by the ocean. I LOVE ceviche!

It was nice to come back to the hotel so my little fishy could relax, swim her brains out and go to bed.

By this time it is now Monday, my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!! Victoria agreed to watch Lucy for me so I could go see the Nazca lines. Myself and another couple staying at the hotel hired a driver, Hector, to take us to the airport to see the lines, the aquaducts, museum, lunch and then back to the hotel. It was an early morning without coffee:( But a few Inca colas and I was good as new. The Nazca are an ancient tribe of people that lived in this area a LONG time ago. They made the lines and the aqueducts. No one really knows what the lines are for. There was a German woman Maria Reiche that spent her life studying the lines. The aqueducts were fantastic! The Nazca people built the aqueducts to filter and irrigate water that flowed down the mountain. This area has many earthquakes and the aqueducts are still intact AND working! They still collect and filter water! Feel free to google for more info. I still need to read the book I bought about it and don't want to give you the wrong info and sound like an idiot.

OK so now Lucy and I need a rest from this fast paced vacation so we hired a taxi back toward Lima to the town of Asia (Ah-see-ah) which is a really nice resort area right on the beach. We stayed at the Aquavict resort and basicly had the place to ourselves! The perfect place to rest, swim, eat and rest and eat some more! Lucy and Victoria's boys swam in the Pacific ocean but loved the sand more. Notice the picture:)

Whew! The last few days of the trip were spent doing laundry, souvenir shopping and packing.

It was the trip of a lifetime! Victoria's family is terrific! They took great care of us. We were able to see so much of Peru in a short time. I feel like a part of their family now. Thanks Victoria for a wonderful vacation.

Smooch
PK

Enjoy the pictures!