Paracas

Today we rented a motor scooter 🛵 and explores Paracas National Reserve. At first, the scooter was kind of scary and I was afraid we were gonna crash (even though I wasn't the driver so I literally just had to sit there 🤣). Luckily Angus was an excellent driver and we had no issues... and once I got used to it, I ended up loving it. It was very freeing to be able to explore the park at your own pace on the scooter and it was fun to feel the wind in your hair as you zip around!

The park itself felt like another planet (I had David Bowie's song Life on Mars stuck in my head all day)! The reserve is filled with red and yellow sand as far as the eye can see. There were moments where there were no other travelers around and it felt like we were along in the middle of the desert. There were lots of different stops at view points throughout the park. The first stop was a lookout over the cliffs and the ocean. You had a view of what was called the Cathedral, which was a massive rock formation in the water. The second stop was at a beach and there was a bonus look out on top of a dune that allowed us to see everything from a high vantage point. We then proceeded to the third stop, which was a little 'fishing town' (the only people that live in the town are the ones who maintain the ground and collect algae that washes up for medicinal use). Around the fishing town there were birds everywhere... We saw blue footed boobies, Pelican, and many other local Peruvian birds. We also tried ceviche, which is a famous Peruvian fish dish and it was delicious. We then continued to the last two beaches. These were beaches you could swim in! I had a lovely swim in the ocean (Angus did not join) and enjoyed quite the view of the desert and beach.

Overall this has been my favourite day in Peru so far! Getting the freedom to explore the park and being in a place that felt like Mars made for one incredibly unique and epic adventure. This was our first day out of the city and into the Peruvian wilderness and it did not disappoint! Can't wait to see what's next 😀Read more