Pisco
We will not visit the Ballestas Islands which resemble other islands we have already visited.
We prefer to tour the national reserve of Paracas.
Splendidly open to the Pacific Ocean and swept by the sand winds that gave it its name, the Paracas peninsula is a vast mineral desert with strange beauty, almost supernatural.
White cliffs, huge dunes bordering the sea, rock formations eroded by the waves, bare ground covered with a red crust: it is a lunar landscape.
We have lunch by the water in a fish restaurant under a beautiful blue sky.
On the way back we stop at the museum, which is closed, before reaching "Pisco" where we collect our linen.
Bivouac by the ocean
Paracas
Our morning starts with a stop at the garage to do the oil changing of the motorhome.
Then we stop in Pisco for a full supply and to deposit our laundry in a laundromat, before reaching "Paracas".
A small tourist town, also called «El Chaco», which is mainly the starting point for excursions to the Ballestas Islands and the Paracas National Reserve.
It’s the weekend and the resort is full. The drop points are rare and finally we land in a guarded parking lot close to the center.
Like all the small resorts, the tour of the city is quick and without much interest.
During this two-day stop, we take advantage of electricity to work on our site and on the videos
On the way to Paracas
We know that distances can be short but the journey time much longer.
516 km separate us from the Pacific Ocean, our next destination, via a pass at 4,628 m, so we plan two days of travel.
We are in the Andes where the roads can offer surprises, good or bad, but always crossing sumptuous and varied landscapes.
On our way we find a "lagoon" 4,600 m over sea level, where the mountain peaks reflect and according to the guides it is a sight not to be missed ... Just a little detour of 80 km.
The road to the pass is a good quality one, but unfortunately deteriorates for the descent ... The bifurcation for the lagoon is much worse ... It is dotted with holes of all sizes ... What a nightmare.
We are not at the end of our surprises.
Arriving at the village "Santa Ines" at the edge of the lagoon, a rain of hailstones falls on the plateau and turns into snow ... A real happiness.
In addition, the evening bivouac is inaccessible!!! We find refuge along a building set back from the road.
We are not alone, we are surrounded by alpacas that snow does not bother.
The temperature drops quickly and when we wake up the thermometer shows 1° outside and 7° inside!!!
One side of the motorhome is frozen.
We turn on our heating with difficulty due to lack of oxygen and the heat settles in the cabin.
We resume our descent towards the Pacific passing another lower pass. The snow has disappeared and we are always accompanied by herds of alpacas.
There are two sites on our route ... Both are closed!!!
We do not reach the Pacific but we land at "Santa Isabella". We drove 6 hours each day to cover barely 500 km.
ROAD BOOK 145
MAVROS ODYSSEE