Islas Ballestas Paracas - Ica

I don't know about you but when I travel I thrive off of meeting new people and experiencing new things that I don't generally take part in during my life back home in the states.  Since being in Peru I have made some amazing friends that will definitely be a part of my life for many years to come.  Whether traveling with friends, family, or complete strangers, there are many things that you begin to learn about yourself and others when traveling in buses and living in close quarters with each other.  So far during my trip in Peru I have really begun to realize the small things that happen around me that I can be thankful for.  Whether it be food on the table (deliciously prepared by Lucy) or the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, everything we do has the potential to build us up as individuals.  That being said I hope you enjoy some of the pictures and commentary from my trip to Islas Ballestas Paracas. 

While it has been about two weeks since I got back from Ica and Islas Ballestas Paracas I love to look back at pictures and remember the fun times we had.  Before heading to Islas Ballestas Paracas we went sand boarding in La Huacachina and had the time of our lives and then spent the night at the Las Dunas hotel.  If you are staying in Ica for a night I highly suggest this hotel for all travelers.  Between the two pools, volleyball (sand and water), ping pong, golf course, skate park, and paintball arena there is definitely something to do for the whole family!  After a day on the sand dunes I was definitely grateful to be able to jump in the pool and cool off while playing some volleyball!

After a nice night at the hotel we woke up early, had a delicious complementary breakfast, and then headed off to Islas Ballestas Paracas.  I believe the bus ride was around an hour or so but I was pretty tired so I don't think I was up for a minute of it.  Once we got to our stopping point we all took a bathroom break and did a little bit of shopping and then headed on our boat tour.  Before jumping on the boat there were a number of pelicans that were hanging out on the beach and I couldn't help but think of Finding Nemo.  On our boat tour we saw many different aquatic 
birds like pelicans, a few penguins, and peruvian 
boobies (these are birds for those who are wondering).  Since there are so many birds on these islands the locals actually harvest the bird feces, called guano, and use it as a fertilizer.  Guano is a good fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.  Besides being a fertilizer guano has also been used to make gunpowder and other types of explosives.  

Besides seeing many birds we also were able to see many sea lions.  One interesting thing I learned from our tour guide is that the main difference between seals and sea lions is that sea lions have ears and seals do not.  While watching the sea lions I couldn't help but envy their laid-back lifestyle, although I don't know how comfortable posting up on rocks all day would be. 

After an afternoon on the water, watching the wildlife, we headed back to the mainland to get some food to eat and finish off our shopping.  If you are a seafood fan I would highly suggest eating ceviche while at the beach because it is hard to find anything more fresh than fish straight out of the ocean.  To finish off my time at Islas Ballestas Paracas I did a brief push up workout with my friend Evelyn.  Since we have been traveling around together to some amazing places Evelyn and I have decided to make a series of push up videos to document where we have been!  I hope you enjoy the video and photos!