June 12th - Paracas III

Hello again, Today was one of those where I made my own bliss. I had gone to bed early and slept without an alarm to wake me. There was no blaring music, and even the dogs seemed to let off a bit, so it made for a peaceful night. In the morning, I lagged a bit since I didn't have a plan for the day, but eventually got up for a briefly hot shower (still pretty good by Peruvian standards), and then got some breakfast by the beach. It was the standard breakfast here - two fresh crusty rolls with butter and jam, orange juice (although fresh squeezed this time), and Nescafe. It did the trick, and I headed off for the tour agency with fresh resolve to get myself to Tambo Colorado. Again they said, 'well you just need more people or it will be expensive', and I said, 'Give me a price. Whatever it costs is less than another trip to Peru.' So they quoted me about $28 (it's a bit higher today because it's from Paracas where I'm staying instead of Pisco - with the cab fare between the two, this one was cheaper). As it turned out, it was a heck of a deal. The driver picked me up within the hour and we drove about an hour to the site. The drive there was nice, out of the constant overcast and into the sun, through farms and cornfields and rural towns made of plywood painted with politcal slogans. We passed goats and sheep and pigs and corn laid out to dry to make chicha, which is a local beer. The road there is the same road that goes to Ayacucho, so there were some familiar sights along the way too, which was nice. Once there, I discovered that my driver was my guide, and that he was actually quite knowledgable about the site. He had stopped along the way to buy a roll of film, so we walked through every inch of the site, alternately snapping pictures along the way. The site was first Chanchay, then Inca, and has evidence of both styles. Everything was constructed of stone and adobe, and the walls were painted red, yellow, and white - the colors of the sunset. In fact, the place is oriented facing the west, which is absolutely unique amongst Inca sites. There were several large courtyards, many smaller rooms and bathrooms with running water, aqueducts running throughout, outlooks above to watch for people coming and going, and a little enclave on one side to house the virgins whose sole purpose in life was to weave for the Inca king. Ahem. Beyond the site is a graveyard, where round and then rectangular crypts were constructed out of stones, and the less important people were piled inside when their time came. The bones are still all over the place. The Incas themselves were interred seperately, because their mummified bodies were brought back out for festivals as respected elders and advisors. There are more than a few traditions here that I'm glad aren't practiced anymore. The tour lasted about 5 and a half hours, including the drive, and I'd say that having that much time with a private guide is well worth $28. I got home for a late lunch of grilled fish and more rice, and now I'm here, writing to all of you. It's my last night in Paracas, and tomorrow I'll head for Ica. I'll see you there! Karen