22nd November

This morning we are off to Perú's answer to the Galápagos Islands. The trip to the Ballestas Islands are off the Pacific coast near the region of Paracas. This is also the nearest we will pass the earthquake-hit Pisco home of the "Sours". Left Huachina at 6.30 and got a twin-engine speedboat to the islands. I think it is quite nice the Peruvians are proud of their islands. The snob in me would say they are not a patch on the Galápagos but are a fraction of the price. We saw boobies, cormorants, sea-lions, sea-spiders, pelicans and Humbolt penguins. All good. The smell of guano was like the toilets of the Inca trail and stung the nostrils but makes a very profitable (and timely) export for the people of Pisco. We ere on the water for about 2 hours and the memory card filling up nicely.

Back at the port you had to feel sorry for the inhabitants who were selling, well, tat, just to gather some coins to repair their houses. All very touching. I bought more Inca Kola - I swear I am going yellow.

We headed back to Lima on a public bus. The 4 hours flew by as we watched The Fugitive with Harrison Ford. We arrived early at 2.30pm and I had 7 hours to kill before my flight to La Paz. This meant a Last Supper with the gang. Had a very nice 10 soles 2 course meal with my new favourite Peruvian food - Pollo Saltado which is a bit like chick fried rice. We said our goodbyes to Paúl and I said farewell to Peter and Jane, Ted and Jean. This time tomorrow I will be on a new tour of Bolivia, Southern Argentina and Chile.

Paid 50 soles for a hotel cab to the airport which is a bit steep (just under a tenner) but the cabs in Lima don't have a very good reputation with tourists. Had a mild panic at the check-in when they asked to see my trip itinerary which I hadn't reprinted since it the tours were cancelled. I was amazed when the attendants superior came over and said, "Oh, it's ok, he is a British National". They did clobber me on the international departure tax though - a tasty US$30.

Bought lots of chocolate with my remaining soles and a present for father. The flight was delayed due to over-booking. The staff offered a US$80 pay off for anyone who wanted to be "bumped". You have never seen so many people move so quick.

Sat next to a kid on the flight with "that adolescent smell" - sweat, halitosis and too much testosterone. Flight was quite quick (2 hours) and on landing I got chatting to a local from Santa Cruz called Mariela - very nice, she loved my spanish accent and the fact I lived in Wimbledon, but our paths were not meant to cross again as she was staying on the plane past La Paz. The cash machine was locked up at the airport (which is incidentally like a shed with a few immigration officers and one baggage carousel) but luckily the cab driver took dollars. It was brass monkles at 3400m and had been raining hard.

Go to the hotel at 2.30am and then had major panic when despite many rings on the night bell no one came to let me in. Fair play, the cab driver who could have buggered off helped me wrap on the glass which sounded like it would break at any minute. Then the police came to see what the noise was and even they helped wake up the hotel by tapping on the shutters with nightsticks and, yes, their guns. Still no one came. The cabby took me to another hotel not far and luckily had more success there. A bit steep at Bs120 (1 Pound = 15.5 Bolivianos) especiallyu when you have paid upfront for the former. Now I had a big dilemma. I know the tour leaves tomorrow but I don't know what time. If it is 6am I am going to look stupid turning up at 7. The itinerary on Trailfinders doesn't have a joining time and all the internet kiosks are long since shut up. So I decided to get up at 5.30am and go to the original hotel.