Now understand, these are not city buses in the normal sense. They're refitted vans which are privately owned, usually by the driver, and they come in all sizes and conditions, from new-looking to totally run down. I managed to flag one of the ones going our direction down, and we rode it to Miraflores without any problems. They're definitely cheaper than a taxi, and just as fast. Perhaps safer as well, considering their size?
Regardless, we walked around Miraflores a bit, finding a great park where lots of cats liked to lounge and shoe shiners liked to..shine shoes. Again, lots of locals and only a few people with cameras. An older gentleman who spoke excellent English also struck up a conversation with me about his city and what we'd seen so far. Everyone keeps talking about Cusco, so I'm glad we have a day there to explore.
We also saw some people protesting horn honking. It's pretty superfluous throughout the city, either because cars are cutting people off, about to crash into them, or because pedestrians are in their way. That was one thing we were warned about first thing when we arrived--Lima is not a pedestrian has right of way kind of city. The autos rule the streets. Taxis also honk to get your attention while walking, and if you turn around, they think you're hailing them. I had to start forcing myself not to look at the double tap.
Catching a bus back was also relatively easy (and we actually got seats in a nicer one for the ride) and we made it back in time to catch our four hour bus to Paracas. Which costed 5 nuevos soles, or about $2.50. Almost cheaper than the bus at home. And this was a really nice travel bus, more like an airplane with the service. There were tvs showing movies and they even gave us lunch. Which actually would make it nicer than most airlines these days. I even ate the sushi! Though I would barely consider it sushi, considering the meat inside seemed to be chicken. Baby steps.
The views along the way were amazing, at least for me who has never seen a real desert before. I'm talking sand dunes and bantha tracks with sand people hiding over the rise. Very cool. And most of the drive was along the coast, the Pacific stretching the whole way. There were also a lot of shells of abandon buildings all along the way. Some people did have stalls set up along the freeway, where you could stop for food or to shop a bit too. But most of the buildings were empty, with only sand to fill it.
When we got to Paracas, we found a bus station that seemed to be made mostly of wood and straw. The three little pigs wouldn't last long here!
The bus station was pretty much the only thing on the first street, and there are really only two other streets that make up the city; the one our hotel is on and the one next to the ocean where the dock and all the seafood restaurants are. So yes, we had seafood. JS actually enjoys seafood and took a risk, getting the ceviche mixto, which is a mishmash of a bunch of different raw seafood like clams, octopus, shrimp, and fish in an acidic bath of lemon lime juice. I did try a few bites; the juice kind of burned the tongue, but was good. I think I'm just not so down with the texture of the various sealife. I did have fish filete, which was fried enough not to be too fishy. But I won't be too sad if this is our last port of call for seafood.
While Lima seemed to have an over abundance of cats, Paracas seems to have the same of dogs. And seeing how I'm hearing the dogs barking out my window even now, I have a feeling I'm going to prefer the silent cats.
Looking forward to going out on the boat tomorrow to the wildlife preserve. Hopefully we'll see a lot of animals!
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