In Pisco

We woke up early to take the bus to Pisco. It took about an hour and you will have to take a taxi to get to the city. We originally wanted to stay at the Hostal Posada Hispana but we could only book for one night as it was booked solid. Looking at it, I saw tours booking the place including GAP. They directed us to La Hosteria del Monasterio which was a block away and it is sooo cute. The decore is medieval yet modern. I believe it is family owned and omg ... the best part that almost mad me jump for joy and cry...INTERNET!!! yuppers! Here I can finally use my mini laptop and use when I want to and need to.

As much as we like this place, there are crazy mesquitos that greated us in the room. I am still on a killing spree ... I don't usually like this but I don't like to be bitten as my bites swell and itch more than most normal people.

We booked a tour to the Ballestas Islands tomorrow morning. The Islands is part of the Paracas National Park and is also called the poor man's Galapagos Islands. There will be interesting marine animal life there and hopefully I can go crazy with my camera and get some good shots. 

We also went walking around the city and it's amazing how much damage last year's earthquake did to this place. We saw some reconstruction is going on but they can only do so much. Many locals are working hard to rebuild this place. Unlike all the other places we've been to, you really have to be cautious here. The receptionist told us to only bring what is necesary to walk around. We get stares and harrassed as usual for taxi rides but it's more than usual here. Otherwise, leave everything else in the safe. It's hard to find places to buy stuff as the market they had closed and now they have a mini-market. Sadly enough, I have to admit that I feel like there is nothing to do here and I miss being able to get simple neccessities without going everywhere to look for it.

We did visit "Pisco Sin Fronteras - Pisco without Borders" where we will be doing a couple of days of volunteer work. Harold was nice but couldn't stay long with us newbies as he had to run and take care of the projects they are working on. We met a nice couple Leila and John. Leila is from Ireland and John is from New Zealand. We had a great chat about our travels so far and they have been volunteering all over South America since May. Their Spanish was great and helped us out when we had lunch together and man alive, just impressed with them and their work and dedication. Great people!

Right now, we are just chilling...watching a movie on TV and me on the internet blogging. It's nice to have down time as we will be working hard when we start volunteering in a couple days.

Also, Eva took some pics in Pisco. My blog is linked to hers if you'd like to see it. I didn't feel safe taking out my SLR and take photos so using the point and shoot seemed best :) You'll notice that once you get here, all the hostels have gates infront where you need to buzz in to get into the hostel each time. This is their way of keeping us safe. That's when you know that you really need to keep your guard up.