We arrive too early for the official start of breakfast at 6.30am but are able to eat none the less. Removing the butter from its packets is a challenge. Today’s cooked offering is fried fish and pancakes. The yoghurt here is sweeter and the coffee undrinkably strong, even considerably watered down. We sneak some fruit for later and return to our room to find that there is no water. Unlike some of our hapless travelling companions, we showered early enough to be clean, so are not greatly inconvenienced.

Our tour has a special ‘beat the rush’ boat trip to the Ballestas Islands, hence the early start. The islands are known as the poor man’s Galapagos and we are hoping for wildlife. We set off in the Carol 1, which is a speed boat but the shelter of the Paracas peninsula makes for a smooth trip. We spot a colony of pelicans, followed by Turkey Vultures, the only birds on the islands that do not eat fish. There are also Chilean Grey Gulls and Elegant Terns from further north. We stop to photograph the 170 metre high Candelabra geoglyph, carved in the hillside. It may be attributable to the Nazca civilization but others believe the style suggests it is post-Hispanic i.e. after 1532. We see some of the 20,000 seals that inhabit the islands, their pups were born a couple of months ago. Humbolt Penguins waddle along the cliffs and there are Inca Terns, with their distinctive red legs and beaks. Ballestas means ‘arrow slit’ and there are many crevasses and arches in the rocks. We also see large colonies of Boobies. There were those amongst our parties who had different expectations when these were mentioned. A rare Red-footed Cormorant is also spotted.

The islands are famous for their guano, which is still a valuable product. Years ago, many Japanese and Chinese came to harvest the guano. It is still collected every six years and the stench is impressive, as are the deep cries of the sealions. The islands are now a national nature reserve, with four resident wardens. This was a highlight of our trip and the many boats heading for the islands as we leave, underlines the wisdom of our early start.

We hear of more immigrant groups who have come to Peru, including Africans who arrived as slaves and who have influenced the music of this region. 16 July is a festival, when the Afro-Peruvian community eat cats. We learn about a traditional offal based dish that the native Peruvians devised in the times when all the better cuts of meat were consumed by the Spaniards. Pecan nuts, mangos and avocados are grown here.

We are heading towards Nazca. The Nazcan people worshipped the algarrobo, or carob, tree, whose 20 metre roots allowed it to grow where there was insufficient water for much else. We continue along the Pan-American highway, which is strewn with litter. We enter the wine making region, where there is a better water supply. An Augustinian order set up a communion wine producing business here.

We arrive for a tour of the El Catador vineyard, where wine and pisco is produced in artisan fashion, by stamping on the grapes with bare feet. The 160 year old wine press is striking. The traditional amphorae are carrot shaped, as they used to be ‘planted’ in the ground. They are about three feet high and weigh 100kg when full. These are now prized as the potters no longer make them. The wine ferments in them for a week and then the amphorae are sealed with clay or, traditionally, banana leaves, for a further week. Pisco is up to 48% proof but we test five varieties that are around 17%. The pisco sour was invented in the mid-nineteenth century in Hotel Bolivar, Lima, when the bartender ran out of whiskey sour.

After a tasty ice cream our journey continues. We pass a cart loaded with seaweed. Three different types are used for fertilizer, food and cosmetics. The next stop is Huacachina, an oasis in the middle of the Ica district desert. We are here for an ‘optional/compulsory’ ride in a sand buggy. These take eight passengers and career hectically up and down the dunes in an alarming fashion. Nothing ventured, I rashly agree to try these. My judgement may have been clouded by the amount of pisco I had consumed. I wedge myself in the back row between Chris and another sturdy gentleman of our party.  Maybe sitting in the back row was not so wise, as it seems that this is where you experience maximum bounce. I have my arms stretched out and am gripping the bar in front of me as if my life depends on it. Oh, hang on ……. My feet are braced. Occasionally I open my eyes and I am flung up and down in the air as we hurtle up and down the dunes at about 30mph. Believe me, it felt considerably faster. We make a few stops to photograph the view and the oasis below. Some of our party sand board down a couple of dunes, to be collected at the bottom. In places the gradient is 1:2. I wonder if this is a good point at which to mention my heart condition. Disconcertingly, the driver periodically gets out of the vehicle to fiddle with it and add more fuel. I don’t contemplate what happens if we break down out here. I mentally debate if this is more terrifying than being on the back of a Skidoo for 2½ hours at minus 23 degrees in Finland – it is a close run thing. At the end of the journey my fingers have to be prised off the bar. On balance, I am glad I went, although I am not likely  to repeat the experience. I should point out that I have never been on a roller coaster, which provides a similar ‘experience’ and I have only been down a playground slide a handful of times, so this was definitely out of my comfort zone. We have a very pleasant lunch in the hotel and paddle in their pool. Ok, so I had chicken and chips but it was lovely. This was accompanied by a complimentary pisco sour. I have probably had more alcohol today than in the past year.

As we near the city of Nazca, the road becomes steep and twisting, with sheer drops and ineffective looking crash barriers. Fortunately we are still on a two lane road and I am furthest away from the cliff edge. We stop off for a chance to see the Palpa geoglyphs. These are unusual because they are human representations. They are likely to have been created between 200BC and 700 AD and were probably linked to human sacrifices, possibly as a plea for water. These etchings are only about 10-15cm deep. There is an opportunity to climb a rickety looking metal tower in order to view them more clearly. I decide to remain on terra firma. The Nazca people produced beautiful pottery but had no written language, so the purposes of the carvings are a matter for speculation. A famous German mathematician, Maria Reiche, spent a lifetime trying to understand the significance of the Nazca lines. A little further on is another tower, where we can view part of the Nazca carvings. One of these has been bisected when the highway was constructed. Now all historic monuments are in the care of the National Institute of Culture. Again I remain on the ground but there is something special about photographing the sunset over the Nazca lines.

We arrive at Hotel Casa Andina in Nazca. It is a pleasant hotel but the rooms are arranged round an open courtyard, reminiscent of a prison. Time to collapse, rather irritated that I can’t access the free wifi.