After a four-hour bus rise down the Pacific coast, we hosteled in the tranquil oceanside town of Paracas. It was here that we got familiar with the "set meal" concept - usually soup, white rice, and fish for 8 Peruvian Soles per person (about $2.75).
The highlight of our stay in Paracas was a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands and a trip to the Paracas National Reserve: an expanse of desert which, 40 million years ago, was the ocean floor.
