Tuesday, May 23, 2023: Pisco and Sand Surfing

This morning we went on a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands which are known as the The Poor Man’s Galapagos.

Pirates saw this Nasca Line named “Chandelier” that was easily observed from boats. Our guide thought that this Nasca line looked more like a cactus which makes more sense because there are more cacti out in the desert than chandeliers. Other Nasca Lines were first observed by the modern world in 1929 from the air.

The Pardela is a tropical bird that is fishing for bonito.

In January February and March, there are hundreds of penguins. Today we only see two.

In Perú, not only do they have physical boundaries, they also have vertical divisions. Perú is considered a subtropical country even if it has white capped mountains.

Fundo Hotel el Arrabal

This hacienda makes Pisco. We tour the grounds and our host explains the process. The grapes are smashed by foot. Then fermented. Then distilled. The first alcohol is methanol and is blue in color. The next is ethanol which is clear. The last is butanol and it is s greenish brown. Today the chemists fine-tune the process with measurements. Pisco is the clear part.

The Spanish introduced grapes. They were first planted in the mountains, but they didn’t thrive there. They were moved to the coast. Here they grew very well and were sweet. They were used to make wine and ultimately pisco. Pisco has a high alcohol since it contains more sugar to ferment into alcohol.