Paracas/Islas Ballestas/National Reserve Peru 秘鲁帕拉卡斯 3/2017 (6)

18-20/3/2017. I departed Lima on a luxurious bus. A pillow and blanket were provided, also a hot lunch and a dedicated video screen. My little luggage had to be checked in. I went through a security check where they did a bag and body search, and after everyone had boarded, they took a video of each of the passengers. I felt it was a bit over the top.

The views along the way were indeed fantastic, with the arid desert on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, one dead, one very much alive, water and earth side by side, living next to each other, keeping each other company and at bay. What a contrast of beauty. I liked the peace and quiet, but I also enjoyed the clashing cymbals. After three and a half hours on the bus, I arrived at Paracas.

18-20/3/2017 坐上这豪华大巴，告别利马。这大巴可夸张，除提供背枕和被以外，还有热午餐，私人视频，连我小拖箱也得托运，过安检搜包并搜身，上车后乘客一一录像。

由于一路都是沿海的沙漠，一路高速笔直且平坦。在一边基本都是光秃秃的山体，如死尸文风不动躺着。另一边是太平洋，毫无睡意，精神抖擞在逗玩。大巴如在飞机跑道上平稳行驶，一路欣赏非同行常的风景 – 一边是严酷的不毛之地，另一面是汪洋大海，对照很强烈。三小时半后抵达这小镇帕拉卡斯。享受终点，更享受旅程。

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18-20/3/2017. A group of us, mainly young people from all over the world, set off early in the morning in a boat to the island Islas Ballestas, about 25 minutes from mainland Paracas. I felt like I was taking a bunch of grandchildren out for the day. Some traveling solo, some with partners, while others with people met on the way, many of them girls, mostly below 30, very confident, mature, and adventurous. Some were on a journey of their life around the world; others quit their jobs to do a six-month world tour. Despite the enormous backpacks they carried, they relished the carefreeness to roam the world.

On the way, we came across some weird-looking sketches on the desert hills. This was the famous Paracas Candelabra, carbon-dated back to 200 BCE, a kind of geoglyph, etched two feet into the soil and 180 meters tall. Was this the extraterrestrial mischief? Nobody knows who drew this or how they came to be, but we are grateful to the Peruvians for the enigma. Nonetheless, kind of spooky.

There was sun, and there was fun. The waves punched a few gaping holes in the rocks jutting out of the water—even the rock-solid can be hollowed out, given time. Three penguins standing like the three stooges high on the rock stared blankly into the distance. A community of sea lions sunbathed on these islands, oblivious to the trespassers.

大清早，乘上快艇到离帕拉卡斯镇大陆二十五分外的巴列斯塔斯岛（鸟岛）（Islas Ballestas）。游艇上都是来自各地年轻人，我像是带着孙子出游。且观察到，很多都是女孩子，有些独行，有些结伴，有些路上才结识。欧美的不少，大多我看不超二十七八岁，有胆识，独立，自信。有些是个人生大游；一对英国情侣辞职环游多国6个月，另一对法国的环游世界一年。都背着沉重包袱自由旅行 – 不是条件不一样，是人生观也不同。

路经几个趣点。在一个山体的印烙了个巨大图案，导游说至今还是个迷。在秘鲁多有都留有这类使人不得其解的图案，秘鲁还真有人，或物种有这种闲情逸致干这种无聊的事，但这使我们后人生趣无穷；冒出海面的小岛也很奇特，给海水冲出几个大洞；三只企鹅站在坡顶傻乎乎的张望；岛上几处海狮群在海滩上裸体日浴，有些还向我们挥手。

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Paracas National Reserve is only a few kilometers from Paracas town, all the more reason to see it. The land is devoid of any vegetation, its color of death a big contrast to the tropical forest back home in Malaysia. I enjoyed this stoic stillness and took a morbid liking for its lifelessness. Though surrounded by desert, the breeze from the encroaching sea made the heat surprisingly tolerable. Except for some thin clouds, the sky was a canopy of baby blue, rising to azure blue overhead. The sea was where the actions were, churning and crashing, chiseling the coastline into wowing features.

下午到帕拉卡斯国家保留地观光。这保留地离帕拉卡斯镇就几公里，也不碍时。碰到杭州三口，说有点像新疆景色，不同处是这里有海，也有凉风，较良爽。这大片土地都是寸草不生的裸山。可能看惯马来雨林，这死色感觉又严酷又美。天空除云丝以外就是一片蔚蓝。唯一动静就是海浪在冲击海岸线形成多处奇观。这四小时是个不同的美的享受。

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There was also music in the air. Local dance troupes came out to give the quiet weekend a needed life with their folk and current dances. Young fellas sang from table to table to make the food taste better. This was a quiet and leisurely Sunday, with no hustle and bustle. The weather was amenable and the ambiance enlivening; there was beauty all around. This was a great place to let down my guard, to relax and enjoy.

这是宁静的周末，没城市的喧闹，但音乐带来欢乐。帕拉卡斯广场几队舞团给群众献广场舞；年轻小伙各餐桌献唱助兴下饭，美景和音乐，就是绝配。天气朗爽，四面美景，情调愉心，一切都搭配的天衣无缝，很单纯的享受。

Today I hired a bicycle to roam freely. This was a town sandwiched between the sea and the desert. The desert sun was punishing, but the sea breeze and my cool sun hat provided some relief. The flat ground and the wide-open space made it easy to cycle. I couldn’t care less if I was trespassing—I could read no Spanish sign. There were scarcely any souls on the street. I cycled anywhere I wanted, into any street, any alleyway, any private compound, into the desert landscape, anywhere I chose to intrude. Cycling along and alone, I stumbled into these bungalows’ backyards, obviously of the wealthy, their backside facing the crashing sea on a blustery day. Life was good for them, and for me, too.

今天租了自行车自由自在自驾游。街上几乎没人，这辽阔平坦的土地给我无限自由。我像无头苍蝇般瞎闯，骑上沙漠斜坡，大街小巷，也没人能阻挡我放荡不羁的野性。骑着骑着闯到这些富人豪宅后院，屁股对着大海， 每栋都独享自己的一片海，也没什么大不了，这里有的是海。

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