Day 15/ July 5, 2013 This morning we had an early breakfast and then went to the pier to board the boat for the Ballestas Island tour.  We had a private boat just for our Road Scholar Intergenerational group, which made it comfortable and exclusive while viewing several different species of birds.  We saw flamingos, Inca terns, boobies, Red-legged cormorants, Humboldt penguins and the playful sea lions. There is a group of three islands that make up the Ballestas Islands, which means “Crossbow."  After about an hour of traveling around each island viewing the marine life and taking pictures, we headed back to the shore. Our next stop was Paracas National Reserve, which is a sub-tropical coastal desert and marine sanctuary at the shore of the Pacific Ocean, comprising of 827,450 acres located 166 miles south of Lima.  We walked on the beach, did some beachcombing, and had photo shoots which were a lot of fun! We loaded back in the bus to visit the Julio C. Tello Museum.  This museum is named for the father of Peruvian archaeology who discovered 400 mummies at the Paracas Necropolis in 1925.  The museum houses some of the finest pre-Columbian textiles ever found in Peru, as well as ceramics, skulls, and bones. After lunch at the hotel, we traveled back to the desert, but this time for some fun on the dunes.  After strapping on goggles and our bodies into the dune buggies, we took off on a thrilling ride over 70 to 100 foot sand dunes.  Going up is one thing, but the ride down is exhilarating!  We were in two buggies and both drivers were excellent and kept the speed up, but not dangerously so.  We stopped on top of a dune to take pictures of ourselves jumping into the air looking as though we were on the edge of the earth! After everyone was satisfied with their pictures, we rode to a different dune for sand board!  This was exciting and took a lot of technical skill to stand on the snowboard converted to a sand board!  Most people squat with their legs folded under them and sitting on their heels/feet, so a rope handle is located at the front of the board to hold on to as you slide down the dune at speeds a little less than snow!  Two people in our group attempted and succeeded to ride down on their feet  standing up!  I would say that this activity was a big hit for both grandparents and grandchildren! After some time to freshen up and relax, we had a wonderful barbeque at the hotel beach!  What a wonderful day!! Day 16/ July 6, 2013 After breakfast, we left the hotel and about an hour later stopped in the town of Chincha where we visited a local Afro-Peruvian family that performed the “Musica Criolla." This Afro-Peruvian music was often sung in the mine along the coast. The entire family performed and invited us to dance.  It was a nice feeling shared between our group and the family. Soon after, we sat down for lunch and went on our way to Lima where we watched another movie on the way back.  After four hours, we arrived to the hotel where we all got a room to rest and shower.  Some stayed the night and others departed after dinner for a 9 to 11 p.m. red-eye back home. It was a great group and a really fun trip! Previous post >> Learn more about this program >>