5th May 2005 At about midday we booked out of the hostel in Barranco and caught a taxi to one of the interstate bus depot's, which was amusing as this is the first time I have worn my backpack in anger - its very heavy (& I don't have the kitchen sink!!!), also the taxi driver didn't have a clue about how to get to bus depot so we spent a while going round in circles, stopping every few minutes to ask for directions!!! Finally we got there and booked our tickets to a town called Pisco. You would imagine an interstate bus depot to be large, this was not the case, a block of garages which a ticket desk!!!! and you caught the bus up the road at a bus stop!!! The bus ride took about 3hrs travelling along the Panamericana highway, which is basically a coast road! Pacific on one side and desert on the other and every so often greenery. The bus dropped us off about 5km out of Pisco town, where we greeted by the local touts trying sell taxi rides and hostel acccomodation, I found this a little unnerving but hey, I had Ben! We caught a taxi ride into town, the smallest Taxi I have ever been in, about the size of mini!!! The town is very poverty sticken on the exterior but the main square is a tourist haven. Again when we got into Pisco main town we were greeted by the local touts trying sell the hostel accomodation. We went with one guy, Jose, who got us a good deal in hostel called La Reserva, very clean, hot water and toilet paper!!! We had a wonder around town that evening got a bite to eat at chinese resturant where we practiced our Spanish - which is coming on well!!! Tomorrow we are going on a tour of the Paracas Area and National Reserve.