The wine is terribly sweet, really undrinkable, the Piscos though not bad and pretty reasonable for 20 to 40 PEN per bottle. Its nine oclock in the morning, and we are having a wine and Pisco tasting with Viño Los Reyes in Lunahuaná (km 41,5, S 12°5647.0 W 76°0807.8, camping not possible), one of the larger and better-known wine-makers in the area. Yesterday evening it was already closed. The wine cellar seems a bit more rustic than its North American counterparts, but not unprofessional. The tasting is complimentary, and so we drive two bottles of Pisco, a tiny bit of alcohol level, and a good portion of good mood richer back to the Pan Americana and then south.
A bit further we pass Pisco, famous name giving schnapps town where nobody voluntarily spends a night. Shady dubious figures stagger between gloomy market and dirty fishmeal factories around, the atmosphere of the nastiest port is prevalent although Pisco is no more than a harbour village. There are more friendly places on earth like Reserva Nacional de Paracas. For 5 Nuevo Soles admission we can tear up the desert landscape to our hearts content, visit beaches, and even camp for free. The parks beaches had and have safety problems at night due to Piscos proximity. The administration advises against camping alone because of violent robberies in the past. This danger doesnt exist on weekends on the popular beaches La Mina and Yumaque: complete tent cities grew here in the manner of corrals. We prefer to follow the advice of the rangers to park beside their station at Playa Roja. Not so much on account of safety but silence. Here we are the only ones, far away from the party seeking folks from Lima: S 13°5332.1 W 76°1826.4.