December 2, 2022, Friday

We arrived at our 2nd Peruvian location near San Martin and joined a tour that took us into a fertile valley at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Rolando, our guide, is from the Ica Valley and was able to fully describe the arid conditions and the importance of the Andes Mountains to the area.

It never rains in the San Martin area. Never. The water the population relies upon is from the Andes Mountains where the rains turn into rivers and also replenish the underground water table. On the surface there was no inkling of water aside from the ocean. Everything in the port was covered with a fine dust, reminding us of Cairo, Egypt. The only colors we saw were the reddish sand of ground volcanic soil and the yellow sand from the ancient sea floor. 

As early as 9,000 years ago, the Paracas tribe migrated here for the ocean fishing and to bury their dead. There have been multiple burial sites uncovered here. There have been mummified bodies discovered, decorated with fabric and ornaments. Rolondo stated that it appears only the elite of the tribe were buried in this area. Not much is known of the Paracas, however they used similar techniques in reshaping the heads of newborns of the elite class, as in ancient Egypt.

We rode about 1 1/2 hours to the Ica Valley, known for its produce (papaya, mango, oranges, lemons and asparagus) and to the first of 2 wineries we visited. On the way there, we passed desolate areas of desert with some population although it was difficult to believe people would be able to survive in these conditions. The “houses” were poorly constructed with cinderblock, tarp, sheet metal and bamboo.

Dogs were roaming freely about town but no cats. “Cats are considered the devil here”. We could relate to that as one of our cats, Gingersnap, was certainly devilish! The dogs “guard the houses while the people are away working”. Most work is in the fields. 

We crossed a bridge over the Ica River, noting it appeared to be more of a stream than a river. Rolondo reminded us that this is summer in the southern hemisphere, waiting for the rainy season to begin in December.

Our tour group finally reached a lush Garden of Eden at the Tacama Winery. They have been in the Ica Valley for 250 years and clearly are a large employer. The contrast between the dry, dusty towns and the well manicured grounds of the estate were striking. A small number of community members, however, were clearly benefitting by wine production in jobs offered and housing. 

In addition to white, rosé and red wine, they make a distilled wine called Pisco. We toured the winery and beautiful grounds, participating in a wine tasting.

After enjoying our wine samples, we continued to explore the estate, passing a family church to a small “tower” we entered and climbed to the top to enjoy the panoramic view of the vineyard and the Andes Mountains. It was easy to forget there was abject poverty outside the estate.

We left the beautiful Tacoma Winery and traveled on the the next vineyard, Destileria la Caravedo, specializing in Pisco. In fact, they do not produce any wine. Walking off the bus, we were given a canned drink of what Mary Margaret thought was lemonade but was “spiked” with 9% Pisco! We strolled along passing by a modern looking building where the majority of distilling and aging takes place.

Walking away from the building, across a lawn and up 25 steps, we gathered in a circular, covered space where grapes are crushed the old fashion way; with your feet. The juice would channel into a lower area and the skins would be crushed in a massive wooden press. The distilling process begins with the heat from flame under these huge stone barrels. After a period of time, the Pisco is captured and bottled. This ancient process is done in very small batches and is most likely a ceremonial event. The real action happens at the new building. 

We left the ceremonial production area and walked to the modern distillery. Once inside, we walked through alleys of enormous stainless steel silos and sampled 5 Pisco varieties, each being a bit smoother than the previous taste. Distilled Pisco is 86-proof hence the small, ounce-size samples. 

A highlight of the Destileria la Caravedo winery was the horse show that occurred during our lunch. The small horse moved so elegantly it nearly hypnotized us (or maybe it was the 5 samples of Pisco?)

We bade farewell and fell into our bus seats for the long drive back to the port. We will have 2 sea days before reaching Coquimbo, Chile where we will explore a coastal resort area before climbing into higher altitudes to the Elqui Valley. Time to relax!