Peru

Our only full day in Paracas was nearly a bust. The marine layer was as thick as potato soup, with only a few daring fishermen headed out toward the churning, choppy seas.

With our scheduled boat ride on an extended delay, The Husband and I sipped mug after mug of coffee at Juan Pablo, a local fish joint on the boardwalk. Finally, three hours later, we were given the green light.

Our speedboat whizzed over the turbulent waves directly to the Ballestas Islands, which are off limits to people. Even though the boat couldn’t dock there, the ride was as close as we were going to get to the multitude of marine birds and animals who call the islands home.

More than 150 different species of birds live there. As our boat approached, ribbons of birds surrounded the watercraft and practically ushered us in.

The sea lions, who were lounging about on the shore, snorted and waves as we spend past.

The Humboldt penguins, on the other hand, simply stared us down.

I couldn’t believe how many birds we saw during our quick tour. Take every bird you can possibly imagine, double that number, then multiply by 1,000.

See the black hill in the background? It’s all birds. Zillions of them.

Later we drove a small portion of the peninsula at the Paracas National Reserve. It’s an otherworldly place where desert plunges into ocean, and beach reaches for the sky.

I have a nagging feeling that in five years, Paracas is going to explode. It’s going to be overrun with tourists and tacky souvenir shops and expensive hotel chains. But in this moment, here and now, it’s just about perfect.

With so many ancient ruins, stunning landscapes and architectural wonders surrounding me, what do I do? Ignore them all to take photos of the dogs, of course.

Peru seems to have a dog problem, with strays everywhere. They’re very sweet, though. Not aggressive and very loving.

My husband called these two Lady and the Tramp. We saw them several times, hanging out together on the beaches of Paracas.

Lady.

Tramp.

This sweetie with an underbite lives near the cathedral in Cusco. He seems to enjoy scooping up the tourists’ scraps.

This dog seemed sad and world-weary. He was snuggled up near a fish shop in Paracas.

This ugly dog attacked me with kisses and love, but was moving too fast for a decent photo. So sweet.

I saw this poor puppy wandering around a pottery shop in Nazca.

Loved this pretty dog in San Blas.

This shaggy dog was my favorite.

And I’ve seen one cat.

I wish I could take them all home with me.