Nazca Lines

  Nazca, Peru
Sunday, September 23, 2007

THE NAZCA LINES




We decide to go visit the Nazca Lines on our way to Lima. So we left Cusco at 5pm and took a 12hr overnight bus to Nazca. Needless to say & and as per usual, Enda slept like log but not so for me ;o( But on way saw a wee volcano in the distance with lava streaming out from thecone...very cool.
Our bus took longer than expected & we got into Nazca after 7am. Our guide met us there
and then brought us to Hotel Maisson Suisse where we watched a quick video on history of the lines and grabbed some breakfast.
Our flight was at 9am, so we just had to cross the road to go to the aerodrome. We hop into a tin can plane with 3 other Chinese passengers who had regular cameras, digital cameras, camcorders and the kitchen sink all hanging from their necks.

Spent  35 Minutes flying over this enigmatic zone, where hundreds of years ago ancient Peruvians drew huge designs, which can be seen only from the air. Among the figures we saw an enormous representation of a monkey, a hummingbird, a condor, and a strange creature known as the Spaceman.The Nazca Lines have been studied by many people including Paul Kosok their discoverer,and scientists such as the famous Maria Reiche. Their still not sure teh purpose of them ranging from religious ceremonies, to links with the consellations, and also links with the underground aquaducts(water systems).

Enda had great fun at the start of the filght seeing me shiting a brick about this wee light craft plane. It rattled an awful lot & the pilots door didnt even close properly with a gale force wind blowing in...of cousr I was sitting on the dodgy door side, another point of laughter for Enda, who filmed my whole nervous attack!
The plane ride was thoroughly puke inducing felt as sick as a rabid dog after it. The young Juan hot shot pilot in his 20īs had great time showing off his flying skills & kept tipping the tin can plane on either wing...never felt so sick or dizzy. Thankfully I wasnt imagining it as Enda was a pale shade of green beside me & refused to take any more photos!!! What is that saying.... she who laughs last, laughs longest! Yes Enda got his come uppings in the end!

After flite we went to see the pre-Inca Cementery of Chauchilla. For many years this pre Inca place was looted by treasure hunters, who ransacked the place completely, taking away all the treasures the mummies kept in their tombs for centuries. These grave robbers just left behind the corpses, which can be seen today all over the ground. In addition to skulls and bones, you also can see several century old tombs, as well as long human hairs, ceramic fragments and others remains scattered on the desert surface.
After touring around we went  back to Nazca to visit a Ceramic Studio, where a craftsman gave us a better insight about the Nazca Civilization and the colorful vessels they made hundreds of years ago. We also visited the local factory where they processed  Gold extraction. Was a little worrying seeing men trampling on a mixture of mud stone and mercury in their bare feet! Little bubbles of mercury everywhere! 
Went back to hotel at 1pm had lunch then left at 2pm to get 2.30p bus to Lima, where we had to catch an overnight flight to Santiago.