Nazca Lines Adventure

Day 3 of our South America Spectacular began at 6AM, without benefit of coffee or breakfast, as we boarded the bus for an almost three-hour drive down the coastline from Lima. We were instantly surprised by the terrain. While we had the Pacific Ocean on one side, the other side was arid and desolate. Our guide told us that the height of the Andes prevented rainfall from reaching the area, resulting in the desert conditions. We also noticed the huge numbers of "squatters' shacks" that dominated the landscape.

We learned that the many people who migrated to the city had the chance to "earn" land by living on public, unoccupied land for at least five years. Eventually the government brings in electricity and running water and grants the squatter ownership of the plot he has claimed.

Many, many people who cannot afford cars rely on the micro-taxis that proliferate in the area. These are only three-wheeled vehicles.
After the first two hours of the bus ride, we finally got to stop for a potty break and much-needed coffee. After another forty-five minutes, we finally reached our destination, a military airbase.

There didn't seem to be much activity going on, indeed we saw only one lone guard who didn't have much to do besides keep us tourists in our designated spot.

We finally climbed aboard the brand-new Cessna 12-seater for our trip to the mysterious lines just before noon.  Henry and I were on the bench seat at the back of the plane. This gave me a great vantage point for seeing the lines, as I could lean in front of Henry and take pictures out his window as well as my own.

The pilot told us he would tip the wings of the plane to the left and to the right so all the passengers would be able to see the lines. There were supposed to be as many as fifteen different images, all etched in the desert an estimated 2000 years ago and left undiscovered until the late 1930's when a pilot flew over the area. He happened to notice that the lines of one of the birds were perfectly aligned with the setting sun on the Summer Solstice.

The whale was the first image I captured as our plane tilted and circled over it.

While most of the images were scratched onto flat land, the "astronaut" was on a small hill, facing east.

Here is the monkey, his tail curled in a spiral, his hands clutching...bananas?

This one looked like an octopus.

Spider

Parrot

Hands

The hummingbird was my favorite and quite possibly the longest design. We know that some of the designs were up to 300 meters long -- about three times the length of a football field!

This one was called The Star. The dots around the edge of the circle may align with the movement of the sun.

This is the Pelican, his open beak visible on the left, with stylized wings at right.

The Condor is a major cultural image in Peru.

We had a great view of the wind-swept desert hills as we flew back to the base.

Once we landed, we drove on to a new Doubletree Inn that appeared like an oasis after so much sand and rock.

Following our late lunch, we were back on the bus for another two hours, arriving back at Lima near dusk.