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Published: January 19th 2008
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The frantic rushing about, lack of sleep, inadequate wash facilities and decent food during the humpy, bumpy night-bus journeys throughout Bolivia's unsurfaced road network had final caught up with me. I was totally wiped out during the next few days in Arequipa with some stomach bug, and as such I couldn't get out and about to enjoy the spectacular Colca Canyon which was on its doorstep, doh! We hadn't really factored it in to this journey and as so, it will have to go on my list of things to do when we next visit South America, a list that is growing all the time... We have found plenty of places that warrant individual attention, places you hadn't really intended visiting or didn't even know existed, no matter how many travel guides or blogs you read about a certain place, when you physically arrive there, a whole new list of possibilities present themselves like magic. So with a sense of missing out on something in Arequipa and time flying by, we bid our farewells and ventured on towards Nazca and its enigmatic lines.
Following another long days bus journey we eventually arrive at Nazca. We had been recommended a hostel
by our hosts in Arequipa and had booked ahead, due to this planning our new landlady welcomed us at Nazca bus station then following a short taxi drive through town, bought us to her homely guest house - sweet. Nazca town itself is a small, fairly new town, built up in the desert wilderness that surrounds this region of Peru. The town boasts a tiny central square, an assortment of shops and restaurants, lovely sunny weather and not a lot else to be honest. The real attraction here lies in the desert itself, namely the very peculiar and thought provoking display of 'geoglyphs' vaguely geometrical shapes, lines and free-form illustrations gouged out of the desert floor and only fully visible from the air. Orthodox science agrees that the lines themselves were created by the indigenous Nazca peoples between 200 BC and AD 700, using simple tools and surveying equipment to map out the hundreds of 'geoglyphs' stretched out over an arid desert plateau for about 53 miles. However, due to the fact the lines cannot be seen properly unless you are flying high above them has created a great deal of speculation as to the builders abilities and motivations.
Theories trying to explain away WHY these mysterious markings were made, range from Eric Von Daniken's spaced out idea that UFO's used the lines as a landing strip to the conclusions of Maria Reiche 'The Lady Of The Lines' who studied them in detail for over 50 years and deduced that they made up some great big astrological calendar. Astronomer Robin Edgar believed the lines were almost certainly an ancient response to the so-called "Eye of God" phenomenon that manifests in the sky during a total solar eclipse and archaeologist Johan Reinhard weighed in to the proceedings when he published material demonstrating that worship of mountains and water sources played a dominant role in the Nazca religion. Which leads us to what the locals tell you, yeah the people who actually live here, they tell us the lines are the remains of "walking temples," where a large group of worshippers would walk along a pre-set pattern dedicated to a particular holy entity. Local villagers also say the ancient Indians conducted rituals on these giant drawings to thank the gods and to ensure that water would continue to flow from the Andes. Testament to this desert dwelling societies obsession with the
wet stuff they constructed an advanced system of immense underground aqueducts to channel precious water around, a system that is still in use today. So forget aliens, this whole amazing desert plateau and its incredible lines was spawned from one basic human desire, a need for fresh water, and what followed was inspiration, artistry, ingenuity, cunning and probably most of all perspiration.
The flight over the lines was very quick, you are literally strapped in, cans on then up and away, bank left, bank right, look at this, look at that, bank left, bank right look at that over there, repeat about 5 or 6 times then down, all this takes about 20 minutes which I thought an incredible bargain at $20USD a go. We had heard stories and complaints about sickness and throwing up due to the quick nature of the flight, but to be honest I can’t really understand why as it’s definitely less disturbing than any fairground ride I can ever recall. Our pilot turned out to be the very same taxi driver that picked us up in the morning and bought us to the airstrip; after the flight was over he finishes off by taking
us back in the cab, what a guy! Nazca is another one of those places that intrigued me as a child and adult alike, and I feel very lucky to be in a position where I can see first hand the people, places and cultures of these ancient folk, something that I have only ever read about or seen on television
What with my eagerness to see the lines, I had not really expected another amazing treat in this neck of the woods, but there is, namely the exquisitely well preserved desert mummies. These beauties are just a short taxi drive out of town and are well worth a look in because due to the lack of moisture in these desert climes you can get up close and personal with the slowly decaying remains of the ancients. Mummies resplendent with flowing hair, ragged clothes and meagre possessions sat ceremoniously in their now-open aired tombs for the whole world to see. These tombs are basically left open to the elements and up until a few years ago, didn’t even sport the token straw roof they do today. The slow paced decay in the mummies has lent these woe-begotten figures a
variety of facial expressions that turns them into a loveable group of characters that we found ourselves naming and likening to famous folk. All in all a fantastic time was shared by all.
Well that’s just about it for Nazca, next stop Huacachina! As you may well be aware I am currently well behind with my bloging and I am doing my best to get up to date, there are currently about 3 or 4 blogs left for Peru, culminating in the Inca Trail, these should be churned out, hopefully not to shabbily, in the next week or so.
Happy New Year - Big Love To Everyone
:o)
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