12th October

I've heard it said many ways since I arrived in South America. "Es su papa!?!", "Es su hija!?!", "You're her father?!?", "She's your daughter!?!". Today, a plain speaking Aussie said it best. He just said "Fuck off !!!" as loud as you like. It seems that no one here believes that I could possibly be Jessica's father. It's a nice complement, as no one thinks I am over 35, but it gets a little burdensome. I somehow feel the need to explain when I meet people now that I am indeed her father, as most just assume that we must be "together", and that in turn feels plain wrong to me. It's interesting though, and I guess at heart, that I do like the fact that no one believes that I am as old as I am, even though this trip has me feeling it sometimes.

Today, we are in Nasca. Home to the legendary, the infamous, the mysterious, Nasca lines. I first remember hearing about these lines when I was just a young boy, watching "Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World" at my uncle's house. From then, to this day, I always thought how great it might be to actually see these lines for myself and try and work out if there might be any foundation to their almost supernatural status. And today, that actually happened.

Taking a flight out of Nasca was very painless, like falling off a log. There are many, many small airlines just waiting to take you up and show you the lines here. A bit pricey at $60 each, but not too bad at all I'd say for a flight to view one of the world's most enigmatic archeological phenomena.

Carved out of the desert since before the birth of Christ, the lines have been over 800 years in the making. "Discovered" only in the 1930s when the first flights over the area took place, what was their purpose and what is their meaning is still debately widely even today.

I have to say, I've heard a lot of the theories about these lines now, indeed I again read about them relatively recently in Graham Hancock's book "Fingerprint of the Gods" where they purportedly have some sort of magical property. My inclination though, is that although they most probably were important and ceremonial to their creators, they are in large part just randomly carved with no particular significance. Sure, some of the longer lines align with the sun at times of solstice, but I think that is where the significance ends. This is no bad thing though, they are still intriguing, they are still worth a visit, and they are still worth getting up in a plane and seeing them from the air.

The flight lasted little more than half an hour, but this was time enough for most people aboard. Due to the constant tight turns, first left and then right, most people on the flight were a little nauseous by the end, including myself to some degree, but I think Jess got it worst of all. It took nearly an hour for her to be ready to head off back into town, so be prepared if you're thinking of doing the same thing yourself. It's a great flight, but it comes with a cost for most people.

But for me, a price worth paying. Another entry on the bucket list now gladly fulfilled, a list that is ever diminishing during this most vintage of years.

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Part of trip: South America 2009 - Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia

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