30 minutes on a plane! No problem?!

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Monday 10th March
So, 7.30am breakfast (same as yesterday, but 1/3 of the price!), before we head off to the Chauchilla Cemetary, which is being preserved as much as possible after being decimated by grave-robbers in the 1970s. Inca traditions had people buried in jewllery and much of that has been taken. The bodies we left to distinegrate in the sun, but some have been found, although it is expected in the next 10-20 years that these will disintegrate also. We have a bit of a dilemma about the photos, but decide to go with it. Find out a lot of interesting information about Inca cultural practices of death, before we´re back on the bus to the next stop. We briefly watch a clay-pot demonstration (in the old, traditional style), and then a gold-extraction demonstration - both of which are basically looking for us to buy. None of us do - overpriced and touristy most of it, plus clay pots and backpacks don´t really go. Finally, we´re en route to the airport for our flight over the Nazca lines.

As we get to the airport, Christian, Claire and I are whisked off to a plane, fill in passport ID, etc. and then after 15 minutes we´re taking off in a 3 seater + pilot plane. We´ve been warned this can be pretty bumpy, so I´m dosed up with the Sea Legs, and to begin with it seems OK (definitely not as scary as expected), and then the bumps start. I don´t feel too good, but keep snapping away at the Nazca Lines which are being pointed out to me. Not quite sure what I got, but definitely some of them (oh well, can always buy a postcard). When we land after 30 minutes am still feeling pretty awful, and have developed the shakes pretty badly. Before I know what is happening a nurse is along, and she makes me sniff alcohol, lie-down, massages my legs, takes blood pressure, etc. and by the time the next 3 have landed (so probably 40 minutes later), I´m finally walking in a wobbly line. Thankfully we were the first up, so have time to recover before I get back on the bus. Adriana helps me ask for a cloth badge, and I find one (well, choice of 4, but I just took one, I know, restraint!). We have to go back to the hotel to move our bags into a single room, then head into town, squashed in taxis (all seem to be tiny Daewoos), where we have late lunch/early dinner. Went for a local sounding dish - got beef/rice/chips/fried egg! Tasty, if none too healthy... Time to wander around the town, buy some fruit/water, etc. before we jam into another taxi (half the price to get back, we were done on the way out!), and head back to the hotel. It´s actually not that far - could have walked, but hey! Head into the pool for a dip in the sunset (no bugs yet, and yesterday´s have gone). Start to get chilly so in for a shower, repack the bags for the night-bus we´re taking to Aquipieca (will work out the spelling soon), which will leave Nazca at 11.15pm. Apparently it´s like the other bus, without the food/bingo or films! Maybe I should work out where my MP3 player is, but hopefully I´ll sleep a bit.. Meantime, we´re just waiting, so on the slow internet, which doesn´t seem to want to let me do anything with my photos. Not sure if I have to pay or not, so could be an expensive surprise! No need to pay, taxi was on time, and bus was about an hour late!

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