Sand Boring and Nazca Lining

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Ola everybody

We are in Nazca, effectively between Lima and Arequipa and stopped off to view the famous Nazca lines, the spooky, child like, crop circle-ish drawings in the desert. No-one quite knows what they are, why they are there and what they mean but they look nice, especially from a tiny titchy plane at 7 in the morning as we experienced this morning. Well worth the trip.. unlike Huaracachina our previous spot billed as an "oasis in the desert" and "paradise for sandboarders" code for Boorrrinnnggg... more like a dirty puddle in the middle of dirty big piles of sand with no nightlife and food which makes you ill (poor Nigel). That maybe a bit harsh on reflection as the dune buggy was excellent and i even attempted some sandboarding (though not standing up) earning me the monicker of "chicken" from our guide which was nice - does he know about my past? Bravery not my strong point, though i would point out that i didn´t hurl in the very small plane this am and positively enjoyed the whole experience.

By the way, does a pair of epaulettes immediately reassure? Ie like a pilot - that guy could have been the Kebab king for all i knew but still i trusted him to fly the plane.

We are currently in our hotel waiting for our overnight bus to Arequipa ( a mere 10 hours) though i would say that the bus here was excellent so i have high hopes. They show DVDs on the bus at ear-shattering volume which usually contain the most inappropriate content - extra violent Korean kung-fu films being a speciality. We sat in the front two seats on the upper deck on the last journey and had to "live through" all the drivers ambiguous overtaking decisions, very interesting for us nervous driver types.

We are enjoying Peru and are meeting lots of very interesting people - we met Tom and Heinrick today who are just lovely - it´s all such great fun - I´m really looking forward to going to Arequipa, it´s supposed to be beaut. Then i think we´ll go to Cusco and go to Lake Titicaca after the Inca trail.

Tummy bugs are a problem, Nige has had one and so have a number of people we have met, could be the water, could be the eggs, could be the fruit and veg, who knows? For my part i´ve been bitten alive by mossies or some of their bastard relatives - i have been squeezing lemons on them to cure the itching which seems to help (great traveller tip there folks!).

Have been thinking lots about everyone at home and about London town which feels about a million miles away and am missing you and it loads.

Big kisses to you all.

Lots of love

Louise and Nige. xx

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Comments

[Bins]

So great to hear from you!
It all sounds so fantastic, apart from the seasickness, altitude sickness and bottom problems - oh, and you can keep the small plane and front seats on the top of the bus, as well. I'm off on a little jaunt of my own next week: I'm off to New York. Not quite in your league, I know, but yomping through the handbag department of Bergdorf Goodman is not without it's hazards: will the Amex card self-destruct? How many pairs of boots can you fit in a suitcase and pass off with a casual "What, these old things?" at Customs? So keep rubbing in the lemon juice and don't stray too far from a loo - that is, in countries where they have loos. Keep on having a blast and if you're running low on cash, call you father! Love you loads and miss you both, Bins

[Sue]

no pics
Hi to both of you. lovely to read your news and I'm very envious. I'm in the middle of decorating (again) will it ever end? But where are the pics? Elena said the same. Surely not too tricky for a professional, what? Lots of love from us all. Sue

[Poulu]

New York vs Machu Picchu - who wins?
Hello Bins So great to hear from you, sorry we didn´t reply earlier, issues with the blog (or rather our understanding of it). Hope you are well, your trip sounds very exciting, are you going with Janet? We are having an amazing time despite the mossies, midgies and any other hungry creatures having their fill on an extremely regular basis. Peru is beautiful and we arrived in Cusco today which is lovely. Photos now up on the blog which may give you a better indication of what we are experiencing - though we can´t quite put into words or pics the 12 hour bus rides, 6 hour high altitude climbs, constant packing and unpacking of extremely full ruck sacks and the sites, smells and feel of all the places we´ve visited. It is amazing and i have to pinch myself that it is actually happening.. Have a brilliant trip and please keep in touch, missing you. Lots of love Louise and Nige xx