Blogs from Nazca, Ica, Peru, South America - page 21

We jumped on a bus in Ica for the 2 hour journey south to our next destination, Nazca. The town of Nazca is surrounded by dry arid flats which from the ground seem pretty uninteresting, the excitement only occurs once you take to the air. Stretched across 500 sq km of the plains are the spectacular Nazca lines, these lines form a remarkable network consisting of over 800 lines, 300 figures and approximately 70 animal and plant drawings. These lines were mostly made by removing the top layer of stones, which have been darkened by the intense sun revealing lighter stones below. There are a whole host of theories as to why these lines in the desert were created approximately 2000 years ago, especially as they can only be appreciated from the air. A German mathematician ... read more

We have arrived in Ecuador, and the prospect of another new country is exciting. Quito, the capital, seems a good base for our travels, and I have had a kind of a crazy first day. Callum has fallen sick with the flu unfortunately, so was temporarily bed bound while I explored Quito in search of a launderette. I am sure you may have noticed before…… following maps and generally having bearings is not my strongest point. I set off baring two large rubbish bags of filthy clothes, and surprise surprise 30 minutes later, the plastic bags had split open, undies were flying, and I was red faced and frustrated! Ahhh, the conveniences of having a washing machine AND a dryer in our own homes, something I will never take for granted again!!! One deep breath, ... read more

So after Trujillo we went by nightbus to Lima, the capital of Peru. This time I hardly slept (which was due to a cappucino after dinner in a very nice Italian restaurant), so was a bit tired when we arrived... Lima has quite a bad reputation (being a dangerous, ugly place) but in reality we were pleasantly surprised. It has some very nice neighbourhoods, like Mileflores and Barranco and parts of the city make me think of Barcelona. Lima has 8 million inhabitants and is thus very big. 80% of the time a big cloudy fog hangs around the city since the El Nino current and the Humboldt current bang into each other around Lima. Fortunately this time of the year it is warm and sunny although winter is approaching. As soon as we arrived we ... read more

Word to the herd. Bus journey was rubbush, and was only made passable due to the three prescription sleeping tablets i knocked back. Win. Arrived in Nascar in remarkably bad mood not aided by Corina the moaning german moaning about everything. this was annoying. What wasnt annoying was it being my turn to have a double room in the hotel to myself, and therefore being able to get a few hours sleep before breakfast without falling out of the stupid midget sized peruvian beds. After breakfast headed to the aeroport to have a flight over the world (but not me) famous Nascar lines, which are very cool, and show giant pictures of monkeys, condors, people, spiders etc that are only properly visible from the sky. Flight was brilliant fun, in tiny little plane that only fitted ... read more

I was ready by 0230hr and headed out to one of many bus stations in Lima with my male guide, Angel. The bus wasn´t full and made additional stops within Lima. Apparently the fare gets cheaper if you board outside the station but they aren´t particularly safe. We caught the 0310hr bus to Paracas, a cambio to the main square, then walked the rest of the way to a private dock where I would board a boat to see the Ballesta islands. The whole trip took just over 4 hours. On the way over, we saw Candelabra, a pattern etched into the sand and rock of an island not far from the mainland. Our guide offered a few explanations: pre-Incan, for navagation, or in other words, we have no bloody clue! Isla Ballesta is also ... read more