Heading to Nazca

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From Pisco we headed south towards Nazca but stopped on the way to have a go at sandboarding in Huacachina. We were taken out into the enormous sand dunes on a bugy which was in itself so much fun, there were about 8 of us in each buggy and the drivers just go for it. We stopped off a few times to take pictures and then stopped to have a go ast the sandboarding which even if I do say so myself I was pretty good at. You have to lie on your front, the driver waxs your board and then pushes you down the dune. The first dune was pretty steep then there was a little hill before heading down the next dune. Everyone was stopping before the hill except i seemed to just keep going so ended up going down the second dune as well! Was so funny and everyone else seemed to be amazed that I didn´t stop. Had one more go and the challenge was to see who could get the furthest, no challenge for me I had to stop myself in the end otherwise i would have sandboarded all the way to Nazca!!!

Nazca is famous for the Nazca lines, the strange parallel lines and geometrical figures etched into the desert floor, thought to have been made by the Paracas (900-200 bc), the Nazca (200bc-600ad) and then new migrants in 630ad. The best way to see the lines and shapes is by air so I decided to take a flight, as did most of the group, to see them! The flights depend on the weather but luckily we had good conditions so in groups were sent up in planes. I was sharing a plane with Zhan (an aussie) and Amanda (quite annoying Canadian), so therefore it was a four seater plane including the Pilot and I got to sit in the front with him by all the controls!!!! The flight was amazing and we got an amzing view of the lines, some of them are so symetrical and pretty big so amazing to think they have been there for hundreds of years! The pilot had explained to me the controls at the beginning of the flight but I had no idea he was going to ask me to take over flying the plane! He put my hands on the steering wheel(??) and was tellinh me what to do, I didn´t feel at all comfortable with it especially as the two in the back were feeling sick!!!! Flight lasted about 30 minutes and then back to land.......

That night we took an over night bus to Arequipa, didn´t get much sleep, mainly because of the mountains we were heading up and the corners the bus was taking. Up until this stage i had been supprised at how dry, desert like and baron Peru was, this was not what I was expecting at all!! Also the towns had been very basic (Pisco especially as they were still in the process of rebuilding it after an earthquake last year that destroyed the whole town). But arriving in Arequipa on 8th October, day 5 of our trip, there started to be signs of green, trees, plants, and colonial settlement with extravagent buildings and a much bigger town. Everyone really liked Arequipa, there are lots of nice shops, bakeries and restaurants.

Having spent a free afternoon in Arequipa the next morning we headed to Colca Canyon country. We were much higher in alitiude now and heading up to Chivay where we spent the night we were getting higher still. I had felt pretty bad on the bus heading up to Chivay, I just felt like I had no energy in my body at all and put it down to the altitude, couldn´t be bothered to get off the bus and take pictures or look at what the locals were selling on the side of the road. Had some Coca tea when we stopped off, it is supposed to be good for altitude sickness and give energy but it didn´t seem to help me, obviously didn´t have enough!!!! By the afternoon I felt better and in the evening went to the "natural" hot springs, except they have made it into a swimming pool look! And then another early night!!

Woke up the next morning to the beautiful scenery of Chivay, it was breathtaking, a mountain view in a beautiful lillte village. Then heading off on the bus again into Colca Canyon and the Condor view point. Was good, saw three condors but no good pictures as wasn´t close enough as the flew over the mountain! One more night in Arequipa before heading to Cuzco.

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