Nazca

One of the top things on my Peru bucket list was to see the Nazca lines, so when Anny and I were deciding where to go for New Years, we compromised on a visit to see her family in Marcona with a stop in Nazca to see the lines.

The best way to see the lines is from the air.  You have a choice of two routes-one over Nazca and one over Pulpa on a variety of carriers.  We chose to do the normal Nazca route, with AeroParacas.

I'm smiling here because we haven't left the ground yet.

Our tour included a circuit of 13 figures in a 30 minute flight.

The whale

The astronaut

Not looking so happy here.  I wanted to take a motion sickness pill before the flight, but when we arrived at the airport they were rushing us onto the plane and we didn't have time to look for any.  Almost from the moment we took off, I knew it was a mistake not taking one.  The plane banks and turn frequently (so all passengers can get a good look at each figure) resulting in a very uncomfortable flight.

The hummingbird

The spider (in the upper right hand corner)

The condor

On the left is the tree and the right is the hands.

Even on the ground it took some time to feel stable again!

Anny told me that I should really see the aqueducts in Nazca as well, so we added it to our itinerary.   Because this area of the country is very dry, the Nazcas had to dig very deep underground to find enough water to sustain themselves.

The curves of the aqueduct and the small fish living within help purify the water

These walls have held up through many strong earthquakes through the years

They used this spiral shape in order to make it easier to carry water from the aqueducts

And before heading home, I had a chance to try a new exotic fruit-pacae!

Looks like a vegetable but tastes a bit like watermelon when you pull back the husks to expose the white flesh inside.