Nazca lines 2

Well that was pretty cool. Got back about half an hour ago and am uploading some photos now.

Got picked up (late, but no big deal) in a minbus, no one else with me. At the airport they made me pay a 20 sol tax of some kind and did a token security check, then I was bundled out with a very nice American family from Dallas into a six-seater (including the pilot) plane.

It was a bit bumpy, I didn't think it was that bad but two of the family were sick and I am glad I hadn't eaten, as it made me feel I didn't have to worry about anything.


The first glimpse of one of the line figures was vaguely like looking at those random dot stereograms - "I can't see it, I can't see it, oh yes, there is it". It wasn't quite as big as I'd expected and the plain is covered in lines of various kinds and it takes a bit of getting used to what you're looking at, but once you've seen one you can pick them out easily.

I took a lot of photos, my slightly hurried go over them to pick some out to upload suggests that they haven't come out incredibly well. I think fiddling with the contrast on some of them might help, but at least some of the figures are visible without any messing about.

I think I may go over to the archaelogical museum this afternoon, although I still have no idea what I am doing about going on from here. There isn't that much else to do there, there is a lookout point over some of the lines (which I think we flew over, if we did it's just a little iron or steel tower built at the side of the road), but it's 20km north of the town/city and while it might be cool to get the "oblique" view of a few of the figures from near ground level it seems a lot of effort when I've just paid to fly over them. There is a museum about Maria Reiche, a researched into the lines, but it's 5km north and I may not bother going there.

Anyway, I guess I don't have to rush. Most likely departure is on an overnight bus back to Arequipa tomorrow night, and if so I will have most of tomorrow here as well. Right now I want to see if it's too late to get any lunch and then head over to that archaeological museum.

Nazca lines

Got up a bit unwillingly about 10-10:30am. Paid at reception and as I'd vaguely hoped they sold me a flight over the lines, they are picking me up in 10 minutes (been checking my e-mail and so on for the last 20). They may be slightly overcharging (USD75 IIRC, definitely 195 Sols - I do love the science-fictiony quality of that currency name) but I don't care, it's not totally unreasonable and it's worth paying a bit extra to get it done TODAY and not have to worry about it. Then I can have something to eat after (deliberately not eating before the flight, even if I had time), try to sort out onward travel etc, maybe do a bit more sightseeing this afternoon/tomorrow (depending on when and where my bus goes tomorrow), maybe even stay out a bit tonight (though it is Sunday) without having to worry about being up at 6am.

Got an e-mail from expedia, LAN Chile have changed my Easter Island flight details, but only to move the departure back an hour as far as I can tell. So in a way that's good, it suggests the flights are happening. On the downside, the cheap airline (Sky Airlines) I was hoping to fly from Arica to Santiago with have some stupid blurb at the bottom of the page about only being allowed to buy some/all flights if you are located in Chile, so that is probably a no go. I may e-mail them but with it being Sunday I am not rushing. I suspect "located in" Chile means "your credit card address is in Chile" rather than "you are physically in Chile", otherwise I may be able to go to Arica a bit earlier than intended and book a flight a day or two in advance. But that may be a bit of a risk. Just have to think about it.

Anyway, better go so as to be ready if they come and pick me up early...