I often travel with two other women from the SayWhatClub and we always have happy traveling experiences. Sometimes there are the three of us traveling, sometimes only two.
After the recent Peru earthquake and discussion of the mysterious ancient Nazca Lines in Peru, I decided to submit this travelogue on a trip that the three of us made to South America in October of 2005.
We arrived in
San Martin
,
Peru
. The weather forecast called for a high of 64 degrees. We went to join a flightseeing tour of the Nazca Lines. The port of Pisco and the town is named for the brandy-like liquor originally cultivated in the region. We had glasses of this in
Lima
, and were told it was the national liquor.
We covered over a millennium of history and ancient culture that day. We boarded our sightseeing bus and went through Pisco to the city of
Ica
.
Pisco's climate is generally quite pleasant and the towering
Andes
supply a majestic natural backdrop. But the high mountains also form an effective barrier to tropical
Amazon
Basin
rainstorms that might otherwise enrich the land along the Pacific coast.
The many cultures that blended together along the coast of
Peru
resulted in a sturdy race with high cheekbones and bronzed skin. These were the people who greeted the Spanish Conquistadors in 1540.
In
Ica
, we visited the town and went to a museum called Museo Regional De Ica Adolfo Bermudez Jenkins. Here we learned more about the ancient civilizations of the Paracas, Nazca and
Ica
people.
Ica
had a beautiful oasis with the sandy mountains that were the foothills of the
Andes
in the background. After we left the oasis, we went to the airport for our flight to see the Nazca Lines.
We boarded a small aircraft and had a spectacular flight over the age-old figures drawn in the earth surface near the town of
Nazca
. One of the best known archaeological sites in
South America
, the lines are called geoglyphs -- strange desert drawings created between 300 B.C. and 800 A.D. They depict a 590-foot-long lizard and a 395-foot monkey, along with many other figures, and are only visible from the air. This phenomenon raises many unanswered question for anthropologists as to their purpose, and how they were originally viewed. It is widely accepted that the pre-Inca civilization (dating back more than 2,500 years) was highly advanced in the field of astronomy and ceramic art.
The Nazca Lines are known throughout the world and are a part of a larger grouping of similar tracings along the western South American coast. No one really knows their intended purpose, but all sorts of fanciful theories have been offered. Some scientists have proposed that the ancients flew over the desert in hot-air balloons. The lines were created by piling up rocks from the desolate plain and forming them into geometric patterns. Some represent animals, while others are simply long lines that reach across the wasteland. Also very astonishing is that some of the animals depicted by the lines have never been seen in that part of the world.
We went on a very small plane. It carried 5 passengers plus the pilot. We were on the first plane to leave the airport. As we flew over the lines, the pilot used a picture map to show us the picture of the animal we would see and point to where we would see it. He did this all through the trip. The pictures we tried to take did not come out, but we saw the lines and knew what we saw. I could not believe this VIP service. We could not hear the listening system with the earphones, but this pilot made sure we knew what we were seeing. When we landed back at the airport, I gave him a good tip and thanked him for helping me know what I was seeing. I don't think he understood English, but he smiled and smiled as he shook my hand.
Later, we found out that our guide in
Lima
had called her friend the night before. Her friend was our guide on the tour to see the Nazca Lines. The guide put us on the small plane and told the pilot that we were hard of hearing, and that resulted in his wonderful care.
I am never ashamed to let people know I do not hear. Why not take advantage of the love people give us to help us? I am also never ashamed to take advantage of whatever way they have to help me. If they send a wheelchair instead of an electric cart, I do it their way. The guide in
Lima
had a hard-of-hearing mother, and she wanted all the information we could give her. We enjoyed our guide in
Lima
so much and she helped us get this wonderful flight.
After our flight, we had to wait while the planes carried the rest of the tour group to see the lines. We did some shopping and bought some jewelry of the lines. Then we went to the restaurant and waited for the others. I ate the box lunch from the ship, which did not have meat because we could not take meat ashore. Some of the others bought sandwiches in the restaurant.
Recently I followed the news of the earthquake and I remembered that beautiful desolate place in
South America. I hope the Nazca Lines are still there. I am sure they have weathered many earthquakes. I hope the people are OK. They were very nice to these three traveling SWC women.