Nazca... Strange Lines in the Sand, and Mummies - Nov 18

My last stop in the lowlands before heading up through the altiplano (high plains) was Nazca, famous for geometric lines and figure drawings in the desert. Nobody really knows who or why these were created, and theories range from pre-historic civilizations practicing religious rituals to alien beings who left landing instructions and pictures of things they saw.









I took a short (too short... half hour) flight to see for myself, and still have no idea. I am, however, leaning towards the aliens and I think that that is why the Men in Black (posing as Secret Service) were in Pisco.



However, you decide for yourself.

Outside of Nazca, I went with a biker couple from Lima and Luz, a woman from Santiago who was on the plane with me, to visit the pre-Incan tombs at Chauchilla. This was about a 20 mile ride on pavement, followed by a 5 mile jaunt through the desert sands. I had no trouble with the sand, but the couple from Lima were on a little Chinese made bike and pieces kept falling off into the desert. Quality Pays!



The tombs themselves were dug into the ground, the inhabitants mumified, and were well preserved due to the absolute lack of humidity.

Next stop, high into the Andes to visit Cuzco, Machu Pichu, and Lake Titicaca.