Nazca

"You win some, you lose some.."
~English proverb

Friday, September 26th 2008

This is the story about how I almost got to see the famous Nazca lines. I assume that you all heard about those drawings that were carved into the desert ground by a mysterious culture long ago and if you didn´t than they are featured in the last Indiana Johns movie. The thing is that you can only see those lines from the air and I hate small planes taking tight turns - a lesson I learned during my army service. I did however got to Nazca, I did get to see the desert plain that was used as canvas for the ancient Nazcans and I did get to see the Chauchilla cemetery so it was not a complete loss. After I got back from Paracas I bought a bus ticket to Areqipa for the next day at 20:30 and arranged through the hotel a transportation to Nazca and back, flight ticket for Oded and a tour with an English speaking guide of the Nazca cemetery. I was not sure if I want to fly or not and I was promised that I could get a ticket at the airport. I was also promised that we will get back in time to catch the bus.

We woke up at a comfortable hour, ate breakfast and a taxi waited to take us to the bus terminal where we boarded a local bus to Nazca. The bus was not as comfortable as the one we got used to in our long rides across Peru but we were told that it´s a 2 hours drive so we didn´t mind. The bus trip took more than 2 and a half hours which should have made us a little worried but we met our local contact, a women named Ruth as we disembarked which made us feel a little better. Ruth crammed us into a small taxi and drove around town for a while. She than stopped an announced that we will go to the cemetery now and fly later. The guide she tried to set us up with didn´t knew English though so with disappointed face she reversed the plans and took us to the small airport. I felt a little quizzy after the bus ride and the heavy drinking two days ago and after taking one look at the small Cessna plans I decided that flying is out of the question. Ruth went inside with us, handed Oded to one of the local flight agencies and told us she will be back later. We sat down on the wooden benches and waited. And waited. And waited... I spend almost 3 hours on the uncomfortable bench only 45 minutes of which Oded was on the plane. Luckily there was a small information center in the airport who screened a collection of the discovery channel specials on the Nazca area who were very interesting and helped me pass the time.

When Oded finally landed it was already late and we were starting to get worried since Ruth was no were in sight. We were finally approached by a local driver who told us that he will take us to a local restaurant where we will eat lunch and wait for our cemetery guide. It took another 35 minutes before we left the airport (the driver waited to other passengers) and we found ourselves in a restaurant that we didn´t feel like eating in so we waited outside nervously looking at our watches. A small van picked us up after a nerve racking wait. The guide spoke excellent English and stopped on few locations on the way to the cemetery explaining us about the region around us - it was the best guidance I got in Peru so far. We finally left the main road for the long, lonely dirt road that steers off the highway from Nazca to Chauchilla heading straight into low hills, crossing a vacant, almost lunar landscape. It is difficult to imagine even an isolated farm thriving amidst this inhospitable desolation.

Located about 30 kilometers from the small town of Nazca, the Chauchilla Cemetery, features bones, textiles, hair, and even some skin that were preserved in underground vaults constructed of mud bricks and buried for over 1000 years. The Nazca people wrapped their deceased in finely embroidered cotton cloths before coating them with a resin and placing them into tombs in crouched positions. Grave offerings were stored beside them, possibly in anticipation of their protection in the next realm.Centuries later, bleached white skeletons, some still with dreadlocks, crouch upright on the floors of their ancient tombs, favoring visitors with creepy grins. We stood by silently, mystified. The mummies stared back, appearing just as amazed at the passage of time that has brought them together with us. We finished the tour and our guide took us to the bus terminal just in time to meet Ruth again and board the last bus that could bring us back in time for our planned night trip to Areqipa.