5/26/15: Nazca

I was excited to leave Huacachina and Ica because it had been a relatively slow couple of days. When I got to Nazca, however, I quickly realized I didn't know what I was doing. I had a large and very full backpack on my back, a neck pillow, and a heavy jacket to lug around, and from what I could tell, it would be kind of difficult to see the city just walking around.

I walked out of the bus terminal with no plan whatsoever. I originally planned to sit down and take a look at my options, and came across this travel agency with just a nice old lady sitting behind the desk. She asked me if I was interested in something, and she started telling me about the possible tours she had and said that apparently her father was Chinese, so she always kind of felt a connection to Asian culture as a mixed child. She was really sweet and offered a private tour, luggage storage, and tried to connect to me on a personal level. What she offered was attractive and I didn't know how else to see the city, so I agreed to a tour. It turned out to be pretty awesome.

The first thing my tour guide, Pepe, showed me was a natural lookout point for the lines. I wasn't able to see any figures, but the straight lines and geometric shapes are as much a part of the structures as the monkey, whale, or condor, so it was a good spot to talk a little about links of the lines to the calendar (points to where the sun sets on solstice days) or water (points to rivers).

We then went up a little tower (maybe 3 stories tall) that allowed me to see about two and a half figure - the hands, and tree, and a little bit of the lizard.

I definitely didn't see as much as I would have in a plane, but that would have been so much more expensive and I have read that you don't necessarily get to see all the figures. Either way, it was good enough. 

We then headed towards the Cantollac Aqueducts. Since Nazca is in a complete desert, they are crucial even now to peoples' survival. Pepe explained that these have been around for centuries and centuries and are quite cleverly designed, and I believe it. They are characterized by large spiral holes, and you can see the water flowing through the bottom.

I then visited Los Paradones, which are the remains of a structure that was used by civilizations before the Incans as a sort of city center. Apparently, they had a kitchen, political room, church, military room, etc. all in this area, but the ruins are so worn down that it's hard to really see. It's really sad, but I thought the sight was still pretty cool. 

That was the end of the tour. I think I was ripped off a little, but I had some insightful conversation with Pepe (who called most Peruvian TV "basic" and claimed that the media was being used to keep people ignorant - interesting). I took some time to eat at a restaurant, finally, and explore the tiny Plaza de Armas. 

I was basically waiting it out until late at 7 pm, when the Maria Reiche (lady who studied the Lines for over 50 years and made them a UNESCO World Heritage site) Planetarium had a showing. The planetarium was pretty cool, and had some good information about the theories behind the Lines - water, astronomical, religious, rain dances because animals like the monkey or condor are not local but rather represent the water-abundant jungle, etc. We then got to see Saturn and the moon through a telescope, which was absolutely beautiful. (I took this picture with my phone!)

I then went to pick up my bags from Annabella (the lady from the travel agency) and made my way to the bus station. I learned that there was a two-day strike in Arequipa, so thank goodness I was on my way to Cusco instead. I met a nice couple from Taiwan who were a little clueless but kind nevertheless, and it was really cool to use my Chinese with someone other than family! I thought it was awesome that I could make a connection in a language other than English with middle-aged people due to our connection with Taiwan.

I also got to talk a little bit to two guys from South Korea who were on their way to Cusco as well before boarding the bus. It was a day of lots of socialization, and I found that I enjoyed it quite a bit!