Nazca Lines and a Desert Adventure

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The Nazca Lines, etched in the desert floor sometime between 500 BC and 500 AD, are so large they can only be seen from the air or a high bluff.  Because the area is isolated and the region is dry, windless and has a stable climate, the lines have mostly been naturally preserved.  There are many theories about these lines ranging from being built by extra terrestrials or as religious symbols to be walked in ceremonies where water - which is scarce - would be offered to the gods.

                                                                                              
                                               

                                                                       

                                     
                                                                                         

                                             


We saw these lines from a height of 2500 feet while riding in a Cessna Grand Caravan.  The Cessna holds 12 people - we each had a window of our own to capture these pictures.

 After a short period of time at the hotel, we embarked on a desert adventure.  We were picked up in a four-wheel drive Toyota.  The driver proceeded to the desert, took air of all four tires for our sand dune "ride" and for dinner in an Arabian tent under the stars. The direct route to the tent in the desert takes about 30 minutes.  Our journey was an off road adventure that took two hours.  For as far as you could see there was nothing but desert!



We learned that our driver was actually a professional desert racing driver who competes in international off-road racing. He took us over dunes, down steep hills andslid sideways through the sand.  It actually felt like being on a roller coaster.  Just when we all knew we had enough, he drove up a steep hill, stopped, got out of the SUV, walked around and looked very worried.  He then got back the truck and raced it up to the peak of the hill and immediately stopped again.  There, down about a 70% slope, was the tent. He gave us time to catch our breaths and then gunned the engine and went down the slope to our destination.  














Deborah kept her eyes closed the entire time!


We were greeted with champagne and appetizers. Wine then showed up and we feasted on potatoes, rice, kabobs of chicken, beef, and shrimp and dessert. 



After dinner we were able to see the "Southern Cross" unobstructed by pollution and city lights. It was a wonderful and unique experience.

We did go back to the hotel on the short, non-roller coaster route!

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 11, 2017 at 1:45 PM

    We are excited to see these lines in January, but I'm afraid we'll miss the sand dune buggy ride!

    ReplyDelete

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