Peru - Nazca Lines

The three of us caught an overnight bus to the Nazca lines...possibly one of the scariest points of the trip so far. We were on a narrow road weaving along the ocean when our bus stopped at 2am...turns out there had been a massive landslide 3 vehicles in front of us which had blocked the narrow road and would´ve crushed anything in it´s way... A few hours later we were on our way again, thanks to a rescue crew and some gutsy truck drivers who cleared the rubble. Arriving in Nazca alive, minus a few windows, smashed by the rocks that had been crumbling down around us! All part of the fun, This is Travel!

We sorted out a 35 minute scenic flight at the local airport. In a small 4 seat plane with 2 pilots we flew over the mysterious symbols and lines. The plane cut out a figure of 8 around each shape, and despite the masses of turbulence and a girl in front making use of the sick bag, we kept our breakfast down. Lucy, being not quite so brave after the nights events, opted for the more conservative option of the 'viewing platform'.

Thought to have been made by the Nazca culture over 1,000 years ago, the mystery is how did the symbols and lines get there, as they can only be seen from above. They consist of shallow markings made by clearing away the darker rocks on the surface to reveal the lighter sand below. Some are long lines stretching out for kms, others are some interesting looking images of monkeys, birds and other animals.