We had decided long before our trip we could not miss seeing the lines of Nazca in Peru.  Never mind that there is no real convenient way to get there, never mind that from Lima it takes a taxi – more than 3 1/2 hour bus ride – 30 minute plane ride to even get close, never mind that you have to actually fly over them to see, never mind that air sickness is imminent as the plane roles from side to side to view the lines, never mind that in actuality they are hard to pick out the figures – kind of like trying to see one of those pictures through a random pattern (which I could never do!).  No, none of this was a deterrent as we collectively decided it was something we weren’t leaving Peru without seeing…and seeing as how I eventually had to go back to work, and the Teens had to start school some time, we decided to just suck it up and go for it.

We got up and left our hotel at one of those hours of the morning when it would have been way more fun to just be going to bed.  The taxi picked us up at our hotel in Mira Flores, Lima and took us to the bus station.  From there we caught a bus for the almost 4 hour ride to Paracas/Pisco.

Yes, the view was somewhat bleak (although I like all views a country has to offer!)…

But we weren’t hurting too bad as our bus was equipped with personal movie screens and breakfast service!

We arrived in Pisco where we were to catch the small 12 seater plane that was to fly us over the lines.  However, we had some time to kill, so we went into the nearby seaside town of Paracas.

Having been warned of the possibility of motion sickness on the small plane as it had to roll form sided to side for viewing the figures, I was way too afraid to eat.  However, this did not stop Teen, who with his uncanny food finding skills, located a vendor with the best wrapped tamales in the entire country of Peru…

Finally, it was time to go to the airport (and I use that term loosely) to get weighed for our flight, strap in, and get ready for our first “Ancient Aliens” adventure…

We were given a map of the Nazca line figures we were going to fly over, and instructed in techniques on how to best avoid getting motion sickness (umm, yeah, forget that, I took motion sickness pills). And finally, we were on our way!

It took 30 minutes in order to get to  where the actual figures were, but along the way we began to see signs of the amazing several mile – absolutely straight lines that criss crossed the terrain.

And finally… The Lines of Nazca! We flew in and around the area for about an hour. Here are just a few of the several we saw that day.  They were harder to pick out than anticipated, but once we got the hang of it, it got easier.  The plane would go around each figure, turn on its side so each side of the plane could get a good view.

 

I think we all agreed, fittingly, “the spaceman” was our favorite although I was not able to get a photo of him (hmmm?).

And then it was back to the quaint town of Paracas to (finally) eat and get ready for the long trek back to Lima.

A long day to be sure, but undeniably worth it!

Next time – Cusco

For more travel in Peru: GO HERE

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