Thursday, October 25, 2012

Dowsing in Nazca

September 1, 2012

Today is our last day in Nazca. Our schedule starts with an early morning to see the Aqueducts of the Nazca people. Why is this important? The Nazca people lived in the desert and were flanked by the Andes Mountains to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. Not many options for a water source. But, nature always provides a way as long as you're willing to listen.

I don't believe these are actual UNESCO sites but they should be! They're amazing. Imagine the spirals going into the ground to be met by fresh water. The water table of the area is close enough to the surface that the 36 wells built are still in use today.


The wells have been rebuilt and they are in better condition than they used to be. It's nice to see the impressive design of these things. Why they're circular? Nobody knows, but it would make the most sense to me because it's just easier to get water in and out of there with having to climb out with a great deal of effort.

When we see the dried up riverbed of Nazca, I actually come to the realization that this place is truly a desert and that life here must have been very hard.


Antonio drops us back in town and lets us know to get ready to meet him for the bus ride back to Lima later in the day. We eat lunch at Rico Pollo--another chicken house. I swear AW was tempted to order a whole chicken to go because this one was even tastier than Roky's!

We say good-bye to Antonio thank him for his efforts and time and embark on another 7-8 hour bus ride back to Lima.

The ride is much the same as our ride down, to Nazca. This time, we notice different things... like the  luxurious activities people partake in: sand boarding. What a strange thing to do! I can't imagine falling on your face and just burning all the way down the dune :( but, that's the thing about the mining town... lots of people come from all over Peru to work there to make money to send home and some of them end up with riches beyond their dreams. Others aren't so lucky and we pass shanti-towns that looks dilapidated and sad.

When we arrive in Lima, AW suggests we check out the Kennedy Park.... the CAT PARK! hehehe This time I was prepared to pat every stray that would let me. By the time we had to head out, AW was dragging me out of there...

We had dinner at a contemporary restaurant called La Paz. It's our last pisco sour and ceviche on the trip. The conversation with the wait staff was fun for all of us, trying to guess what the other was saying. It's not particularly cultural but it is certainly tasty.

As we head back to the hotel, I reflect on our 2 week long trip and think about the things that we've experienced, learned and enjoyed. Peru is one of the most interesting places I have ever had the privilege to travel to. There is so much history and nature there; it pulls you away from our modern materialistic society and gets you to really put things into perspective.

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