June 16th - Nazca

As I pulled my suitcase down the oasis' promenade this morning, a surprising number of locals stopped to wish me well. I guess I stayed longer than most, and made some sort of impression. Huacachina is a friendly sort of place and I was a bit sorry to go. But, knowing me, I'll be back someday.

I had to wait a while for the bus to Nazca, but bought an ear of corn from a woman who was walking through the station selling it - Peruvian corn is delicious. It has larger kernals than American corn, and is starchier but still sweet and tender. It came with two small pieces of 'queso fresco', which is a white, semi-soft, salty and slightly sour cheese, and also a good squirt of green chili sauce on the side (aji). Yummy. The bus ride was fine - the coastal desert of Peru is so interesting, mostly in its bleakness. Very little lives here, but occasionally there are small stands of Huaranga trees. Then, as we approaced Nazca, we went through an area full of orange groves. The air smelled heavenly.

I arrived in Nazca, walked to the hotel that I'd picked out, and got a room with private bath for $10 a night. Lovely! The hotel has a pool and a terrace, and is next door to a restaurant and a tour company. So, after settling in, I booked tours to see the local archaeological sites and made a request for a flight over the lines. There are two sets of giant figures (lines) in the desert - the Nazca lines and the Palpa lines. I'm hoping to get a flight over both, but need to wait for someone else to express interest in Palpa (it's not as famous, so harder to get a group together). Either way, I'll get to see everything in the next two days. Tomorrow morning, I'm either flying or going to the Nazca Cemetery site at Chauchilla, and then in the afternoon, I'll be going to see some ancient aqueducts. On Saturday, I'll see whatever's left and then take the night bus to Arequipa.

For now, I've got to run. I have a reservation to see a lecture about the lines at 7:00, and need to stop by my hotel beforehand to grab a jacket. It's really warm here in the daytime, but the temperature drops with nightfall.

Hasta mañana,

Karen