In Nasca

Well, I blew doors on Arequipa! The road out of town was amazing, and the views from the bus on the Pan American Highway were dramatic. As far as the eye could see in one direction were sand dunes, and as far as the eye could see in the other direction was the Pacific Ocean. Breathtaking! I made some Spanish smalltalk on the bus, and a kind woman patiently talked with me, even offering me one of her bananas. The ride seemed very long, though it was only about as long as the ride from Cusco to Arequipa. It was better when I realized that it was the last long bus ride I had in the country. We pulled into Nasca where I hooked myself up with a room at the Alegría Hotel. It was more expensive than I expected at a whopping 40 soles per night (about $13) for a basic room. Basic. Beds, nightstand, outlets. No additional amenities. Not even toilet paper in the bathroom across the corridor. I booked my tours of the lines and one other site in the area with the travel agency within the hotel. If I thought the hotel was expensive, the tour was outrageous, but, like Machu Picchu and the Uros Islands, they kind of have a corner on the market so they can charge what they like. Last night I ate at a restaurant called Grumpy´s, though it was the first time in several days that I didn´t feel grumpy. I turned in early after a long day on the bus and slept remarkably well for essentially being in the basement of a fancy hotel.
When I woke this morning I thought I had plenty of time, since I wasn´t supposed to be picked up until 8am to head to the airport. At 7.30am a knock came on my door and my ride had arrived. A half hour early is very unusual for Peru time. We went to the airport where I was told that I would have until about 9.30 am to wait ( though when I booked my tour I was told 9am). At 11.30am I boarded the small plane to view the Nasca Lines. There were 6 seats on the plane, and we all wore headphones to hear the pilot. I sat co-pilot. The lines were pretty amazing from the plane, and some of my pictures came out well, but it was over in the blink of an eye, and I was back on the ground before I knew what was happening. I had to wait for another 45 minutes for a ride back to the city, but that wasn´t too bad because when I got back to the city I had a couple hours to kill before my next tour commenced. I had a quick bite and waited for the tour to Chauchilla Cemetary.
On this tour we learned that the dead in this cemetary were not, in fact, Nasca people. They were from much later in time than the Nasca, who had died off in about 500ad. The cemetary was really just desert with lots of bones. Supposedly there are 400 graves out there, but only 12 were recognizable by archeologists. We learned quite a bit from our knowledgeable guide about the people who were buried there. They were warriors, cannibals, and their shamans wore hair very long. There was only one woman whose body was found here, but since many of the bones had been exposed to the desert elements for a long time there were remnants of bones scattered everywere. It was a remarkable sight, and definitely worth the stop.
Tomorrow I have a bus ticket to Pisco at 1.30pm. Not quite sure how I will occupy myself in the morning before my bus leaves, but once I get to Pisco I need to hit the ground running to find a tour of the Ballestas Islands, a bus ticket to Lima, and a hostel to stay at once I get to Lima...I´m exhausted just thinking about it. My countdown is on, and I can´t wait to get home. In four days I will be heading to the airport to come home!