The town of Nasca and world's highest sand dune

Traffic jam in downtown Nasca - what a mess!

The group at lunch: Darrell, Lanny Scholes, Dave and Kathleen Roberts, Rick and Phyllis Roberts and Elaine. Pisco Sours and cervezas all around!

The world's highest sand dunes are located close to the Nasca region in southern Peru.

Aqueducts in Nasca

The indigenous people managed to create underground aqueducts in the desert around the Nasca area in southern Peru. As a result the area is fertile valley with farms. The community maintains the aqueducts - the spiral is the entrance to the aqueduct that is used to enter the aqueduct for cleaning.

Darrell drinks the pure mountain water.

Photo of inside the aquaduct.

Mummies in the Desert

The Cementerio de Chauchilla near the town of Nasca, Peru, dates back to the Chinca people around 1000 ad. Looters sacked the cemetery looking for treasure and left many of the bones exposed to sunlight. The bones are bleached white. The hair is real. There are thousands of graves - but only 12 have been excavated.

Chauchilla cemtery - Mummies in the desert

The ancient civilizations of Peru frequently buried their dead positioned in an upright fetal position - then wrapped cotton and textiles around the mummy and buried with items needed in the afterlife. Because of the dryness of the desert region around Nasca in Southern Peru the mummies have been very well preserved. Including their hair - which looks like really back dreadlocks.

Nasca - airplane ride

We flew in a small cessna for about 35-40 minutes over the desert to view the Nasca Lines - it is amazing how big of an area the Nasca lines cover.

Elaine, Darrell and Lanny Scholes with our pilot.

Nasca Lines - chart

The flight over the Nasca Lines was about 35-40 minutes. Darrell, Elaine and Lanny Scholes were in one plane.

Nasca Lines - "alien landing strip"?

The Nasca Lines became famous after pilots spotted the shapes from the air. The scale of the shapes is so large - it is difficult to see how the ancient civilizations could have made them so perfectly proportioned.

I worked hard to get these photos - shooting the camera from both sides of the airplane (and paid the price of getting air sick - ugh-( (too much information for most).

It might be helpful to click on the photo to bring it to full screen to see the outlines more clearly.
1. Is the Monkey with the spiral tail - regarded as a divine being
2. Hummingbird - believed to be the messenger between men and the gods.
3. Parrot

Nasca Lines - as seen from the air - Spider and Monkey

The purpose of the Nasca Lines is subject to a great deal of debate among scholars and archaeologists. Astronomical? Religious? Maps to ..Water?? A Calendar??

What is known is that there are more than 10,000 lines created by the Nasca Indians across the desert plain in southern Peru. Many are anthropomorphic animals and many are geometric lines, trapezoids, etc.

1. The monkey
2. The hummingbird

Flight over Nasca Lines

June 18, 2010 - Nasca Peru. We are at the small airport in Nasca - taking off over the desert to see the Nasca Lines. A UNESCO world heritage site - these giant geoglyphs spread across the desert. Some of the lines date back to 500 bc. Because of the lack of rain in the desert - the lines are mostly still intact.

The first image - The Astronaut - shown is actually carved into the stone of the side of the mountain.

Sand Dunes and siesta on the lake

Darrell and I enjoy a nice stop at the Huacachina Oasis.

Siesta time on the lake.

Some of the highest sand dunes in the world are around the Ica area of southern coastal Peru.

Huacachina - an Oasis in the Desert

Ica, Peru boasts some of the highest sand dunes in the world. Huacachina is a "sand boarding" mecca for adventurers. Huacachina is really an oasis in the middle of the desert with a wonderful lake. Many "boards for rent" shops surround the small town. People grab their boards then walk up to the top of the dune for a quick ride down.

Our entire group poses at Huacachina.

Stop the bus - the cows have taken over the road!

A local women herds cows through the roads in Pisac Peru - returning to the Pan American Highway from the Tacama Winery!

Enjoying Pisco wine at Tacama

Lanny Scholes and Kathleen Roberts enjoy the wine tasting at Tacama Bodega in Pisco, Peru. Darrell and Dave Roberts obviously had a good time

Tacama Winery in Pisco

Formerly a monastary started in 1540 Tacama is one of the Pisco "Bodegas". Pisco is a clear grape brandy. We toured the grounds of the winery and the processing part of the winery. The area around Pisco is very much a desert - but the people have utilzed effective water mangement to grow the grapes.

Unique catcus are found on the grounds.

A lookout tower/belfry centers the estate. The bell was sounded several times of day to signal the workers.

June 17, 2010

Guano (Nasca gold!) on Ballestas Islands

Sea lions, penguins, boobies and many other species of birds deposit "gold" on the Isles in Parcas Bay. The Nasca Indians have sailed to the isles for hundreds of years to collect Guano - bird poop - to use as fertizer for the crops. You could smell the islands from far away!

Sea lions and boaters - Much to see in Parcas Bay, Peru

Sea lions sunning on the rocks at Isle Ballestas in Parcas Bay, Peru. Dave and Kathleen Roberts; Darrell and Elaine!!

Waves, Sea lions, boats - Much to see in Parcas Bay, Peru

Parcas Bay - Southern Coast of Peru

Parcas Bay is about 150 miles south of Lima Peru on the Pan-American Highway. We took a passenger boat to Ballestas Islands - the smaller version of the Galapagos Islands.

Humboldt Penguins and boobies are two of the many species found on this protected reserve.

Rick and Phyllis Roberts and Lanny Scholes are preparing for the boat. Elaine is enjoying the ride!!