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December 22, 2003NAZCAR
DAY 63: Nights in pisco country are great, but the mornings after aren't so much. With the absence of my usual greasy Hangover Helpers in New York -- Union Square's McDonald's, Flatiron District's Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop or Chinatown's Wo Hop -- I turned to the regional breakfast specialty, the Tamale Iqueño, a corn dough treat stuffed with pork, olives, beans and spices. It might not have been greasy enough to make a sheet of paper transparent, but it did the trick. The reason for my early morning awakening was because I was trying to get an early bus to Nazca, in hopes of catching up with Lara. After my Peruvian Hangover Helper, I went looking for a bus, but it being a Sunday, the only one I found available didn't leave until two in the afternoon. I killed time sitting in the Plaza das Armas and working on The Blog. Unlike the night before, I finally found access to computers with camera hook ups.
The thought of waiting in the bus station with the bags of chickens didn't bode well with me, so I followed the Lonely Planet map and went around the corner to get a collectivo, a car or minibus that goes to a specific destination once it has been filled. Like my car ride from Tarapoto to Yurimaguas, I was the first passenger to sign on and had to wait an hour or so for other passengers. I sat on a bench in the garage as I heard the repetitive monophonic electronic chime music of Kaoma's familiar Lambada song playing over and over from inside the house. You know the song: Daaa da da da do di dum, doo di da da doo di dumm... Needless to say, after an hour of listening to it over and over and over, it got as annoying as a squirt of lemon juice into a papercut. I noticed that the song might have ended if it weren't for that one duh note which bridges the ending with the beginning flawlessly, in attempts to make it sound like one neverending song. After a while, I really began to hate that one note. By 2:40 p.m., we had enough passengers to warrant the drive to Nazca, and the eight of us squeezed in tightly into a big black Chevrolet (picture above). Jose the driver was a nice guy and seemed to know everyone on the highway, always waving hello -- even the cops, which was probably why we never got stopped at a checkpoint. The Big Black Chevy raced through the southern desert, along vast flatlands, followed by zig zags through the lower mountains. We made it to the finish line in Nazca in just over two hours, way before the bus in Ica even started.
Since the lines can only really be seen from the air, I booked a tour with a prop plane for the following day and then wandered around the main plazas. Townspeople were just lounging around on a lazy Sunday afternoon while a street performer with marionettes had a small audience at the Plaza das Armas. Three blocks away at the Plaza Bolognesi, there was a small carnival with mini carnival kiddie rides. I finally got my greasy fix with a Chinese food dinner and then did some internet work. I got an email from Lara telling me there wasn't much to do in Nazca and that she had already set off for Cuzco. She wasn't kidding because after walking around, the sleepy town really didn't have much of a night scene -- mainly because it was low season. So I just vegged in my small room in my hostal. I went to bed, still with that damn Lambada tune stuck in my head. Rather than be the tune for "The Forbidden Dance," I think it should just be "The Forbidden Song."
If you enjoy this daily travel blog, please post a comment! Give me suggestions, send me on missions, let me know how things are going back home in the USA. Knowing that I have an audience will only force me to make this blog more entertaining as the days go by. Don´t forget to bookmark it and let a friend know! Comments
duh... Posted by: markyt on December 22, 2003 02:28 PMi was gonna be first...but markyt has his browser programmed for infinite refresh.... oh well....SECOND! great post erik. Posted by: LovePenny on December 22, 2003 02:33 PMbtw, that's an awesome line dance! u should have started a line while waiting. Posted by: LovePenny on December 22, 2003 02:54 PMA long bus ride awaits...I may be NIZ for a day... so you'll be soring above the clouds in a prop plane while i'm "working" at robin's job ... hmmm i wonder where I would rather BE! Daaa da da da do di dum, doo di da da doo di dumm... dax wants to know if the chevy has a turbo... what's that lime green drink that u had w/ the tamale iqueno, looks tranquilo, tranquilo Posted by: wheat on December 22, 2003 04:17 PMNot sure if i'll be able to tune in from now until christmas, so have a Merry Christmas! Posted by: nikkiJ on December 22, 2003 04:32 PMYou got me Love Penny.... But remember, Tomorrow is another day. I like the title Erik! Posted by: Td0t on December 22, 2003 05:29 PMthe lime green is a wheat grass shake...i hear it works just as well as a bloody mary.... haha....wheat! so u think the "people watcher" is gonna be at midnite mass along with "gimpy leg"? Posted by: markyt on December 22, 2003 05:31 PMPapa: thanks! and welcome to the commentator community! pass the word on! Posted by: Erik on December 22, 2003 08:36 PMGo man go. Posted by: Trace on December 22, 2003 11:44 PMNikkiJ: Glad to have you back in NYC, hows Robin's job going? Duh... (nice touch) Posted by: Dtella on December 23, 2003 10:48 AMi never heard that song before. it is catchy. but i guess after the 20th time, one would want to bash their head against the walls over and over again. i can't wait til you put up pictures for the Nazca lines. i love things like that. i love reading about crop circles too! make sure you have lots of pictures. =) Posted by: alice on December 23, 2003 10:59 AMbored? holiday fun.... http://www.nny.com/holiday/snowcraft.htm tranquilo, tranquilo Posted by: markyt on December 23, 2003 11:50 AMmarkyt: that's pretty cool, whats the highest level? .. Posted by: sim on December 23, 2003 01:13 PMsim: not too sure what the highest level is....hopefully i'll be able to find out! Posted by: markyt on December 23, 2003 01:49 PMmarkyt: Hey, issue a challenge to who can get the highest level by the time Erik makes he's next BLOG! .. winner gets a ...hmmm ...dibbs on the next first post!... ? Posted by: sim on December 23, 2003 03:10 PMsim: can't control who will get first post on the next blog....LP and td0T are fast as well...and i'm usually online when erik posts cuz he makes me check some things over... first to post on the latest blog is always a challenge! Posted by: markyt on December 23, 2003 03:41 PMtrue that! they are fast ! just keeping busy at the office here til' the next entry - Globetrip'n 1 blog at a time! Posted by: sim on December 23, 2003 04:11 PMLP: can u IM me? it's about some freelance work.... Posted by: markyt on December 23, 2003 04:31 PMwahah! i found the log to that night when you were drunk, so i am going to include the best part of it here: Kabuki102: i hope you are posting on your blog!!!! dood! It wasn't my fault!!! J2x didn't have wifi! who in this day and age doesn't have wifi? my bad. Posted by: Love Penny on December 23, 2003 07:12 PMErik, just popped in to see your site... Adam & I are at that hotel we went into earlier today... the name escapes me because my brain is dead after our super fun bus ride. We´ll see you in town tomorrow hopefully... shoot me an email and I´ll check it afer breakfast - which just might be around noon with how I feel! Love the site btw... you\BnA running this on MT? Posted by: Tony Alexander on December 23, 2003 08:20 PMTONY: I set you an email... ALL: I haven't written about the fun adventures I had with Tony and Adam this morning (two Americans from Ohio)... it will come soon... Posted by: Erik on December 23, 2003 08:30 PMWhat??!! No wifi?!! Posted by: Td0t on December 23, 2003 09:54 PMErik- que tal? just got into buenos Aires few hours ago- flew from antofagasto to santiago & then here- definitly beats the 48 hour bus ride! . we had the bolivian version of song from hell in uyuni saltpans trip- amigo' amigo- da da da duh duh,...- apparently quite hot in bolivia currently.hope you're having fun. guess what...erik is not the only one drunk right now...HAHAHAHAHA..... tranquilo, tranquilo.... NYE should be a blast!!! i hope all of you are getting as Erik does on NYE! Posted by: markyt on December 24, 2003 02:31 AMyou all are a bunch of alkies. i'll drink to that. tranquilo, tequila, it's all good. Posted by: alice on December 24, 2003 10:31 AMhey, merry christmas!! Posted by: heather on December 24, 2003 10:57 AMhey, merry christmas!! Posted by: heather on December 24, 2003 10:57 AMMerry Christmas Erik!! Posted by: Yvette on December 24, 2003 12:04 PMNAVID: HEY! there you are... I'm in Cuzco now... and it rocks as always... Here's something you probably heard before: Feliz NAVIDad! Posted by: Erik on December 24, 2003 12:25 PMhey erik, you might wanna ask around for some menudo (the chili soup, not the boy band).. they're great for hangovers.. Posted by: cristina on January 12, 2004 11:26 PM |
