Are We In California Already?
After leaving Ecuador, we spend about one week driving through the desert in Peru. The scenery is drab and dreary – endless gray-brown sand dotted with dusty, busy cities. This is by far the least scenic part of the trip. Peru also seems to be the poorer than most countries that we have visited. We frequently pass shanty towns – villages filled with small shacks made of reeds, bamboo or cement. Even in large cities, most construction is not completed – rebar is exposed at the tops of buildings, windows are not added, top floors are not finished, or even only the walls of the bottom floor are partially built.
Mid-way through our “desert drive”, we come upon a fun spot, Huanchaco, a beach town on the Pacific. We almost feel like we are back in California! The weather is foggy in the morning and the sun comes out in the afternoon. The town is filled with surf schools and shops, funky bars and restaurants, and beach hotels, with names like “Las Brisas”, “My Friend”, and “Sol y Mar”. We watch novices learning how to surf, donned in wetsuits. Are we home?
Obviously not, as we are in the southern hemisphere… Besides street vendors selling local wares like alpaca sweaters and ponchos, the big difference is the reed boats used by local fisherman. The boats are handmade by tying reeds together and look like a big “J”. Local men use the boats to fish in the morning and also take tourists on rides for about $3. We refrain due to the cold air and water temperatures.
Our last day in the desert is spent in Nazca, famous for the Nazca lines, desert “paintings” with a mysterious origin. To see the lines, we board a 6 seater plane – 2 for the pilots and 4 for passengers (Paul stays on land because he hates flying). Within 30 minutes, we fly over about 14 line drawings – absolutely fascinating! My favorite is a monkey with a spiral tail. The flamingo is exceptionally large and elaborate. Unfortunately, with the glare from the plane’s window, the lines are difficult to photograph. Quinn almost gets sick from the banking of the turns, but manages to survive the flight without getting ill.
We end our desert adventure with a trip to an ancient cemetery from 1200 AD with 14 exposed tombs. Lots of mummies, bones and skulls, and a bit gruesome and weird, yet very cool!
Now we head to the Andes to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu, and the cold! The drive from Nazca to Cusco will take two days and we will cross mountain passes of over 12,000 feet….
Tags: Peru
hwy1alltheway
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