Ica & Nazca
Sandboarding in Huacachina, walking through the Lost Canyon & flying over the Nazca lines: what a week!
September 16, 18:06
Oh my god! This was so much fun! I thought we were just taking a chill ride in the dune buggy to the place where we would go sandboarding. But NO. It was a whole rollercoaster ride through the desert. I got tossed around, left to right, up and down. Trying to hold on for dear life. All while our chauffeur speeds over the dunes like it’s nothing. I thought the buggy would flip on its side, we were going THAT fast. It was so much fun!
And then the sandboarding! Laying down on your belly, face forward, hands on the grips, elbows tucked in next to you, and legs spread on each side of the board ready to use your feet as breaks. The first hill wasn’t as scary, but this was just to practice, I found out later. The next two hills were SO steep! With a curve to make it even more challenging. So where I didn’t use my breaks on the first hill, I only used them on the other two. You go so fast! And the face forward part makes it even scarier. But again, so much fun! And it makes you feel ALIVE!
September 17, 17:02
We went to another museum. They have a whole area of creepy skeletons and mummified people. And after watching Game of Thrones first season and two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, it’s no wonder I dreamed about heads rolling down the stairs last night. And seeing this will probably give me another one of those dreams. So weird.
September 18, 10:56
I am walking inside the Lost Canyon: Cañón de los Perdidos. I took a full-day tour by myself. Or well, with eleven strangers. The total minivan ride takes 6 hours, only to spend 1,5 hours at a canyon. It sounds a little crazy, but it is beautiful. And sometimes it’s nice to go on a tour and just follow. You don’t have to think and figure stuff out by yourself, you can just get in a van, with strangers, and let yourself be driven around in the middle of nowhere. How funny that a dangerous scenario like this, can be this relaxing.
September 19, 14:59
On the bus to Nazca! Which means I have time to write:
don’t tell me I’m pretty
don’t praise me for looks
when fleeting faces
get averse by ages
get colder shoulders
when years go by
don’t try to hide now
I dare you to look
beyond the surface
and into me
What is it you truly see?
September 20, 15:36
We had the idea to go for a bike trip around the area and visit some archeological places, but after the first stop, we decided to go back to the hostel. It’s just so warm and uncomfortable. But, we did go to an ‘aqueduct’. A gigantic waterwork system, dating from the times of the Inca and still in use! Pretty impressive to see!
Waterwells in Ica, Peru.
September 21, 21:30
Maria Reichem, a German woman who single-handedly ensured that Nazca became a world-known place. She dedicated almost 50 years of her life to the preservation of the Nazca lines. It’s because of her, that this morning, we were in a small plane circling above the ancient lines. Nauseating, but an amazing experience! For 30 minutes the plane tilts sideways, sharply, from left to right and right to left. To make sure we can all see the figures in the lines as best as possible. It’s also because of Maria, that this evening, we got to see the structure of the moon and the rings around Saturn. She figured out that there is a link between the lines and astrology. And the hotel where she spent the last years of her life built a planetarium in her name.
This was such a great day! We got to see and learn a lot about ancient Nazca history in such an amazing way. And it was Mike's birthday, whoop whoop!
Nazca lines seen from a little plane, Peru.
September 22, 14:06
I just said goodbye to Mike. After almost 4 months of traveling together, we have split up, this time for real. We explored wildlife on the Galapagos islands, traveled on the motorbike through the Andes, crossed the Amazon by boat, and flew in a small plane over the Nazca lines. And many more ‘smaller’ activities, that will forever be in my memories (and camera roll). I am super grateful for everything! Without Mike I would have never been able to see Peru the way that we did. I got to experience traveling in such a different way while always feeling completely safe.
That’s the thing when you’re traveling as a woman alone, you always have to be much more careful and think ahead differently. Like making sure you arrive before the dark and handling questions like ‘Do you have a husband’. Don’t get me wrong, traveling alone is amazing and such an enriching experience, but the safety aspect can sometimes be a little tiring. On a happier note, the goodbye with Mike is only gonna last a couple of weeks, cause we will see each other again somewhere in Bolivia!
