Nazca

I woke up for my flight and headed out at 8 for the airport. It was a short drive to the small local airport with tiny planes used for the Nazca Lines flights. My driver helped me get checked in with the company and pay all of my airport taxes (which apparently you even have to pay if you just sit in the airport and don't fly).

There was a large group of Danish friends that were also taking the morning flight with Alas Peruanas. We were all divvied up into 6 passenger planes, but there were 14 of us so me and one of the Danish guys would be in a small private plane. The two groups of 6 left and we waited our turn, until all of a sudden the receptionist who checked me in whisked me away and said they swapped me for a 6 person plane instead. The Danish guy wasn't happy about being left out of his friend group. Annoying. I also didn't have time to even say anything because the group I now had to go with was away!

Trying not to let it spoil my trip, I met the group and we got loaded up in our small plane. They gave us a small map to help us spot the geoglyphs which was super helpful because it was like a really fast game of iSpy to try and spot them and take a picture. There was only one, the whale, that I couldn't really see in the desert, but all the others were clear as day. It was pretty crazy! Not only are these massive drawings still here, but some of the lines were so straight and the swirls were perfect. I sometimes struggle to make a bubble letter S when I'm drawing for classroom displays! I really liked the monkey geoglyph.

The geoglyphs in order are:
1. Whale
2. Triangle
3. Astronaut
4. Monkey
5. Dog
6. Hummingbird
7. Spider
8. Condor
9. Tree and Sword
10. Frigate
11. Parrot
12. Lizard, tree, and hands
13. Circle
Aqueducts

Despite paying to see 20, they accidentally put me on the basic flight instead of the VIP with more geoglyphs so I missed some like the fish and baby condor, but with keen eyes I spotted a few extra that were next to some geoglyphs that were pointed out on the flight, so that was lucky!

The rest of the day was spent looking at planning Bolivia, and it looks like we have a solid plan now! Which is great! We took a break from planning and walked around for some lunch and to explore the main square. It's a pretty small place, but still nice. The plaza had some trees and statues and drawings of the Nazca lines. Allan even let us get an ice cream! (Just a cheap soft serve one, but I'll take it!)

After our walk, I looked at the visa application for Bolivia so that I can get it taken care of when we are in Cusco. It took a couple of hours, but we got it done. That's a pretty big job that was weighing heavily on me, so I feel like I'll be able to enjoy the Inca Trail more now without that in the back of my mind.

We left our hostel for the bus and managed to find some food close to the bus station. We rushed around to find food before the bus would come, but ended up having plenty of time because the bus was about an hour late. Maybe we will make up some time on the road, but I doubt it. When we walked up the stairs to our seats we were hit by heat and a super strong smell of body odor. It was awful. I think it's going to be a bit of a rough night.

Mama Chelita
7/10
Facilities: 😕
Comfort: 😕
Location: 🙂
Cleanliness: 🙂
Value for money: 🙂
Staff: 😀

Summary: Cheap, no-frills accommodation in Nazca; good for 1-night.

Good: Excellent staff who accommodated our late arrival (due to bus delays) without any hassle. Staff also allowed us to store luggage for free after checking out, then use the facilities (toilets, WiFi) from early evening until our night bus.

Bad: Very basic breakfast comprising bread and hot water (with tea bags). For fairness and comparisons, I left all my Peru reviews until departing the country. It was by far the most basic breakfast; almost all others included fruit, fruit juice and/or eggs. No hot water. The place is a bit rundown and could do with some renovations.Read more