Part 30: Peru - Alien Artistry ?, Peru’s Wild Coast
Thursday, 21 August 2014
Thursday 21st August.
Today we are on our way again. Lyn is much better, thanks to the Doctors and staff of the San Martin Medical Centre in Ica.
Returning to Nasca we call in to the airport to arrange a flight over the Nasca Lines. US$80/person is the standard rate and we get the last flight that afternoon.
Only visible from the air, these geoglyphs were created by the Nasca culture between 400 and 650AD.
The above, is typically known as the ‘astronaut’ and as proposed by Eric Von Danekin, this and other designs were made in contact with aliens. Many representing landing strips for their spacecraft.
The figures are huge. This spider is 47metres, others the Hummingbird (93metres), Condor (134 metres), and Monkey (93metres).
The seventy or so are animal drawings and hundreds of geometrical shapes were made by removing the reddish pebbles and uncovering the whitish/grey ground beneath.
Theories as to why are wide ranging as they are controversial. From the extraterrestrial (above) to astronomy, cosmology, or to evoke the gods to bring the rain.
Perhaps this is why they are so intriguing.
Just outside Nasca is the worlds highest Sand Dune
Camp 406: Camped below the Big Dune
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 933 m
S 14* 50.563 W 074* 51.446
Today: 174 kms
Trip Total: 121,922 Km
Friday 22nd August.
Had to go for a walk and check this one out !
1176metres base to top and apparently takes 3 hours to climb but I was not going to test that theory.
Yep, that’s a jeep at the base with some tourists.
It’s all desert as we head south so a splash of Pacific Blue is always welcome.
Camp 407: At the Pacific’s edge
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 14 m
S 16* 10.960 W 073* 45.546
Today: 254 kms
Trip Total: 122,176 Km
Saturday 23rd August.
This morning we return via our our northern path, until south of Arequipa where we elect to hug the coast, a more indirect route but it does not duplicate our northern drive.
The contrast between the desert and the fertile snow fed valleys is impressive.
Today was a driving day, actually much more than we anticipate. Looking at the map we see a long stretch of coast line that just has to be isolated beaches and bays.
Wrong!
South of Matarani comes Mollendo, then our ‘isolated beach’ dotted with settlers houses and the occasional luxury house. Then Punta de Bombom, by this time it is dusk and a band starts playing in the street blocking the road...we wait....
It is now very dark and we are still driving looking at every side track. They are either gated or agricultural land, finally we find an old part of the road and call camp.
Its OK for the night.
Camp 408: Just a place to sleep!
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 4 m
S 17* 14.005 W 071* 37.363
Today: 431 kms
Trip Total: 122,607 Km
Sunday 24th August.
The coast line is very interesting and we are determined to see it in daylight.
Desert country to the waters edge.
The town of ILO is a fishing port and also becoming an industrial complex with a copper smelter and ( I think ) a thermo power station.
Ilo is also to be Bolivia's Pacific access port under a joint venture with Peru and construction has already started on a massive shipping terminal area.
A fishing port can only mean fresh fish for lunch.
We walked the town and watched the sea lions play in the dock area and the brown pelicans relax in the sun.
Making up for yesterday we stopped early at around 3pm. From a high vantage point we could watch the fishermen and the sea birds.
Camp 409: Pacific View camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 17 m
S 17* 48.915 W 071* 09.474
Today: 119 kms
Trip Total: 122,926 Km
Monday 25th August.
The coastline is dotted with Guano Islands.
Apparently the Pacific war between Peru and Chile in the 1800’s was over this Bird Shit !
Today we cross back into Chile.
