26-08-2011
We got to see the Nazca lines even before we reached the town. On the way we stopped at a viewing point, climbed up a rickety stand and saw the hand and the tree. Surprisingly clear and distinct.
First stop in town was the markets for cook groups to pick up lunch. Fun buying fruit, vegetables and meat when you can't speak the language at a local market. A slight delay as people lost their way but we got to our hotel finally.
The afternoon was spent with dead bodies. The cemetery which had been unearthed had interesting mummies, quite intact. The bodies were placed in fetal positions and wrapped tight. The nobility had long hair, around 2 meters(!) and it was all still there. The odd thing is that all the bodies are out in the desert with only thatched roofs on top. It is so dry here and the weather so predictable that the bodies are preserved without any external help. They weren't found by regular archaeologists but by grave looters who left the bodies scattered all around while removing anything valuable. Finally the government has stepped up and the mummies have been placed back in open graves and opened to the public. A little girl followed us the whole way through, (was screaming my name by the end) her mother is the ticket lady, unusual place for a child.
Very hot but a well spent afternoon.
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