Peru - Tuesday 13 October 1998
The hotel we sleep in this night appears to have internet! But not before 3 PM, so it's not possible to e-mail home...
For breakfast we can choose between a 'continental breakfast' and an 'American breakfast'. American is with a bigger cup of coffee and an omelette. Very nice.
Around our hotel there are a lot of young boys who want to shine your shoes. We don't want that, but they keep on talking to us. They're very smart: the next day, they still know we're from Holland!
Today we have a full program again. Our van brings us to several local attractions.
We start at a ceramics-factory. A whole family produces all kinds of cups, bottles and plates in their house. They show us the whole process and... of course we can buy it.
Then we go to a gold-refinery. There also a demonstration. At the same time people are really working there. Stones are brought in and are broken in huge machines.
Then, the gold is filtered and processed with chemicals. Really poison, 'but we don't have any choice', they say - laughing.
Then we drive to the Chauchilla-cemetery. On our way, our guide decides he wants to drive a little. It seems to be practice for his driving license. He does drive quite good, but he can't use his gear. We're very anxious, here in those high mountains.
The cemetery is in the middle of nowhere. This place is quite morbid, but impressive too. This area was used between 200 BC and 500 AD as a cemetery for members of Nazca-culture. A lot of mummified bodies but also bones and grafschatten have been found here.
In this graves is demonstrated how mummies and bodies were found.
It's quite impressive, but also a little bit artificial. After two graves I had seen enough already. To be honest, I was impressed even more by nature around here. Near Nazca River there is a green area (even though it is a dry river 11 months per year). Next to it, several hundreds of meters of flat land with no plants. And next to that are the high mountains.
Then we fly! In three small planes, for a half-hour flight over the famous Nazca-lines, paintings in the ground. It is unclear who made them.
Diederick gets sick in the plane. After 5 minutes he yells 'I want to go back!' Me, I'm a bit sick also, but I can keep my breakfast inside.
The pilot shortens the flight, but we can see all pictures. It's a good compromise. Back on the ground, I feel really shaky.
Then we go to a swimming pool. We have an appointment in 'the swimming pool near the hotel'. We think it must be the swimming pool near the hotel near the airport . The water is quite dirty. And: we ought to get a lunch, but there's no one to serve us. Strange.
Then our van arrives near the swimming pool with the rest of our group. It appears to be the wrong swimming pool! amazing that the driver could find us here!
The other swimming pool appears to be quite luxuous. We have to pay 15 soles ($5,= ) to get in, but a drink and a sandwich are included. It's really perfect to have some rest in the sun...
In the evening, our tour leader Patricia wants to go to a movie. a majority doesn't want to join her. We prefer to look for a real authentic Peruvian restaurant. It's quite a search. Some of them are cvompletely empty (and that's a bad sign), others are expensive or too touristic. One restaurant is real nice, but he cook appears to out of food! At last, we are succesful in finding a nice place.
In this restaurant, we eat paratoe-soup, rice and chicken and cold tea for only a few soles. It's almost for free here! Some of the other customers are really honored by our visit. They give us some bottles of beer.
It results in giving each other more and more beer. With hands and feet, we try to have a conversation. We take dozens of pictures with those Peruvians. One big party. For only 44 soles we've had a perfect dinner, a lot of drinks and much fun, with eight people!
After dinner we leave from Nazca. We take a night bus to Arequipa. What a disaster! Of course, there isn't any space for my legs; it smells, it's earth dark and the road is bad. you would forget this is the road between two of the biggest cities of Peru!
For two times I decide to sit near the driver. He tries to have a conversation
with me, but we don't get any further than:
- ah... de què pais eres tu?
- eh... de Holanda
- ah!!! Holanda! Johan Cruyff!
- si
- Holanda-Peru: dos zéro!
- si!
- (....) (Spanish)
- eh.... non comprende...
- ah... (....)
- ...
Impressive how dark it is at night in the desert. Only some passing cars make some light in this darkness...
