We flew back to Lima… and were picked up by a private driver and guide to take us south 5 hrs… so we could see the Nazca Lines. We stayed at a beautiful winery, and enjoyed our last couple of nights in comfort.

After a good nights rest, we drove almost 2 hours to board a small plane and fly over the Nazca Lines….a group of geoglyphs made in the soil of the Nazca Desert in southern Peru. They were created between 500 BC and 500 AD by people making depressions or shallow incisions in the desert floor, removing pebbles and leaving differently colored dirt exposed. No trip to Peru would be complete without taking a plane to see the Nazca lines.

Unfortunately, the plane was a 20 seater and lacked good air conditioning. With the diving in and out to actually get a good glimpse of the different geoglyphys, several people on board became ill. The guy in front of Connie actually lost it which sent her stomach into a roll, but she persevered.

Recent research suggested that the Nazca Lines’ purpose was related to water, a valuable commodity in the arid lands of the Peruvian coastal plain. The geoglyphs weren’t used as an irrigation system or a guide to find water, but rather as part of a ritual to the gods—an effort to bring much-needed rain.

Alien-related theories suggest the shapes were made by aliens and were used to steer their spaceships and as landing pads.

Either way… it was hard to imagine how these figures could have been constructed in ancient times.

We visited another winery, Tacoma, the oldest vineyard in Peru, and took a city tour of Lima prior to our departure for the Stares. We both agreed the first thing we would do when we hit the Texas soil was to eat Mexican food. We were definitely craving hot sauce and enchiladas.