We started the day with a visit to the Cemetery but the highlight of the day was a flight over the Nasca lines.
We arrived in Nasca early in the morning & after a quick freshen up & breakfast, we headed out. Nasca is a very dry place & there was still evidence of disrepair & temporary housing from the 2007 earthquake. The main industries are mining, tourism & farming - from what we saw, the main crop was cactus from which they harvest the cochineal bugs. Our fist stop was the Nasca cemetery. The mummies in this cemetery are estimated to be between 1000 & 2000 years old. Only 2 mummies were stored behind glass. The remainder (we saw at least 20) we're sitting in open graves that had been excavated, with a mud brick wall on one side to prevent sand blowing in, & a bamboo shade which seemed to be more for the comfort of the tourists than protection of the artifacts. Apparently there is a guard on duty 24 by 7. Grave robbers (locals) had been there before us & stolen anything they thought might be valuable, including gold teeth. We then visited a local potter who has learnt his trade from his grandfather. He showed us how he tried to replicate the work of the Incas. We felt a bit sorry for him as no one bought anything. His work was not the sort of thing we could pack in our already bulging bags. We then headed for the airport to fly over the Nasca Lines which was our main reason for coming to Nasca. Regulations had been tightened up since a couple of accidents had occurred in recent times where tourists were killed. Two pilots are now required, the weather was fine & not windy & we trusted G Adventures to book us with a reputable company. Patience was required as it was not the most efficient operation. Eventually we boarded a 4 seater plane with Marcus & Deb & our 2 pilots. The co pilot spoke excellent English & gave us lots of information before & during the flight so that we were able to spot most of the lines. We were also given a card with a pictorial representation of the lines to help us with identification. Our pilot expertly flew us around ensuring that people on both sides of the plane had views. We spent 35 mins in the air and were surprised at the extent of the area. The experience was well worth the wait and the money. The rest of the day was spent relaxing & recovering from limited sleep on the overnight bus & the busy morning.