Small aircraft & a first climb

Day 5
2011-01-13
The Nazca Lines

I got up pretty early to organize tickets for the flight over the Nazca lines. We found an agency nearby the hotel and got our tickets. A bus took us to the airport which is 2 km away from the city center and we checked in and later on boarded this small aircraft. 

The flight at an altitude of around 2000 feet was pretty bumpy and shaky cause the pilots where flying many turns to show us all the Nazca Lines from each side. It was pretty impressive to see, what the people back then could do. 

After a safe landing we went back to the city, got our stuff at the hotel and headed towards the bus terminal to continue our travel. Nazca is not a very impressive city and there’s not much more to do than fly over the Nazca Lines.

Our next ride should take us to Arequipa – a nice city in the mountains at an altitude of 3400 m above sea level. The drive took 11 hours…but since we booked tickets for Cruz Del Sur – a very high class bus company – it was ok. They have an onboard service, drinks and a movie system. But what is the best feature: the seats almost go flat. That makes even a bus ride VERY comfortable.

We got to Arequipa very late at night and checked into our hotel near the Plaza Del Arma…what a relief to be able to lay down and stretch our limbs in a private - family owned hostal.

What we could see of Arequipa so far was, that it was a nice city with a great plaza and lots of bars and restaurants to check out during the next days.