When you arrive in the town of Nazca, you are there to see the famous Nazca Lines, as featured in the latest Indiana Jones movie. Everybody in town can sell you a flight over the lines. Everybody also warns you not to eat breakfast the morning of your flight. Touts and tour agencies may tell a lot of lies, but this is not one of them. I don’t care if your hotel includes a continental breakfast, or if you’re really hungry. Do not eat breakfast. This is for your sake as much as your fellow travelers.
Around 9AM, you will board a plane that seats five people – barely. You will be given a map displaying the route the plane will take with the 13 figures that you are to look for. The pilot will also point out the plastic bags tucked behind every seat. The miniature plane will take off – barely – and begin its tortuous circling of the lines. When the pilot points out the first figure, it will be exciting. The plane will tilt and twirl to give both sides a beautiful panoramic view of the mysterious etched design. By the 2nd figure, you will be clutching your stomach. By the 13th figure, you will be praying for the end. If someone on your plane ate breakfast, you will be breathing through your mouth.
There are many theories regarding the origin of the Nazca Lines: fertility symbols, astrological mappings, religious rituals. They are a marvel of planning dating from between 200 BC and 700AD. And it’s pretty cool to see the designs of monkeys, lizards, and whales from above. But do me a favor and don’t eat breakfast.
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