Lima and the coast

Spent a few days in Lima to see if it was as bad as the guide books make out, but it was fine. A little crazy, but I like that. Reminded me of Mexico City, fancy architecture, random shops. Found a street market that specialized in dental equipment. There were chairs, spittoons, drills, clamps, the lot. I was so tempted, but common sense prevailed (remarkably). I kept a flyer, well you never know.

I took a cramped mini bus journey across Lima to see an old fort, oddly it was still staffed by the army, whose mandatory guide was as dull as ditch water. The only pleasure was watching the sergeant trying to control a party of over excited twelve year olds as they disappeared down endless passageways.

Unfortunately at this time of year the Lima sky is always blanketed with grey clouds, so I left and traveled down the desert coast to Nazca.
Not your classic sand dunes, but flat, dusty, gritty dirt, but even then, after travelling for many bleak hours we would come across a tiny brick built house. No electricity, water, crops, animals, no anything in fact and it really stretches the imagination to understand why anyone would live here.

Nazca was fun, going up in a tiny plane, banking so the wing tip pointed to the ground. It was not until I saw a bus near one of the animal patterns that I realised how huge they were.

In town they also process gold, which looked well dodgy. The locally mined rubble is mixed with water and mercury. Its pulzerized by standing atop a giant bolder and rocking to and fro. The mercury laden water splashes everywhere, no gloves, no concern for health. At the end of a long day they produce a match head sized piece of gold worth $10.