Today the miners protested during morning, so by the time we woke up they were already gone. But not the riot police, still guarding everywhere. Businesses remained in the “semi-open” state (meaning main gate stays closed, the small door open only when no miner around) and no still no trace of our package 🙁
The strike continues
The miner’s strike is causing more delays
So, we’ve been here in Nazca for the past 11 days waiting for an EMS shipment with parts from USA that was supposed to take as long as 5 days to arrive. First the shipment was delayed by logistical problems at Peru’s postal service. But now, another issue is preventing the delivery: the miners are on a nationwide strike and, although roads are technically open, no carrier risks using the Panamericana as miners usually assault, detain or block the passage of vehicles in retaliation to government’s dismissal of the demands.
Today most businesses remained closed in Nazca and the people started to protest in support for the miners. The city is now packed with army personnel and riot police. Now, in the evening, there is less agitation, but in the morning we could not find any food store open except for a pizza place where we were forced to eat the worst pizza in years…
This could only remind us of the Mineriada that we experienced firsthand :)!
The flight over the Nazca lines
Created some 2000 years ago by the Nazca population, these drawings are today a major tourist attraction and another UNESCO World Heritage site. The easiest way to see them is by mean of small planes that depart on demand from the Nazca Airport and cost around US$75 per person. A typical flight lasts around 35 minutes and it is itself an interesting experience, as you get to feel everything (the wind, the noise, the movements) way stronger than in a regular airliner.
The sand dunes
One of the few things you can do in Nazca is to explore the dunes with a buggy. This particular one was built around a Nissan Patrol chassis, but others were based on Chevy F150 or Toyota Land Cruiser. The trip lasted for about 3.5 hours. At some point we experienced dune boarding… it was fun but exhausting, as you have to climb back after each run. After that we drove by some nazca structures, a cemetery, the Nazca river and finally the aqueducts, built around 2000 years ago by the nazca population, used later by the incas and still in use today!
More desert
As we continued through the desert, shortly before reaching the Nazca, we crossed a chain of small hills/mountains. The views were quite enjoyable!