Peruvian Altiplano

After a relaxing couple of days in Huacachina, that included a wine/pisco tour in Ica that was perfectly spectacular, we piled into the van (with many new repairs - thank god I married MacGyver) and headed for Nasca. We stopped at an observation tower beside the Panamerican and had a look at three of the figures: the tree, the hands, and the frog. This part of the Peruvian desert is made up of very pale sand covered in small dark rocks, and the figures were made (by aliens, of course!) by moving the dark rocks. The most popular theory about the purpose of the figures is that they are a calendar system. The folks who constructed them also built a complicated underground irrigation system, parts of which are still in use today.

A landmark moment of our trip occurred in Nasca - we left the Panamerican highway. We´ve spent much of our trip driving on this road (of highly variable quality), and we were a little sad to leave it. Partly because it was easy to find and follow, for the most part. And partly because it means that the ´go south, south, south´ leg of our trip is over. We only have 4 countries to go! Some day in the not-too-distant future we will have to find jobs and return to something resembling a normal life. How strange.

After we left Nasca, we turned east, and drove straight up, it seemed, into the Peruvian altiplano. Peru has already showed us a spectacular variety of landscapes, and the altiplano was something new again. We ascended from sea level to about 14,000 feet, or 4400m, and then drove straight across flat green plains dotted with shining lakes. Diaphanous white clouds streaked the sky about 3 inches above our heads. And all the alpacas that I´ve been waiting to see, wondering where they were - were in the altiplano!! Huge herds of them. So many. And don´t worry, we took lots of pictures.

Speaking of pictures, we just uploaded about 200 new ones for Peru. We´re doing our best to edit them ruthlessly. For those folks who can´t stomach looking at that many photos, who see the number and just turn away - we´re working on a trip favorites folder that is only about 100 so far. Soon we´ll figure out how to upload those, too, and then you can look without fear.

Two real incidents of note in the altiplano. First, I bought 2 pounds of alpaca wool, straight from the alpaca. Before I say more, I´ve been looking for this stuff since we hit Ecuador, and haven´t been able to find any. I have been asking in every wool shop (and there are many - this is a continent of knitters) where I could buy pure alpaca wool. No one had any, saying it was too expensive. Today, we stopped in a small village, and a woman approached us with a beautiful crocheted hat (we bought this too). I thought she might have an idea where I could get my hands on some wool. Sure enough, she had an entire llama´s worth of wool in her back room (lying next to a skinned animal carcass, apparently waiting to be butchered and eaten). She brought it out, stuffed it into a bag, and charged me $5 for 2 pounds of pure, caramel-colored, soft-as-a-kitten alpaca wool. I can´t believe my luck. Now I just have to get the mud and sticks out of it, and figure out how to card and spin it. Hm. Should be easy.



Second, as we were driving along at 50kph (an amazing thing in and of itself, but the road from Nasca to Cuzco is wonderful, contrary to all reports), we saw a tarantula the size of a dinner plate in the middle of the road. We both said ¨whoa! did you see that??¨ and turned the van around for a better look. But by the time we got back to where we´d seen it, it was gone. Wow. A spider big enough to notice it when you´re driving by at 50kph!!!

And tomorrow we´re off to Cuzco...