After spending our first day touring the historic centre of Lima on our first day, we finished our day with an unusual dinner at L'Eau Vive, a restaurant run in a convent by a French order of nuns! At 9pm they stopped serving, turned on the record player and serenaded us all with a hymn, Ave Maria. It was the best meal we have had in a long time!
Our second day in Lima could not have been more contrasting to the first. We took a taxi 7km to the coastal suburb of Lima called Miraflores. It was Europe away from home. The area was very developed and wealthy, the streets lined with restaurants, first rate supermarkets, apartment blocks and shops. On the coast itself was a very Western looking shopping centre and food court overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 
After our basic travel it was really refreshing but it was a far cry from the real South America we have seen.... we could have been anywhere.
Early this morning we took a bus (5 star Cruz Del Sur again!) to Nazca to see the world famous lines.
The 469km journey took us through huge expanses of desert, with the enormous sand dunes and rocky sand covered mountains. Dotted along the way were small shanty towns where some of the houses were no more than tin sheds.
The moment we stepped off the bus at Nazca we were mobbed by eager beaver tour touts and after a million 'no gracias' we pushed our way through to a taxi. We made our way to the tiny airport a few kilometres outside town to book our own flight direct. 
Within an hour of arriving in Nazca we were sat in a little 4 seater Cessna bumping our way down the runway for our 35 minute flight. The flight afforded great views over the desert and a bird's eye view of the lines.
Our second day in Lima could not have been more contrasting to the first. We took a taxi 7km to the coastal suburb of Lima called Miraflores. It was Europe away from home. The area was very developed and wealthy, the streets lined with restaurants, first rate supermarkets, apartment blocks and shops. On the coast itself was a very Western looking shopping centre and food court overlooking the Pacific Ocean. 
After our basic travel it was really refreshing but it was a far cry from the real South America we have seen.... we could have been anywhere.Early this morning we took a bus (5 star Cruz Del Sur again!) to Nazca to see the world famous lines.
The 469km journey took us through huge expanses of desert, with the enormous sand dunes and rocky sand covered mountains. Dotted along the way were small shanty towns where some of the houses were no more than tin sheds.
The moment we stepped off the bus at Nazca we were mobbed by eager beaver tour touts and after a million 'no gracias' we pushed our way through to a taxi. We made our way to the tiny airport a few kilometres outside town to book our own flight direct. 
Within an hour of arriving in Nazca we were sat in a little 4 seater Cessna bumping our way down the runway for our 35 minute flight. The flight afforded great views over the desert and a bird's eye view of the lines. It was a bumpy and choppy ride, and the pilot banked steeply left and right to give a good view over the 12 main
Nazca drawings which included a whale, monkey, dog, flamingo and hummingbird. The shapes themselves are huge and can only be fully appreciated from the air, provided of course you can keep your head out of the sick-bag, which Bi just about managed! We were both a bit nauseous and wobbly when we got out, but the trip was well worth it.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the town and have just been to a small planetarium to hear the theories behind how and why the Nazca lines exist and how they are thought to be aligned with the stars and solstice positions of the sun.
We also had a look at Saturn through a good telescope and could see the rings quite clearly.
Nazca drawings which included a whale, monkey, dog, flamingo and hummingbird. The shapes themselves are huge and can only be fully appreciated from the air, provided of course you can keep your head out of the sick-bag, which Bi just about managed! We were both a bit nauseous and wobbly when we got out, but the trip was well worth it.We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the town and have just been to a small planetarium to hear the theories behind how and why the Nazca lines exist and how they are thought to be aligned with the stars and solstice positions of the sun.
We also had a look at Saturn through a good telescope and could see the rings quite clearly.We are now just about to catch an overnight bus to the city of Arequipa in the South West of Peru. We will arrive there very early tomorrow morning.
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