Any Given Sunday

Sunday was an early morning. We had to get on the road by 7ish so we could get to the airport to fly over the Nazca lines. But before I could even think about any of that I had to consider the day. Sunday = game day. I was just as serious about it as I am at home. I made sure to wear the lucky Ravens underwear and a purple shirt. Just because I´m on a different continent doesn´t mean I don´t care! At breakfast we found out that one of our fellow volunteers, Rhonda, is a Broncos fan so we made a friendly bet of beer for the winner. We would figure out the score later in the day...

We arrived at the small airport and waited for a few mnutes before boarding our very tiny plane. It sat 12 or 14 people, very small. We took off and started making our way over the desert-y area of Nazca. If you don´t know what the Naza lines are, google them. Theyre incredibly interesting. There are 12 that are still very visible. Think crop circles, but in a desert landscape. Some are easier to spot than others. Some of my favorites included the hummingbird, the monkey and the spider. You really have to see pictures to fully understand. But no one knows where exactly they came from or why they are there. They were only discovered in recent history since you can only see them from the sky. Some people think they have to do with religious ceremonies, some think it was a form of worship, some think it was a sort of map for aliens...I don´t know what I believe exactly, but its pretty crazy how exact the pictures are and the Nazcas who made them would have never seen them from the sky...twilight zone, anyone?

After seeing the lines, I was definitely very dizzy and slightly sick to my stomach from the small plane and all of the crazy turns we made to see the lines. We visited a pottery workshop and saw a pottery demonstration. He had some amazing work and I bought a small mask that he made with Nazca gods on it. We next visited a Shaman, which was pretty cool! Unlike the witch doctor, he dressed the part with feathers and traditional clothes. He did a small ceremony with us involving our shakras and the energy of the group. I found it pretty interesting and would have liked to have done even more.

We had lunch in Nazca and I tried a fellow volunteers ceviche. I have to say, for some one who loves seafood, I was not a huge fan. The flavor was good...very citrus-y and lime-y, but I think it was a texture thing. The whole idea of raw seafood kind of creeped me out a bit, but I was glad I tried it. We got into the car and drove in the direction of Ica. But first we stopped at a site that is just starting to be excavated. Its right near the Nazca lines, and scientists have discovered these HUGE temple like structures. They are only finding parts of them right now, and we got to climb around the one that they have dne serious work on. Its amazing that these things are literally under your feet here. I found it interesting that there were these very tall temples right near the lines. They seem to be very connected in my mind.

We made it to Ica by the evening, and checked back into our Oasis hotel. Elyse and I quickly made our way to the computer to discover the wonderful news that the Ravens killed the Broncos, woohoo! Very happy day indeed. We spent the rest of the evening having dinner and going to bed early. The next morning involved a 6 AM breakfast so we could go see the penguins!

Definitely a great Sunday :)