Sandboarding, Lines, Etc

The trip has really begun in earnest. I have a very nice, diverse group of people, 2 Kiwis, 3 English, 3 Aussies, 1 Canadian, 1 American, and a Brazilian guide. There are 6 of us 32 or below and 5 40 and up, but everyone is fun and gets along well. Yesterday we travelled by public bus from Lima to Pisco. This was a neat experience going with the locals. Upon arrival in Pisco it was obvious Jorge´s popularity waned quite a bit. I actually had to pay for Pisco Sours! But mostly everything here is really cheap. Today we were supposed to go to the Ballestas Islands, the ¨poor man´s galapagos¨but due to a mini tsunami we just went to the reserve, which had spectacular lookouts down cliffs over the ocean. Then we travelled to Ica, an oasis in the desert with beautiful, massive sand dunes. There we sandboarded down the dunes which was quite an experience. Now we are in Nazca, home of the Nazca lines. We got to do a lookout from a tower and saw our first lines this afternoon. Tomorrow we will be boarding a small aircraft to fly over them and get a birdseye view. Well, now everyone has left the room with the internet and I find myself alone with a Cristal beer- I am going to go catch up with the rest. Adios!