Tina takes to the air again - and then flies across the desert!

Friday morning saw us arrive in Nazca after a very good night bus ride from Arequipa. We decided to upgrade to 'flat beds' and it was well worth it- arrived at 0630 feeling pretty good.

No time to lose for Tina - by 0930 she was on her way to the local airfield for a flight over the Nazca Lines. Strange lines created centuries ago depicting animals - think Cerne Abbas Giant in animal form! Quite a lively flight with plenty of tight turns, banking and up and downs - but she survived and really enjoyed the experience.

Ian meanwhile stayed close to the hotel pool for most of the day - joined later by Tina after her morning excursion. Great to have some free time and some really nice weather.

Can you believe it - the girl is learning how to relax - but only if the hotel has WFI!

Saturday morning and we are off across the Peruvian desert - and what a cool vehicle for a hot ride! A 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 was the interesting taxi for the 2 hour drive to the sand dunes. A great car - petrol must be cheap in Peru!

Arrived at the dunes and was amazed that such a place existed in Peru - and only 200km as the crow flies from Machu Picchu . In altitude terms, the dunes are the highest in the world - although the altitude was not anywhere near as high as we have been so it was comfortable (if hot) and Tina was ready for another step out of her comfort zone!

As you can see from the video below (not played at an increased
speed!) - the dunes were pretty high and although we did not risk standing on the sandboard, it was quite a ride! A great experience - even if the tour guide Alex did cut his lip and bash his nose as he hit a lively bit of piste! He was a hero though - helping the driver dig us out when the buggy got stuck at the top of one of the dunes.

Great buggies - gave us a really lively ride over the sands.

Spot the under 50 year old

After lunch at a lovely hotel with a pool (great to cool off after the morning activities) we stopped off at a winery that specialised in pisco - a kind of grappa. After a few samples, Ian, although not drinking that much looked the part of the sleazy vineyard owner - 'room for another one next to me'. That's sisters Becky and Susie enjoying the sampling too.

Early morning trip tomorrow to some wildlife islands followed by a bus ride to Lima, the capital of Peru and the end of the tour for the other 4 in the group - leaving us with Alex as our private guide for the next two weeks!